COMPARATIVE VIEW. 16!^ 



Of the many remarkable genera and orders characterising 

 the vegetation of South Africa, no traces are to be found in 

 the herbarium from Congo. This fact is the more worthy 

 of notice, because even in Abyssinia a few remains, if I 

 may so speak, of these characteristic tribes, have been met 

 with; as the Protea Ahyssinica} observed by Bruce, and 

 Pelargonium Abyssiniaim and Geissorrhiza Ahyssinicd' found 

 by Mr. Salt. 



Between the plants collected by Professor Smith in the 

 island of St. Jago and those of the Congo herbarium, there 

 is very little affinity ; great part of the orders and genera 

 being different, and not more than three species, of which 

 Cassia occidentalis is one, being common to both. To 

 judge from this collection of St. Jago, it would seem that 

 the vegetation of the Cape Verd Islands is of a character 

 intermediate between that of the adjoining continent and of 

 the Canary Islands, of which the Flora has, of course, still 

 less connection with that of Congo. 



It might perhaps have been expected that the examina- 

 tion of the vicinity of the Congo would have thrown some 

 light on the origin, if I may so express myself, of the Flora 

 of St. Helena. This, however, has not proved to be the 

 case ; for neither has a single indigenous species, nor have 

 any of the principal genera, characterising the vegetation 

 of that Island, been found either on the banks of the Congo, 

 or on any other part of this coast of Africa. 



There appears to be some affinity between the vegetation 

 of the banks of the Congo and that of Madagascar and the 

 Isles of France and Bourbon. This affinity, however, con- 

 sists more in a certain degree of resemblance in several 

 natural families and extensive or remarkable genera, than 

 in identity of species, of which there seems to be very 

 .few in common. 



The Flora of Congo may be compared with those of 

 equinoctial countries still more remote. 



With that oi India, it agrees not only in the proportions 

 of many of its principal families, or in what may be termed 



1 (j&^tii Bruc^s Travels fi, p. a, 



'• Salfs Travels in Abyssinia, append, pp. hiii. and Ixv. {Anle, pp. 93 and 9j.) 



