Botany and Zoology. 83 



form, would work well in generic or specific characters, and have 

 the advantage of etymological correctness. a. g. 



3. Geographical Statistics of the European /'/..w.-ln a paper 

 contributed in lsTt to the Transactions of the Historic SoeietV of 

 Lancashire and Cheshire, Mr. Thomas Comber discussed the geo- 

 graphical statistics of the British flora. In another paper, read 

 March, 1x75, these enquiries are extended to the rest of the flora 

 of Europe; and the dispersion considered with regard to latitude, 

 station, habit of growth, character of liower. nature of fruit, seed, 

 etc. Contrary to the common idea, the Kuropean maritime plue- 

 nogamous plants appear to be less widely dispersed, on an aver- 

 age, than the non-maritime. Trees and shrubs range rather more 

 widely than herbaceous plants over land, less so over sea. Plants 

 with creeping rootstocks or stolons are much more widely dis- 

 persed than those without them. The distribution of annuals, 

 especially of the warmer temperate species, exceeds that of peren- 

 nial herbs. Endogens are mot. u"h\ -yu id t! n lv..,ih. 



rior ovary; that is, the lower and less specialize.! in structure are 

 more widely distributed than the higher or more specialized. 

 That the inconspicuously colore,! surpass in range those with 

 brightly colored and conspicuous flowers, may be regarded as 

 another illustration of the same rule. The Cryptogams, of course, 

 have much the widest range. Phi msiderably 



surpass those with dry fruit in area of distribution, in the ratio of 

 about 5 to 3. Of the dry fruits, the indehiseent belong to plants 

 with a somewhat higher average of distribution. Th. curious 

 conclusion. . carious data, is confirmed bythe 



statistics of the European flora, namely, that Composite with 

 pappus, on the average, are less widely distributed than those 

 without; and generally, that plants with special adaptations for 

 dispersion of fruit or seeds, are rather less widely dispersed than 

 those which have no such special appliances ; excepting, h..we\ er, 

 the coma of seeds. This, as De ( j Ml - ( " !l1 - 



ber confirms, is accompanied by a high degree of dispersion. 

 Much of this probably comes from the large number of Salices in 

 the H.iroi, - woody plants oi con, 



with Aadepiadem— the most comose-seeded of the higher orders. 

 The species of Asclepias in North America are not remarkable tor 

 wide range. Although number of seeds might be supposed to 

 give advantage, yet, on the whole, the European plants with soli- 

 tary seeds have somewhat wider ;> tth two or 

 mor,, seeds in each cell. Plants with albuminous seeds somewhat 

 surpass in range the exallmmiuous. Hns is remarkable m view of 

 the fact that seeds of longest known vitality and which best 

 endure exposure to sea watei", are mainly exalbumin.ms or nearly 

 so. Large genera have somewhat higher d 

 ones; and variable species, than those not ; 

 The laws that govern the distribution of plants are complex and 



