84 POPULAR GEOGRAPHY OF PLANTS. 



bably regulated by the position of the pack ice, to within a 

 few miles of which it was traced by the Antarctic Expedi- 

 tion, on one occasion, south of New Zealand, to the 65th 

 degree, which is probably its " ultima Thule " in any longi- 

 tude, for it was there the last trace of vegetation ; it grows 

 invariably accompanied by the Macrocystis pyrifera." 



The poorer classes of West Chili are stated on good au- 

 thority to use this plant for food, which, when made into 

 soup, is very palatable, being sweet and mucilaginous. 



Two species of Lessonia are particularly described by Dr. 

 Hooker; the first of these, Lessonia fmcescens, is on many 

 accounts a most curious and interesting plant, whose well de- 

 veloped form and large dimensions give it a good claim to be 

 called a submarine tree, or at least an arborescent seaweed. 

 Its habitat is " Hermite Island, Cape Horn, and the Falk- 

 land Islands ; most abundant always far beyond low- water 

 mark. Christmas Harbour, Kerguelen's Land, rare." Its 

 range extends from Cape Horn along the coasts of South 

 America, probably to Valparaiso . 



" The trunks usually are about from five to ten feet long, 

 as thick as the human thigh, rather contracted at the very 

 base, and again diminishing upwards." The trunk in all 

 the Lessonias divides into two branches ; the branches being 



