4 SUB-ALPINE PLANTS 



the Marsh St. John's-wort (Hypericum elodes) and the Bog Myrtle 

 (Myrica gale). The Bog Myrtle is distinctly an Arctic and Western 

 European species, and so is^the Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossi- 

 fragum]. Neither of the two British Lobelias (L. urens and L. 

 Dortmanna) is found in Switzerland. The former is purely Western 

 European in its distribution, and the latter is more northern. 



To sum up the chief differences between the Swiss lowland 

 vegetation and that of great Britain or Ireland : in Switzerland 

 there are no hills or commons covered with Bell Heather and 

 Erica tetralix ; no wet, sandy moors, such as those in Dorset, made 

 picturesque with the same two heaths mingled with the beautiful 

 Erica ciliaris and Bog Myrtle, the brilliant yellow spikes of Bog 

 Asphodel turning coral-red in September, the little yellow Cicendia, 

 the pale Pinguicula lusitanica, and the curious Hypericum elodes. 

 In Switzerland the Gorse (Ulex europ&us) and the Broom (Saro- 

 thamnus scoparius) are hardly even seen, the former being native 

 only near San Bernardo in Tessin ; on her banks and hillsides there 

 are no Purple Foxgloves, but two less handsome yellow ones ; 

 and in her lowland woods and hedges the bright blue Scilla bifolia 

 takes the place in spring of our wild Hyacinths. 



Excluding sub-species and varieties, there are at least 2540 species 

 of flowering plants and ferns in Switzerland ; or perhaps six hundred 

 more than in the British Isles, notwithstanding their long coast- 

 line and great variety of geological formation. And yet we have very 

 much to be thankful for we have Alpine and Arctic plants in the 

 north, on some of the highest mountains further south, and in 

 Ireland ; we have, as already stated, quite a number of Lusitanian 

 and Atlantic plants in the south-west of England and Ireland. 

 Then there is a large Germanic element chiefly in the east of Eng- 

 land ; a most interesting maritime flora, with a few species from 

 the Mediterranean ; and many others which come under either the 

 British, English, or Scottish type according to H. C. Watson's 

 types of distribution. Indeed, there can be few countries in the 

 world with so many interesting types of vegetation as the British 

 Isles. Insular floras are almost without exception interesting, 

 and that of our own Islands is of special interest, and furnishes 

 some of the greatest surprises. One of the Continental botanists 

 who took part last year in the Phytogeographical excursion in the 

 British Isles wrote 1 : "However much we have seen in different 

 countries, we still found many peculiarities in the British vegeta- 

 tion which are not seen elsewhere, and many features which are 

 as striking and interesting as any we have ever met with." 

 Unlike most islands, however, and especially those of the Medi- 

 terranean, the British Isles can boast of extremely few endemic 

 species. 



The peculiarities of many high Alpine plants are not so noticeable 



1 The New Phytologist, January, 1912, p. 28. 



