23 1 



of the northern approaches remarkably the flora of the Behring Sea region (uortheaisteru Asiatic 

 mid northern Pacific) . 



In the southern Knriles, for instance, we have such plants as the following, which show a strong 

 affinity to the vegetation of the wanner climate : — Ranunculus japonicus, Viola verecunda, JJian- 

 thus superbus, Hypericum ereclum, Skimmia japonica, Ilex crenala, Evonymus alata , Rhus Iricho- 

 carpa, Rhus Toxicodendron, Hydrangea scandens, Aralia racemosa, var., AcantAopanax ricini/olia, 

 Leucothoe Orayana, Crawfurdia japonica and Bambusa kurilensis. 



Compared with the flora of Saghatin, we find a close resemblance between them in the vegetation 

 of their respective southern portions. Both enjoy about the same climate and are under the same 

 influences as the Japanese flora. Toward the north their contrast is striking, from the obvious rea- 

 son of their proximit y to different floral regions. 



There are forty -three species in the Kurile flora which have not yet been found in Saghalin, but 

 which are known to occur in Japan. Of these, seventeen plants grow also in Kamtschatka and ad- 

 jacent districts. However small in number, consideration of these plants would be of some help to 

 explain how far this chain of volcanic islands has been the means of introducing northern Asiatic 

 plants into Japan. These seventeen species are as follows : — 



Clematis fusca. 

 Barbavea vulgaris. 

 Slellaria Jlorida. 

 Slellaria ruscifolia . 

 Trifolium Lupinaster. 

 Saxifraga Merkii. 



Erigei vn sals ug inosus . 

 Cassiope lycopodioides. 

 Bryauthus laxifolius. 

 Primula cuneifolia. 

 Sever lia letrapetala. 

 Veronica Slelleri. 



Pedicularis Chamissonis. 

 Polygonum viviparum. 

 Rumex Acelosa. 

 Microslylis monop hyllos . 

 Equisetum limosum. 



Some of these plants are of such wide distribution in the northern hemisphere that it is not fair 

 to include them in our consideration of this question. Such plants as Barbarea vulgaris, Trifolium 

 Lupinaster, Bryanthus laxifolius, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex Acetosa, Microslylis monophyllos, 

 and Equisetum limosum, we may expect any time from Saghalin, as they are very common in all the 

 surrounding countries. To the same category, I may add Clematis fusca. This reduces our list 

 about one-half. 



Slellaria Jlorida, Saxifraga Merkii, and Pedicularis Chamissonis exist in Japan only as varieties 

 in its alpine regions. This indicates that these plants were introduced into Japan a long time ago. 

 The typical forms of St. Jlorida and Sax. Merkii are now distributed in the northeastern part of Asia, 

 extending from the Baikal district to Kamtschatka ; and Ped. Chamissonis is found in Alaska, the 

 Aleutian Islands and Kamtschatka. Their presence in the northern Kuriles in, the present day does 

 not necessarily prove that the species were introduced into Japan through this channel. It may 

 simply indicate that they have been introduced here in recent times from Kamtschatka. The nature 

 of the geology and general vegetation of these islands supports the latter view. According to Pro- 

 fessor Milne, as I have stated before, all the northern Kuriles are of very recent formation, and "at 

 the time when Japan was colonized, these stepping stones were probably without existence." 



The scanty vegetation which we find in these northern islands is mostly composed of plants 

 growing in Kamtschatka and the Aleutian Islands. The greater part of them are not yet known to 

 come down to the southern Kuriles. A few plants, which are decidedly characteristic of northern 

 Japan and the southern Kuriles, have also been found in some of the smaller islands north of Urup. 

 Petasiles japonica, for instance, is said to extend as far north as the island of Matua, and Bambusa 

 kurilensis and Taxus cuspidata, to Ketoy. Thus it seems that these northern Kuriles are now in 

 the stage of receiving their vegetation from both Kamtschatka and the southern Kuriles. Doubtless 



