FLORA OF THE ALPINE ZONE. 103 



Europe. The species are indeed different, but the 

 general aspect does not strike the European botanist 

 as presenting any marked features of novelty. 



One further characteristic of the flora of Chicla is 

 the great variety of species to be found within a small 

 area. In this respect it seemed to me to rival the 

 flora of Southern Spain and Asia Minor, which are 

 known to be exceptionally rich in endemic forms. I 

 am, of course, unable to judge whether in this part of 

 the Andes the species are localized to nearly the same 

 degree as in those parts of the Mediterranean region, 

 and it is at least possible that the individual species 

 which I saw crowded together at Chicla may have a 

 relatively wide geographical range. The only social 

 species, in some places covering large patches on the 

 steep slopes, is a lupen growing in dense bushy 

 masses. 



Again guarding myself from the temptation to draw 

 positive inferences from very slight opportunities for 

 observation, I may add a few remarks on what I saw 

 of the flora of the upper or' Alpine zone of the Cor- 

 dillera. This appears to be far more sharply defined 

 at its lower limit than that which I shall designate as 

 the temperate zone. In the latter, although the nights 

 are at all seasons cool, actual frost is rarely experi- 

 enced, and snow never lies on the ground. In the 

 upper or Alpine zone, on the contrary, night frosts 

 recur not unfrequently throughout the year, snow falls 

 from time to time, more frequent in winter— from 

 May to August— but does not lie long enough to 

 provide a season of complete rest to the vegetative 

 organs. To the influence of these conditions we may 



