74 CARL SKOTTSBERG, A BOTANICAL SURVEY OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS. 



the vegetation in siich places. On one of the table-mountains, Meseta Chalia, we 

 crossed an extensive plateau covered by a terrible flowing soil where man and horse 

 sank deep down. The grey monotony of the ground was broken by numerous 

 dark strips of vegetation, principally formed by Einpetrum rubrum and Perneitya 

 pumila, both of them belonging to the most characteristic elements of the Falkland 

 heath. On slopes with detritus-flow vegetation was found to be scarce, but liere 

 and there was a patch with dwarf-shrnbs, stunted grasses and compact cushion- 

 plants, which are slowly transported downwards apparently without sustaining any 

 serious damage. In such places one would sometimes find Azorella ccesintosa Cav., 

 also a Falkland plant, coUected by ns on ground where there is occasionally a recent 

 solifliiction. 



After what has been said above, we may feel pretty sure, that the flora to a 

 large extent dates back to a »presolifluctional» time. Of course nothing hinders us 

 from admitting that many additions to the flora have been made since that period. 

 This may be the case also with the 12 Fuegian forest plants of group 1 C. With 

 one exception [Enargea marginata) they are ferns (7) or orchids (2) whose spores or 

 secds can travel över very great distances, or which have fruits provided with hooks 

 liable to attachment to birds' feathers {Åcmna ovaUjlora, Uncinia hrevicaidis). 



It is more difficult to find an explanation for group 2. It is composed of 14 

 species. 8 of them are ferns or orchids, 2 {Carex, Draba) are probably relics from a 

 preglacial time. I do not venture to discuss Koeleria Bergii nor Litorella australis, 

 only known from two widely separated localities in America and easily overlooked 

 by collectors — but the rest are not likely to have travelled across the continent or 

 round the coast, the current running in an opposite direction. That spores or seeds 

 of orchids should be carried by the wind all the way from Valdivia or Chiloé across 

 the Andes to the Falklands is not impossible since pollen-grains of Podocarpus 

 have been found in samples of red snow from the South Orkney Islands.^ One of 

 the ferns, Dryopteris spinulosa, seems to present difficulties. Did it come all the 

 way from North America? Or does it occur in South America, but has been over- 

 looked by all collectors? 



If we had reasons to admit a warmer postglacial time, when many species 

 extended southward to Fuegia which have tlieir southern boundary further north 

 now, our understanding of group 2 in the Falklands would be considerably facilitated. 



I have entitled group 2 the »termophilous element», then having in mind specially 

 A, a number of species that belong to the rainy coast of Chile, but do not reach its 

 colder parts. Certainly one must expect, that the climate in the Falklands is really 

 warmer tlian in the rainy zone of Fuegia. In order to facilitate a comparison with 

 the summer-temperatures, which are of special interest, I have compiled the following 

 table. The Fvangelistas Islands are situated very little to the south of the Falk- 

 lands, at 52° 24' S. ; it is the only meteorological station in these parts suitable for 

 a comparison. I have added the observations from Ancud on Chiloé, at 41° 51' S., 



' F. E. Fritscii, Fresliwater algae iii Rep. Scottisli National Antarctic Exi)editioii in tlie 'Scotia", 

 Edinburgh 1912. 



