440 APPENDIX G. 



number of individuals as well as that of species, this must be 

 regarded as the dominant element in the Flora of the higher 

 region of the Great Atlas, affording as it does 12 per cent of 

 the whole Flora. The only region in which this characteristic 

 is approached is the Bulgardagh in Cilicia, where Crwciferce 

 supply near one-tenth of the whole list. Caryo-phyllem also 

 form an unusually large element in the Flora of the upper zone 

 of the Atlas ; but, unlike Cruciferce, this order exhibits no en- 

 demic species, and four-fifths of the whole number are common 

 plants of Central and Northern Eiixope. Ruhiacece and Bora- 

 ginecB have more representative species than is usual in moun- 

 tain Floras ; while there are but three species of Rosacem in our 

 list ; and Gampanulacece, Primulacece, Coni/erce, and CyperacecB 

 are each represented by a smgle species, and Gentianece and 

 Juncece are altogether absent from the higher zone. 



Although statistical results, such as those given above, are 

 not without interest, as throwing light upon the general cha- 

 racteristics of the Flora of a given region, any rational grounds 

 for speculation as to the real a ffini ties and past history of the 

 vegetation must be derived from a closer examination of the in- 

 dividual species of which it is constituted. It is at least con- 

 ceivable that two Floras should exhibit similar proportions of 

 species belonging to the several natural groups, with no 

 identical species, and with little or no indication of community 

 of origin. The particulars given in our general list will have 

 already led the reader to infer that the results of an exam- 

 ination into the distribution of the individual species that go to 

 make up the Great Atlas exhibit some very peculiar feati^res. 

 Taking the totals at the foot of our list, and excluding crypto- 

 gams, it is seen that more than one-third of the species are 

 plants of Middle and Northern Europe, while about one-sixth is 

 made up of endemic species peculiar to Marocco, and, with few 

 exceptions, not known out of the Great Atlas, more than half 

 of the whole list belonging to one or other of these categories. 

 The results, as shown in the following table, are still more re- 

 markable when we separately examine the zones into which 

 mountain vegetation is naturally divided. As in the former 

 table the figures first entered in each column represent the 

 number of species belonging to each category, those next given 

 showing the percentage proportion boi'ne by that number to the 

 total proportion of each region. 



