Prof. SchoLiW on the Geographic Distribution of Grasses. 1^9 
still will be their proportion to vegetation in general, when the 
number of individuals is taken into account ; for, in this respect, 
the greater number, nay, perhaps, the whole of the other classes, 
are inferior. 
With regard to the locality in such a large family, very little 
can be advanced. Among the grasses there are both land and 
water, but no marine, plants. They occur in every soil ; in so- 
ciety with others, and alone r the last to such a degree as en- 
tirely to occupy considerable districts. Sand appears to be less 
favourable to this class ; but even this has species nearly peculiar 
to itself. 
The diffusion of this family has almost no other limits than 
those of the whole vegetable kingdom. Grasses occur under 
the Equator ; and Agrostis algida was one of the few plants 
which Phipps met with on Spitzbergen. On the mountains of the 
south of Europe, Poa disticha^ and other grasses, ascend almost 
to the snow-line ; and, on the Andes, this is also the case with 
Poa mulalensis^ and Poa dactyloides.j Deyeuocia rigida^ and 
Festuca dasyantha. 
The distribution is of greater importance. As to the chief 
groups and species, their distribution will then first attain a real 
interest, when we shall be in possession of a perfect natural clas- 
sification ; for, in this respect we are still, in my opinion, far be- 
hind. The division of Beauvois appears to me too artificial ; 
and, in that of Brown, the groups Panicem and Poacece are too 
large. The best perhaps is that of Kunth, according to which 
the grasses are arranged under ten groups. In respect of lati- 
tude, the relation of the grasses, in the system of Raemer and 
Schultes, in the hot and temperate zone, is the following : 
Grasses. 
No. of Species. 
Proportion of the Species 
to the whole of the Grasses. 
Tor. Zone. 
Temp.Zone. 
Tor. Zone. 
Temp. Zone. 
Paniceae, 
303 
103 
g— g 
g 
Stipaceae, 
40 
58 
5V 
sV 
Agrostideae, - 
58 
220 
1 4 
s 
Bromeae, 
133 
554 
1 
h 
Chlorideae, - 
78 
30 
T S 
Hordeaceae, - 
33 
101 
Saccharinae, - 
120 
65 
TB 
Oryzeae, 
10 
9 
1 
1 ^5 
Olyreae, 
' 4 
Barnbusaceae, 
3 
T37 
VOL. XII. NO. ^3. JANVAEY 18^5. I 
