274 Heer — Miocene Flora of the Polar Regions, 



were 78 kinds of trees, and 50 shrubs : consequently, at that period, 

 128 species of woody plants had been diffused over the far north. 

 Amongst the pine or fir tribe we find silver firs (Tannen), spruce 

 firs (Fichten), and common or Scotch firs (Fohren) — most of which 

 very nearly approach the American species. We may especially 

 mention the Finus MacClurii, which looks uncommonly like the 

 Pinus alba of Canada, aid of which the cones were discovered in 

 Banksland by Mr. McClure and his companions. This tree, doubt- 

 less, contributed no little to the features of the mountain forests of 

 that country. Iceland, however, in the Miocene times, was the 

 richest in species of pine, for the remains of seven different kinds 

 have been discovered there — viz., species of silver fir, of spruce and 

 of common fir. The Sequoice, however, were far more abundant 

 than the pines ; and, in the Miocene times, it can be proved that 

 they were very abundant in Europe, Asia, and America ; while at 

 the present day this genus is confined to California. Only two living 

 species are known (S. sempervirens and S. gigantea) — the last sur- 

 vivors of this remarkable type of plants, which contains the greatest 

 trees in the world. In the Miocene times four species lived in the 

 polar regions; three of which, however, were spread over middle 

 Europe. The Sequoia Langsdoffii is the chief tree of North Greenland ; 

 and not only branches with leaves upon them, but even the flowers, 

 the cones, and the seeds, have been discovered. In the Miocene 

 age it lived also in North Canada and in Vancouver's Island ; and, on 

 the other hand, it can be proved also to have existed in Germany, 

 Switzerland, and Italy. It is uncommonly near to Sequoia semper- 

 virens, and is only distinguished from it by the cones being some- 

 what larger. The S. Sternhergi, which was very abundant in Ice- 

 land, is, on the other hand, closely related to S. gigantea (the " Welling- 

 tonia ") ; while the S. Couttsice, which is found at Disco and Atane- 

 kerdluk, fills up the gap between S. Langsdorffii and S. Sternhergi. 

 The trees allied to the cypress are largely represented ; and we find 

 three genera, Taxodium, Thujopsis, and Glyptostrohus. The home of 

 the two last is in Japan, while that of Taxodium is in North America, 

 The Glyptostrohus Europceus had precisely the same range as the 

 Sequoia Langsdorffii ; and the same may be said of Taxodium duhium ; 

 of which twigs, leaves, and cones were found at Atanekerdluk, and 

 its remains were found in Spitzbergen, even at Bell Sound (nearly 

 78 degrees north lat.). The Thujopsis Europcea (a kind of evergreen) 

 is much rarer, and yet very pretty branches of it were found in 

 Northern Greenland, which agree with those found in amber, and at 

 Armissan (Narbone). Amongst the Taxince may be especially men- 

 tioned a Salishurea from Greenland, as this genus at present grows 

 wild only in Japan. 



The number of foliaceous trees of the Arctic zone in Miocene times 

 was so great, that only a few species can be specified here. Many of 

 them are very similar to those of our own country ; as, for instance, 

 the beech and the chestnut, which are found in North Greenland up 

 to 70 degrees north lat. One kind of beech, Fagus Deucalionis, was 

 very nearly related to our common sj^ecies : the leaves have the same 



