5 88 
Sinnott and Bailey. — The Origin and 
it is at least one of considerable antiquity as its high degree of endemism 
shows, and the preponderance of woody plants within it is an indication that 
the ancient vegetation of this part of the world contained comparatively few 
herbaceous plants. 
The endemic genera of herbs seem to have been developed locally, both 
in adaptation to a temperate climate with increasingly great extremes of 
temperature, and also to an arid or semi-arid environment. The dwarf 
succulents among the Asclepiadaceae, and the desert herbs in many other 
families, are examples of the latter type. There is present, however, as in 
Australia, New Zealand, and South America, a large element of north 
temperate genera, such as Mentha , S tacky s, Rubns , Potentilla , Slum and 
many others ; and these consist, with very few exceptions, of herbaceous 
plants. The majority of South African herbs do not belong to the endemic 
genera. 
E. Madagascar. 
The island of Madagascar is continental in its origin, but that it is of 
very great antiquity is shown by the highly peculiar character of its fauna 
and flora. 75 per cent, of the indigenous species of plants are endemic. 
There are no means at hand for ascertaining with any degree of pre- 
cision the percentage of herbs in the dicotyledonous flora, but it is probably 
much the same as in the neighbouring Mascarene islands, where we have 
shown that about one-third of the Dicotyledons are herbs. The endemic 
element is large, and comprises 148 genera, of which 7 are Monocotyledons. 
There is also an endemic family, the Chlaenaceae, of 7 genera and 24 
species of trees and shrubs. The 141 dicotyledonous genera peculiar to 
the island contain 296 species, of which 34 are herbs, or only 1 1 per cent. 
There are a large number of arborescent Compositae, and many woody 
members of families which are usually herbaceous. 
A few dicotyledonous herbs occur among the endemic genera as in all 
tropical regions, but the majority of herbaceous plants belong to genera 
which are characteristic of the north temperate zone, such as Hieracium , 
Viola , Alchemilla , Sanicida, Geranium , and many others. Not only are 
the genera northern, but some of the species are also identical with those 
in Africa and Europe. These northern plants, with very few exceptions, 
inhabit only the central mountainous area of the island, which enjoys 
a fairly temperate climate. 
The facts, therefore, seem to indicate that the ancient flora of 
Madagascar, like that of most regions in the southern hemisphere, was at 
one time overwhelmingly woody in its composition, and that most of the 
herbaceous element has been relatively recent in its appearance. 
