Till-: DKITISII AND SWISS ALIMNK KLoKAS. 
49 
number of Mediterranean species ; and this makes the relation^liip l)e- 
tween the British and the true Swiss lloras all the closer. 
Again, the difference in the climatic conditions of ]>ritain asconipai-ed 
with the Swiss Alps is very great, and to this may be attributed in 
large measure the differences between their floras. As, however, I shall 
have occasion to touch upon this subject later in connection with alpine 
floras, I Avill postpone its consideration for the present. I think we 
have seen sufficient from our analyses of these two floras as a whole to 
realise the point which I wish specially to emphasise, namely, that our 
British flora is very closely related to that of the Swiss Alps. 
The Swiss Alpine and SuivALriNE Zones. 
We may now pass on to consider what is, perhaps, the most interesting 
section of these two floras, their alpine division. The word alpine is 
one which has been much misused. In a botanical sense it is applied to 
that division of the flora of any country w^iich is situated at or above a 
certain height above sea-level, the height being mainly dependent on the 
latitude of the country in question. The term is not therefore confined 
to those plants which grow at high elevations in Switzerland. On the 
other hand, the word Alps (in the plural) is generally restricted to the 
mountain ranges of Southern Europe. In Switzerland, however, the 
word Alp (in the singular) is synonymous wdth the German Alp, Alpen, 
meaning a grassy hill-top or a mountain pasturage. 
Anyone who has travelled in Switzerland cannot have failed to notice 
the change which passes over the entire vegetation as one ascends from 
the lowlands towards the regions of perpetual snow\ In the plains the 
flora bears a striking resemblance to that of our own country, but as we 
ascend the character of the flora changes with the scenery. The species 
\vhich are most conspicuous in the lowland flora are one by one left 
behind, and their place is taken by others which are not to be found in 
the plains. The deciduous trees are among the first to disappear, the 
Beech alone remaining at any considerable elevation. If we ascend still 
higher we reach a region in which Conifers, such as the Larch, Pines, 
Firs, &c., form the dominating feature in the landscape. But even the 
Conifers, as a rule, only clothe. the bases of the higher peaks. A com- 
parison of the floras of the regions of Conifers and Beeches brings out the 
fact that in both these zones there are a number of species of restricted 
distribution, in that they rarely descend to the zone below or ascend to 
the zone above. To take an illustration. There are three species of 
Vaccinium common in Switzerland. Vacxinium Vitis idcda, L., is found 
more especially in the zone in which the Beech alone, of all the deciduous 
trees, flourishes. In the higher zone, the region of Conifers, F. uliginosum, 
L., is the more abundant species, and in the lowlands V. Myrtillus, L., the 
Bilberry. When, as often happens, all three species occur together, one 
always predominates. 
From a study of the distribution of species w^hich have a limited 
range in regard to elevation, we are able to distinguish between three 
zones in the Alps — a lowdand, a sub-alpine, and an alpine. Each of 
these may be recognised by the presence of certain characteristic species 
E 
