374s PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY, ETC. 
the globe, with which botanists have favoured us, 
shew indeed, that vegetation increases with the de- 
gree of warmth. In Southern Georgia, according 
to credible accounts, only two wild growing plants 
are found; in Spitzbergen, 30; in Lapland, 534; 
in Iceland, 553; in Sweden, 1299; in Branden- 
burg, 2000; in Piemont, 2800; on the coast of 
Coromandel, about 4000; in Jamaica as many, and 
in Madagascar nearly 5000. Plants grow almost 
everywhere, except in the cold countries near the 
poles, on summits of the loftiest mountains, both _ 
eternally covered with ice; and the dry sandy de- 
serts of Africa. In barren and naked. countries, 
which perhaps have been laid waste by immense vol- 
canic eruptions, for instance, in the island of Ascen- 
sion, at Kerguclen’s land, &c. few plants are found, 
| § 350. 
Climate influences greatly the growth of plants as 
well as their formation and shape. ‘Those,. there- 
fore, peculiar to the polar regions and high moun- 
tains are low, have very small compressed leaves, 
and often in proportion very large flowers. Euro- 
pean plants have rarely very beautiful flowers, and 
many are amentaceous. Asia: mostly produces the 
greatest beauties, whereas Africa, on the contrary, 
has plants with very thick and succulent leaves, and 
variously coloured flowers. American plants are 
generally remarkable by their very smooth and long 
leaves, and a singular shape of the flowers as well 
as of the fruit. Those of New Holland, on the con- 
trary, have mostly small dry leaves, and a more 
| shrivelled 
