256 



DR. HOOKER ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF ARCTIC PLANTS. 



Herald Island, lat. 7l^° N., the northernmost point attained in that longitude. On the 

 west coast of Greenland, Scoresby and Sabine found only 50 between the parallels of 70° 

 and 75° N. ; whilst 150 inhabit the east coast, between the same parallels. 



The differences between the vegetations of the various polar areas seem to be to a consi- 

 derable extent constant up to the extreme limits of vegetation in each. Thus Hammculus 

 glacialis and Saxifraga flagellaris, which are all but absent in West Greenland*, advance 

 to the extreme north in East Greenland and Spitzbergen. Caltha palustris, Astragalus 

 a,lpimts, Oxytropis JJralensis and nigrescens, Farrya arctica, Sieversia Hossii, Nardosmia 

 corymbosa, Senecio palustris, Deschampsia C(2spitosa, Saxifraga hieraciifolia and Hirculus, 

 all of which are absent in West Greenland, advance to Lancaster Sound and the polar 

 American islands, a very few miles to the westward of Greenland. 



On the other hand. Lychnis alpina, Arabis alpina, Stellaria cerastioides, Fotentilla 

 tridentata, Cassiopeia hypnoides, Phyllodoce taxifolia, Veronica alpina', Thymus Serpyl- 

 lum, Luzula spicata, and Fhlenm alpimim, all advance north of 70° in West Greenland, 

 but are wholly unknown in any part of Arctic Eastern America or the polar islands. 



The most arctic plants of general distribution that are found far north in aU the arctic 

 areas are the following ; all inhabit the Parry Islands, or Spitzbergen, or both : — 



Ranunculus nivalis. 



auricomus. 



pygmEeus. 



Papaver nudicaule. 

 Cochlearia officinalis. 

 Braya alpina. 

 Cardamine bellidifolia, 

 — ■ — pratensis. 

 Draba alpina. 



androsacea. 



hirta. 



muricella. 



incana, 



rupestris. 



Cochlearia anglica. 



officinalis. 



Silene acaulis. 

 Lychnis apetala. 

 Arenaria verna. 



arctica. 



Stellaria longipes. 

 Cerastium alpinum. 

 Potentilla nivea. 



frigida. 



Dryas octopetala. 

 Epilobium latifolium. 



Sedum Rhodiola. 

 Chrysosplenium alternifolium. 

 Saxifraga oppositifolia. 



csespitosa. 



cernua. 



rivularis. 



nivalis. 



stellaris. 



flagellaris. 



Hirculus (East Greenland only). 



Antennaria alpina. 

 Erigeron alpinus. 

 Taraxacum Dens-leonis. 

 Cassiopeia tetragona. 

 Pedicularis hirsuta. 



sudetica. 



Oxyria reniformis. 

 Polygonum viviparum. 

 Empetrum nigrum. 

 Salix herbacea. 



reticulata. 



Luzula arcuata. 



Juncus biglumis. 



Carex fuliginosa (not yet found in Arctic 



Asia, but no doubt there). 

 aquatilis (do.). 



* Both were found by Kane's Expedition, but by no previous one. 



