450 BOTANICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



but of these Ptilotrichum spinosum and Salix hastata are extremely rare ; 

 the two others, Faccinium uliginosum and Reseda complicata do not raise 

 their woody stem from the ground. The alpine meadows are called " Bor- 

 reguiles," and they form here a fine sward of Nardus stricta, Agrostis 

 nevadensis, Festuca Halleri, and duriuscula : and upon this turf, Leontodon, 

 Ranunculi, Gentians, and other alpine plants grow. In other cases, herba- 

 ceous plants, growing in the form of tufts, preponderate, and displace the 

 grass-plat ; as Silene rupestris, Arenaria tetraquetra, Potentitta nevadensis, 

 Artemisia granatensis, and Plantago nivalis. The alpine rivulets arise from 

 small lakes, as also from a single spot of glacier-ice, near which, in moist 

 defiles, we meet with taller herbaceous plants, as Eryngium glaciale, Carduus 

 carlinoides, and Digitalis purpurea. Lastly, come the plants of the loose 

 drift, as Papaver pyrenaicum, Ptilotrichum purpureum, Viola nevadensis, &c.; 

 as also of neighbouring rocks, e. g. Androsace imbricata, Draba hispanica, 

 Arabis Boryi, and Saxifraga mixta. The following plants are endemic, in 

 addition to those already mentioned: Ranunculus acetosellifolms and demissus, 

 Lepidium stylatum, Silene Boryi, Arenaria pungens, Bunium nivale, Meum 

 nevadense, Erigeron frigidus, Leontodon Boryi and microcephalus, Crepis 

 oporinoides, Jasione amethystina, Gentiana Boryi, Echium flavum, Linaria 

 glacialis, Holcus ctespitosus, Trisetum glaciale, Festuca pseudoeskia and Cle- 

 mentei. Boissier gives the following proportions of the flora of Granada, 

 which are valuable in a statistical point of view. The following are the 

 families containing most species in the systematic section of Boissier's work : 

 239 Synantheracea3 (containing 80 Cynaraceae, 65 Cichoracese, 64 Senecio- 

 nidese, 29 Asteroidese, 1 of the Eupatorinese), 202 Leguminosse, 164 Gra- 

 minacea3, 105 Criiciferee, 97 Umbelliferse, 95 Labiatse, 90 Caryophyllacese 

 (comprising 39 Silenacese, 31 Alsinacese, and 20 Paronychiese), 63 Scrophula- 

 riaceae, 38 Cistinese, 38 Ranunculaceas, 37 Rubiacese, 36 Boraginacese, 34 

 Chenopodiacese, 33 Rosacese, 33 Liliacese, 32 Cyperaceee, and 30 Orchidacea3. 

 Statistical sketch of the four regions assumed by Boissier. In the first 

 region, 1070 species were observed, of which one sixth only occurred also in 

 the second region, and a few plants only in sunny places in the upper region. 

 Of this total number, 542 species are 0, 442 l and 46 Q ; as far as I am 

 acquainted, this is the only region at present known, in which the number 

 of annuals is as large or larger than that of the perennials. Of the 442 % , 

 19 are trees (vid. sup.), 58 are shrubs less, and 68 more than 3' in height, 

 the remainder are herbaceous plants. Of the shrubs, 22 are Leguminosse (14 

 GenistesB), 14 Cistinese, 13 Labiatse (low under-shrubs), 6 Chenopodiacea3, 

 4 Asparagese (2 Smilax), 4 Amentacese, 4 Solanese, &c. The region con- 

 tains 860 Dicotyledons, 200 Monocotyledons, 10 vascular Cryptogamia, 

 distributed through 82 families, of which the following contain most species : 

 Leguminosse (147), Synantheracese (124), Graminaceae (106), Cruciferse (47), 

 Umbellifero3 (47), Labiatse (46), Caryophyllaceae (46), Chenopodiaceee (33), 



