12 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS! BOTANY. 



An enumeration of species from different localities may give some idea 

 of the vegetation of the Guaitecas. I shall begin with such as belong to 

 the peat-covered, rocky ground, which takes up by far the larger part of 

 these islands. 



As already stated, the two beeches, Nothofagits dombeyi and N. nitida, 

 and Drimys winteri predominate ; other trees, such as Lattrelia aromatica, 

 Lomatia ferruginea, Eugenia sp., Podocarptis nubigena and Caldcluma 

 paniculata, being either of less importance or very uncommon. Whether 

 Weinmannia trichosperma, Embothrium coccineiim, Edwardsia macna- 

 biana and Guevina avellana really occur here, I leave an open question. 

 If so, they are at least extremely rare and of no consequence. Libocedrus 

 tetragona I have already mentioned. 



As is the case farther south, the light here is often very dim. Judging 

 from the undergrowth which, in places, is more vigorous than in southern 

 west Patagonia, it would appear that the trees do not join their crowns 

 quite so closely together as in the latter section, although it may be that 

 the wood-cutting, which has been going on in these islands for a long 

 time, may have something to do with this phenomenon. The following 

 species make up the undergrowth: Desfontainea spinosa, Philesia buxi- 

 folia, Lebetanthus myrsinites, Pernettya mucronata and P. furens Klotzsch., 

 Myrteola nummiilaria; also, but more rarely, Tecoma valdiviana Phil., 

 Dacostea racemosa Phil., and Tepualia stipularis. Of epiphytic phanero- 

 gams occur Luzuriaga radicans and very likely also Mitraria coccinea and 

 Asteranthera chiloensis. Epiphytic ferns are plentiful, such as Hymeno- 

 phyllum chiloense Hook., H. magellanicutn Willd., H. cUckptomum Cav., 

 H. bridgesii Hook., H. pectinatum Cav., H. cruentum Cav., H. cerugi- 

 nosum Carm., Trichomanes ccespitosum Hook., Asplenittm trapezoides 

 Hook., and Polypodium australe (R. Br.). Most of these also grow on 

 the ground, which likewise displays Asplenium magellanicum, Blechnum 

 magellanicum and Gleichenia quadripartita. 



The carpeting of mosses which covers the ground is composed mainly 

 of Hepaticce, but also Bryacecz are more plentiful here than in the south ; 

 the species are the same as we already know from there ; of the former, 

 I should mention Schisma chilensis, Lepicolea ochroleuca, Chiloscyphus 

 horizontalis, Aneura prehensilis, A. fuegiana, A. crispa, Schistochila 

 reicheana Steph., Plagiochila longissima Steph., P. obcimeata and P. dura 

 De Not., Isotachis madida, Diphphyllum densifolium, Lepidozia chordu- 



