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



the vegetable cover, as Astelia, Myrteola, Galiuni, Pratia or Rubus, and not much 

 more conspicuous are the yellow Ranunculi, as R. acaulis, hiternatus, maclovianus 

 and sericeocephalus, as well as the peculiar Hamadryas. Nearly invisible are the 

 flowers of Azorella jilamentosa and lycopodioides, Juncus, and Nayiodea. But the 

 month of December can boast, besides Senecio litoralis, of one adornment of high 

 rank, the stately shrub Veronica elliptica, which when covered with its fragrant white 

 and lilac flowers, offers a most beautiful sight (Pl. XII). Of grasses only two may be 

 mentioned here, Poa alopecurus and antarctica. Of the spring plants, Oxalis and 

 Sisyrinchium are still found in full bloom. With Christmas time we approach the 

 maximum and by far the largest percentage of plants flower in January. In the 

 heath we observe, above all, the shrub next in lieight to Veronica, ChiUotricJium, 

 which might be called the Falkland moon-daisy. White still predominates : Aster, 

 Leuceria and Enargea, mixed with the yellow Hieracium aniarcticimi, and the gay 

 Calceolaria Fothergillii. More modest are the white Cerastium, Drosera, Gnaphalium, 

 and Stellaria, the pink Anagallis, the white to dark red Lagenophora and the dwarf- 

 shrubs of the heath, the common Baccharis and the less common Gauliheria, very 

 inconspicuous are Gaimardia, Galium, Nertera and Oreobohis. January is the proper 

 season to orchids: the yellow Asarca macroptera, the cream-coloured A. australis, the 

 green Chloraea and the white and violet Godonorchis, the latter having the most 

 beautiful flower of all Falkland plants. We must not forget the chief adornment of 

 the otherwise so sterile stoneruns, Nassauvia serpens, whose white heads, peeping 

 forth from the gaps between the huge blocks, are of a most striking appearance (Pl. X). 

 Most of the grasses and sedgegrasses are now in bloom, especially Cortaderia with 

 its violet anthers presents a beautiful sight. Also roimd the beach we find the same 

 comparative abundance of flowers, above all Senecio Darwinii f. jalldandica (yellow), 

 Armeria (pink), Hypochoeris (yellow), Apium (white or pink), and Crassula (white). 

 December — January is the flowering season of plants inhabiting the water and 

 muddy places: the small ranuncles, R. ccespitosus, hydrophilus, pseudotrullifolius and 

 trullijolius, Azorella ranunculus, Callitriche, Grantzia, Heleocharis, Hydrocotyle, Limosella, 

 Litorella, Montia, Myriophyllum and Scirpus. 



With the end of January and the beginning of February we arrive at the last 

 period. Chiliotriclium stånds in full blossom. In the heath the small annual herbs, 

 Euphrasia and Gentiana are in bloom, in the brooks Epilobiutn expands its tiny, pink 

 flowers, the sandy seashore is brilliant with the large yellow inflorescences of Senecio 

 candicans (Pl. XI) and on the rocky shores Nassauvia Gaudichaudii (white) and Pe- 

 rezia (azure to nearly pure white) conclude the Falkland flower-show. Perezia recur- 

 vata is noteworthy as the only Falkland plant with pure blue flowers. 



It is obvious that comparatively few of the plants have conspicuous flowers, 

 and this is often put in connection with the poorness of insect life. Except flies, 

 insects are very seldom seen visiting the flowers and I am convinced that many 

 of them are fertilized b}^ selfpollination. I did not find much time to study these 

 questions, but in the systematical part of this paper I have added some notes on 

 the pollination of certain species in connection with the description of their flowers. 



