THE FLORA OF JAPAN. 1 



It is interesting to notice that, notwithstanding the com- 

 parative proximity of Japan to western North America, 

 fewer of its species are represented there than in far distant 

 Europe. Also, — showing that this difference is not owing 

 to the separation by an ocean, — that far more Japanese 

 plants are represented in eastern North America than in 

 either. It is, indeed, possible that my much better knowledge 

 of American botany than of European may have somewhat 

 exaggerated this result in favor of Atlantic North America 

 as against Europe, but it could not as against western North 



If we regard the identical species only, in the several floras, 

 the preponderance is equally against western as compared with 

 eastern North America, but is more in favor of Europe. For 

 the number of species in the Japanese column 2 which like- 

 wise occur in western North America is about 120 ; in eastern 

 North America, 134 ; in Europe, 157. 



Of the 580 Japanese entries, there are which have corre- 

 sponding 



European representatives, a little above 0.48 per cent. ; ot 



identical species, 0,27. 



Western North American representatives, about 0.37 per 

 cent. ; of identical species, 0.20. 



i Extract from the concluding part of a « Memoir on the Botany of 

 Japan, in its relations to that of North America, and of other parts of 

 the Northern Temperate Zone." (Memoirs of the American Academy 

 of Arts and Science, new series, vi. 1859.) 



It is this paper which fixed the attention of the scientific world upon 

 Professor Gray and established his reputation as a philosophical natu- 



ralist. — C. S. S. , , 



2 The column in a tabular view of the distribution of Japanese plants 

 and their nearest allies in the northern temperate zone. 



