(ane TE t o 
. and whether we consider the number of 
local species, the novelty of their forms, or 
the singularity of their appearance, cha- 
racters that belong to the great mass of 
prevailing plants, it must be confessed that 
in all these respects the Botany of the 
Archipelago of the Canaries well merits 
the title of a Region. The different sta- 
tions occupied by these vegetables, the 
sort of sociability which seems to unite 
lregions; 
give interest to research, when after having 
examined the several groupes in detail, we 
would pass on to the order of their distri- 
bution. ** The Floras of Islands," as is 
well remarked by the illustrious Genevese 
_ Professor, De Candolle, ** possess an emi- 
. hent degree of interest, both by the pecu- 
liarities that they present and because the 
task being of a limited extent, it can be 
performed with the greater precision.” The 
truth of this observation has been impressed 
upon our minds when investigating the 
: Canaries, where we have been enabled to 
. Ascertain many points during our partial 
| excursions which would have certainly es- 
. aped us on a continent, the greater space 
rendering such results impossible to be 
obtained. 
ai 
i à The disparities existing in the vegetable 
distribution of each island, and arising 
.  ftom accidental circumstances of soil, ex- 
. posure and temperature, have multiplied 
E the contrasts and produced remarkable 
AS changes in the Geographical arrangement. 
From these differences have resulted almost 
_ 4 many distinct Floras as there are islands, 
each possessing some species peculiar to 
. Mself, while the mass of plants on each, 
.. though consisting of such individuals as 
may be common to all parts of the Archi- 
pelago, never exists in similar proportions. 
— Thus, for instance, Alegranza, Montaña- 
A Graciosa and the other desert islets 
qo situated to the North of Lancerotta, abound 
. IBspeciesof Chenopodiumand Polycarpea, 
= mingled with several other plants of the 
— region. ‘When landing on these 
y vhich may 
a ae Se 
VEGETATION OF THE CANARY ISLANDS. 
333 
call to mind the vegetation of the other 
islands; the Euphorbia of the Canaries, and 
its congeners, the Plocama, Kleinias and 
Prenanthes, being replaced by large bushes 
of Atriplex, Salicornia, Suedaand Salsola, 
with other alkaline plants growing under 
their shadow. 
The plants that we gathered on the Islet 
of Graciosa, on the 5th of June 1829, are 
given in a list at the end of this chapter, 
arranged according to their degree of fre- 
quency. This miniature Flora, consisting 
of twenty-nine species, presents the follow- 
ing peculiarities. There are 7 Chenopodee, 
5 Leguminosae, 3 Plumbaginee, 2 Poly- 
carpee, 2 Plantaginee ; of Liliacee, Gra- 
minee, Euphorbiacee, Boraginee, Cary- 
ophyllee, Composite, Geraniacee, Cisti- 
nee, and Frankeniacee, one of each. 
The Atriplex Halimus, a large-leaved 
variety, not seen on the other islands ; Sa- 
licornia fruticosa, found also on the coast 
of Lancerotta, opposite Graciosa; Atriplex 
glauca, Salsola vermiculata and Sueda 
fruticosa, all much more numerous on this 
islet than in the rest of the Archipelago, 
compose the chief vegetation of this rock. 
Statice pruimosa, first found by M. De- 
lille in Egypt, grows also at Alegranza, 
Statice puberula (nob.), Reseda chrystal- 
lina (nob.), Ononis ochreata (nob.), and 
Ononis pendula, are four extremely rare 
species, which we saw nowhere else than 
in a single spot of the island Lancerotta, 
while Ononis hebecarpa (nob.) is quite 
confined to Graciosa. 
Finally, a single kind of Euphorbia 
(E. piscatoria) very frequent on the other 
islands, grows on this rock, almost con- 
cealed by the Chenopodia. Thus in twenty- 
six species, from ten to twelve are quite 
peculiar to this locality, while the others, 
though common to the rest of the groupe, 
display tl lves in a different proport 
The species are mostly herbaceous and 
creep among the more woody kinds. 
Now, if we bear in mind the number of 
peculiar species and the disparity that exists 
in their numerical proportion from that of 
the other islands, we may easily perceive 
that vegetation must bear a different aspect 
