KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 50. N:0 3. 85 



and Myrtus nummularia». The Antarctic heath belongs to the Oxylophytes or iorma,- 

 tions on acid soil. But if we look at p. 260, Falkland vegetation appears once more 

 — now as an x\ntarctic fell-field, groiiped among the Psi/cJirVophytes or formations on 

 cold soil. This is described as consisting of tussock-grass and evergreen dwarf-shrubs 

 as Chiliotrichum amelloideum ^ and Pernettya empetrifolia^; further be mentions 

 Azorella caespitosa^ as especially characteristic. The fist of these is no dwarf-shrub; 

 this is a mistake of little importance, more noteworthy is, that VVarming, is this 

 place, has mixed together two different associations. For one is certainly bound to 

 distinguish the tussock grass association from the fell-field, the former being strictly 

 confined to the coastal zone and furthermore nearly pure. If we exclude Poa fla- 

 bellata, the fell-field becomes identical with the Antarctic heath; the dwarf-shrubs 

 »often give rise to true heath» (Warming, 1. c). The confusion about the Falklands 

 in the book in question is not diminished by the fact, that the tussock, on p. 200, 

 is described (after Birger) as a separate formation also. 



It is of course true, that the Falkland vegetation much reminds of the Arctic and 

 Alpine fell-field, as well as of the heath. And in fact, if it is certain that the Falkland 

 soil is cold, it is quite as true that it is acid^ and the plants it bears are Oxylophytes 

 and Psychrophytes at the same time. Warming does not follow his own nomen- 

 clature wlien speaking of the Falkland vegetation as fell-field. For according to the 

 descriptions in the litterature, quoted by Warming, the oxylophytic character of the 

 main plant associations is most striking. Tliere is also a true fell-field, the poorly 

 developed Alpine Bolax-Azorella-assoc[a,tioY], with ± open vegetation, scattered cushion- 

 plants, dwarf-shrubs etc. and patches of mosses and lichens; this vegetation is only 

 found on the higher mountains, wliere there is a more regular snow-cover and a 

 cold soil all the year; the vegetative season is shorter than in the low land. From 

 the relative scarceness of vegetation is understood, that peat is formed to much less 

 extent than elsewhere. But Warming cannot have tliought of this vegetation when 

 he classified the Islands, for it will be described for the first time in this paper. 



I do not think that anybody has drawn sufficient attention to the great likeness 

 between the vegetation of the Falklands and the Atlantic heath, such as it is deve- 

 loped in Scotland, on the Fa3röes etc, and in western Norway. During a visit to 

 the region of Bergen I was quite struck as we arrived at the Erica-zone, where cli- 

 matic factors distinctly inimical to the growth of trees enter, for the vegetation of 

 this zone in many respects strongly resembled what I had seen in the Falklands: 

 the same dark ericaceous heath with similar mosses and lichens, with grasses also 

 here grazed on by sheep, with ferns and herbs of the same growth-forms : not less 

 is one struch by the occurrence of Hymenophyllum tunhridgense, densely matted in the 

 crevices just as H. falJdandicum in the south. Lately a paper appeared, entitled 

 »Das Klima von Bergen. I. Niederschläge», by N. J. Föyn, and it is of very great 

 interest to learn that the climate in the matter of rainfall is exactly of the same 



^ Ch. diffusum. 

 * P. puraila 



^ A csespitosa Vahl, = Bolax gummifera; not = A. caespitosa Cav. 



