51 
in the Distribution of Vegetable F arms. 
phaenogamous plants as 1 : 7, while in the plains, tjhey are, at , 
the foot of the Alps, as 1 : 4,3, {Prolegomena^ p. lii.) 
In the most fertile part of Europe, at the centre of the temr 
perate zone, an extent of country of 30,000 square leagues pro- 
duces about 6000 species of plants, of which S200 are acotyle^ 
donous or cryptogamous, and 3800 phaenogamous. Among 
the last there are nearly 500 Composite, 300 Gramineae, (ex^ 
elusive of the Cyperaceae and Junceae), 250 Leguminosae, tind 
200 Cruciferae ; but only 70 Amentaceae, 50 Euphorbiaceae, and 
25 Malvaceae. The great families constitute from \ to the 
small ones about of the total mass of phaenogamous plants. 
This is, so to speak, the mean state of the vegetation in Europe, 
in the fertile countries, between 42° and 50° ol' N. Lat. To 
convince the most incredulous of the reality of fixed proportions, 
or of the regularity to be observed in Europe in the distribu- 
tion of forms in a particular zone, I shall here present the pro- 
portions given by two neighbouring countries, France 'and Ger- 
many. The figures marked in the following Table may be 
regarded as the coefficients of each family ; for, on multiplying 
the number of phaenogamous plants of the temperate zone of 
Europe by 0.076 or 0.053, the number of species which compose 
the families of Gramineae or Cruciferje may be found. 
Cornpositae, | 
Fr. 
Ger. 1 
~ 0.135 
rr 0.135 
( 
iTlumaceae, 
Ger. J-j 
= 0,137 
~ 0.141 
Gramineae | 
F--- A 
— 0.077 
alone, 1 
Ger. .fi. 
— 0,077 
Legumi. ( Fr. 
=r 0.063 
nosae, Ger. 
rr: 0.056 
Cruciferae, 
Fr ^ 
11 . jg 
Ger. j’j 
— 0.052 
0.056 
Umbelli- ( 
Pr- 
0.048 
ferae, i 
Ger. j-. 
— 0.046 
Labiatae, 
Ger. 
= 0.042 
0.038 
Cyperaceae J 
alone, 1 
A 
Ger. 
0.037 
0.056 
Amenta, f 
P'- A 
— 0.020 
ceae, i 
Ger. 
— 0.025 
Orchideae, 
j Fr. 0.015 
1 Ger. — 0.023 
Boragines, 
J Fr. 0.014 
( Ger. — 0.014 
Rubiaceae, 
f Fr. z=z 0.014 
1 Ger. 0.014 
Euphorbia- 
ceae, 
( Fr. J- — 0.014 
1 Ger. 0.010 
Junceae, 
f Fr. r= 0.012 
iGer. g\ z=0.0n 
Ericeae, 
f Fr. jIj:=:0,00S 
( Ger. — 0.011 
Malvaceae, 
(Fr. 1^5 = 0.007 
( Ger. ^ | r=: 0.004 
Coniferae, 
( Fr. =0.005 
( Ger.^Jg rr: 0.004 
