In the course of an expedilion to Saghalin in the summer 

 of 1914, the Finnish zoologist Dr. Ludv. Munsterhjelm also 

 collected a number of vascular plants, and at liis request, I 

 undertook to go through the material. Saghalin, the flora of 

 which is up to the present comparatively little known, affords 

 a rich and interesting field of work in botanical respects. Not 

 only does the island form a link between the continental Asiatic 

 flora and that of Japan, as pointed out by Maximowicz in his 

 »Primitiæ floræ amurensis<( , but it was noted already by Fr. 

 Schmidt, that very many of the spedes found there differ in 

 various respects from the typical form. This is evident from ali 

 the morphological remarks concerning the different species in his 

 »Flora sachcdinensis(( (Reisen im Amur-Lande und auf der Insel 

 Sachalin in Memoires de lAcademie Imperial des Sciences de 

 St. Petersbourg, VII Ser. Tome XII, No. 2, St. Petersburg 1868). 

 It has thus long been known, that a considerable number of 

 plants found in Eastern Asia, especially Manchuria, also occur 

 in Saghalin, but under slightly differing forms, as closely related 

 species or varieties. These tracts were, as we know, during a 

 former geological period, connected up with North America into 

 one great united territory, doubtless with a certain continuity 

 in the character of the vegetation, as is apparent from the tinds 

 of early tertiary plantremains and coal-deposits, separation, 

 however, subsequently taking place during the latter portion of 

 the tertiary period. Thereafter, each of the separate regions 

 thus created developed, owing to climatic or other conditions, 

 a series of floristic types peculiar to itself. 



Unfortunately, Dr. Munsterhjelm's coUection of vascular 

 plants from the island was not very extensive, comprising in 

 all but 89 sheets with a total of 47 species and varieties. 



All the species were collected near the village of Sakachama, 

 at the southernmost end of the island, during the months of 

 May — July 1914. The following notes as to the general character 

 of the vegetation are for the most part based upon information 

 kindly furnished by the collector. 



As the latest work upon the flora of the island I may quote 

 that of Kingo Miyabe and Tsutome Miyake »Flora of Saghalin«, 

 published by the Government of Saghalin, March 1915. (In 

 Japanese). 



