252 



ISLAND LIFE. 



[part, II. 



There can be little doubt that the truly indigenous flora of 

 the islands is far more scanty than the number of plants recorded 

 would imply, because a large but unknown proportion of the 

 species are certainly importations, voluntary or involuntary, by 

 man. As, however, the general character of the whole flora is 

 that of the south-western peninsula of Europe, and as most of 

 the introduced plants have come from the same country, it is 

 almost impossible now to separate them, and Mr. Watson has 

 not attempted to do so. The whole flora contains representatives 

 of eighty natural orders and 250 genera ; and even if we suppose 

 that one-half the species only are truly indigenous, there will 

 still remain a wonderfully rich and varied flora to have been 

 carried, by the various natural means above indicated, over 900 

 miles of ocean, more especially as the large proportion of species 

 identical with those of Europe shows that their introduction 

 has been comparatively recent, and that it is, probably (as in the 

 case of the birds) still going on. "We may therefore feel sure 

 that we have here by no means reached the limit of distance 

 to which plants can be conveyed by natural means across the 

 ocean ; and this conclusion will be of great value to us in 

 investigating other cases where the evidence at our command 

 is less complete, and the indications of origin more obscure or 

 conflicting. 



Of the forty species which are considered to be peculiar to the 

 islands, all are allied to European plants except six, whose nearest 

 aflinities are in the Canaries or Madeira. Two of the Compositse 

 are considered to be distinct genera, but in this order generic 

 divisions rest on slight technical distinctions ; and the Campa- 

 nula vidalii is very distinct from any other known species. With 

 these exceptions, most of the peculiar Azorean species are closely 

 allied to European plants, and are in several cases little more 

 than varieties of them. While therefore we may believe that 

 the larger part of the existing flora reached the islands since the 

 glacial epoch, a portion of it may be more ancient, as there is 

 no doubt that a majority of the species could withstand some 

 lowering of temperature ; while in such a warm latitude and 

 surrounded with sea, there would always be many sunny and 

 sheltered spots in which even tender plants might flourish. 



