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1897 ] CURRENT LITERATURE 135 
more or less like a steppe, consisting of herbs with scattered shrubs. (3) The 
strand vegetation is very sparse because of the strong dry winds and scarcity 
of soil. (4) A very dry stony district characterized by growths of Avena hirsuta, 
(5) lie steppes. (6) Cultivated areas. 
sén has written up the results of a Swedish expedition to Terra del 
Moke There are three principal vegetation districts: (1) the northern dry 
district, largely without forests. There are thickets on bee hills near the 
coast and more or less throughout. There are halophytes on the strand and 
in saline lagoons, grasses and sedges in the fresh water lagoons. Some por- 
tions of the district contain heaths. The woods that occur are almost exclu- 
sively of Fagus antarctica, witha rather rich herb vegetation, and comparatively 
few cryptogams. (2) The southern rainy district has extensive forests, the 
soil being clothed with liverworts, while mosses are comparatively infrequent. 
Ferns are abundant. Dense thickets occur near the sea. The mountain 
floras take on something of the aspect of our northern mountain forests, but 
the coastal flora has a more tropical appearance. (3) The transition dis- 
trict. The introduced plants are successfully combating with the natives. 
Xerophyte adaptations are seen in the rainy district as well as in the dry area, 
probably because of the abundance of mists and clouds; the small amount of 
illumination results in weak assimilation, hence the necessity for protective 
adaptations. The evergreen habit also facilitates assimilation by extending 
the period of activity. The crowns of the trees are much spread out hori 
zontally, thus permitting more assimilation. 
Sievers in an article on the physical geography of Venezuela considers some 
of the more striking plant societies of the country. Twelve plant societies are 
considered : coastal mangrove swamps, strand vegetation, extensive interior 
grassy fields or savannas, desert steppes of the Llanos, grazsy Morichales, 
xerophilous thickets with an abundance of cacti, transitional dry woods with 
an abundance of the Mimosez, moister tropical Galerie woods, luxuriant 
tropical rainy woods, mountain woods with tree ferns, cinchonas and orchids, 
mountain meadows with an abundance of grasses and perennial herbs, and the 
Paramos. Vegetation ascends to the snow line because of the moist climate 
= Oe © 
ITEMS OF TAXONOMIC INTEREST are as follows: Dr. John K. Small** has 
published an account of the sessile flowered trilliums of the southern states 
recognizing six species, one of which is described as new, and named for D 
nderwood. Mr. P. A. Rydberg*s has begun a description of rarities st 
Montana, the first three papers containing several new species. Mr. Geo. V 
* Botaniska Notiser Hef 6, 1896. See Bot. Cent. Bei. 6: 519-522. 
*3 Petermann’s Mittheilungen 42: 197-201. 1896. 
* Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 24: 169-175. 1897. 
*5 Op. cit. 24 : 188-192, 243-253, 292-299. 1897. 
