258 DR. HOOKER ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF ARCTIC PLANTS. 



Gentiana aurea. Carex nardina. 



Eutoca Franklinii. glareosa. 



Pedicularis flammea. rariflora. 



tDouglasia arctica. Hierochloe pauciflora. 



tMonolepis Asiatica. Deschampsia atropurpurea. 



Betula fruticosa. Phippsia algida. 



Salix speciosa. Dupontia Fisheri. 



t — _ glacialis. . Colpodium pendulinum. 



phlebophylla. fulvum. 



arctica. latifolium. 



Orchis cruenta. ttPleuropogon Sabini. 



Platantliera hyperborea. tFestuca Richardsoni. 



On the Distribution of Arctic Flowering Flants in various Regions of the Globe. 

 There is but one distinct genus confined to the arctic regions, the monotypic and local 

 Pleuy^opogon Sabini ; and there are but seven other peculiarly arctic species, together 

 with one with which I am wholly unacquainted, viz. Monolepis Asiatica. The remain- 

 ing 762 species are all of them found south of the circle ; and of these all but 150 

 advance south of the parallel of 40° N. lat., either in the Mediterranean basin, Northern 

 India, the United States, Oregon, or California ; about 50 are natives of the mountainous 

 regions of the tropics ; and just 105 inhabit the south temperate zone. 



The proportion of species which have migrated southwards in the Old and New World 

 also bear a fair relation to the facilities for migration presented by the difi'erent continents. 

 Thus, 



Of 616 Ai-ctic European species. Of 233 Arctic Asiatic species, 



496 inhabit the Alps, and 210 reach the Altai, Soongaria, &c. ; 



450 cross them ; ~ 106 reach the Himalaya ; 



126 cross the Mediterranean; are found on the tropical mountains 



26 inhabit South Africa. of Asia ; 



5 inhabit Australia and New Zealand. 



Of 379 Arctic East American, Of 346 Arctic West American species, 

 203 inhabit the United States (of which 274 are north temperate ; 



21 are confined to the mountains). 24 on tropical mountains; 



34 inhabit tropical American mountains. 37 in south temperate zone. 



50 inhabit temperate south America. 



These tables present in a very striking point of view the fact of the Scandinavian flora 

 being the most widely distributed over the globe. The Mediterranean, South African, 

 Malayan, Australian, and all the floras of the New World have narrow ranges compared 

 with the Scandinavian, and none of them form a prominent feature in any other continent 

 than their own ; but the Scandinavian not only girdles the globe in the arctic circle, and 

 dominates over all others in the north temperate zone of the Old World, but intrudes 

 conspicuously into every other temperate flora, whether in the northern or southern 

 hemisphere, or on the Alps of tropical countries. 



The severest test to which this observation could be put is that supplied by the Arctic 



