144 
ered on the mountains of Jamaica, under a still 
hotter sky, if not plants exactly of the same spe- 
cies with those of our alpine pheenogamous ones, 
at least some that were analogous to them; and 
a great many of the cryptogamous species’ pre- 
cisely the same as our own: For example, /una- 
ria hygrometrica, Brywm serpyllifolium and. cespi- 
tetium, Sphagnum palustre, Dicranum glaucum, 
&c. Linnzeus, in his own way, had summed up 
these facts inan axiom. “The different kinds 
of plants,” says he, “show by their stations the 
perpendicular height of the earth.” Yet it was 
not till lately that any exact survey had been 
taken of this interesting department of botani- 
cal geography. The first connected series of re- 
searches made with the direct intention of ascer- 
taining the progressive succession of plants on 
| mountains, was instituted by M. Ramond. That 
celebrated individual devoted ten years to the 
investigation of the entire chain of the Pyrenean 
| mountains; and studied it not only as a geome- 
| trician, natural philosopher, and mineralogist, 
but also as one of the most skilful of botanists; 
he discovered the stations to which the different 
species of vegetables belong, and the special cir- 
cumstances which sometimes cause a derange- 
ment in the natural order of their succession. 
We shall here shortly point out some of the re+ 
sults of his observations. The Common oak 
(Quercus robur) grows in the plains, on a level 
with the sea; reaches the slopes of the moun- 
tains, and ascends to the height of 1,600 yards. 
It degenerates in proportion as it approaches the 
point where it ceases to vegetate. The beech 
(Fagus sylvatica) makes its first appearance at the 
height of 600 yards above the sea, and its last 200 
yards above the oak. The silver-fir (Prcea pecti- 
nata), and the yew (Taxus communis), show them- 
selves at 1,400 yards, and go on to about 2,000. 
The Scotch-fir (Pinus sylvestris), and mugho pine 
(Pinus.pumilio), take their stations between the 
heights of 2,000 and 2,400 yards, There the trees 
stop, and shrubs, with a juiceless foliage, and low 
or creeping stems, present themselves; these lie 
hid beneath the snow in the winter. Among 
them are some of the Rhododendrons, Daphnes, 
Passerinas, the Globularia repens, the two species 
of Salix, herbacea, reticulata, &c. Soon after we 
meet only small herbs with perennial roots, spread- 
ing radical leaves, and a naked stalk. These, 
with the Lichens and Byssi, arrive at the height 
of 3,000, and even 3,400 yards. The first that 
occur are the Gentiana campestris, Primula vil- 
losa, Saxifraga longifolia, and Azzoon, &c.; then 
Ranunculus alpestris, nivalis, parnassifolius, Arctia 
alpina, and finally, Ranunculus glacialis, Saxi- 
fraga cespitosa, oppositifolia, Androsacea, and 
Groenlandica. The last brings us to the borders 
of eternal snow, 
Botanists who have explored the Alps, have re- 
marked phenomena perfectly corresponding with 
those observed by M. Ramond in the Pyrenees, 
ALTITUDE. 
ae: 
Bonpland 40 demonstrate the succession of modi- 
fications in the vegetable structure on the highest 
mountains yet known, and in one of the hottest 
and most fertile regions of our globe. Baron 
Humboldt made similar observations, as to suc-° 
cessive zones of vegetation, in his personal ascent 
of Teneriffe. The first zone, extending from the 
coast to a height of from 400 to 500 yards, is a 
region of vines, well cultivated, and producing 
vines, olives, wheat, plantains, and date-trees ; 
the second, extending from the preceding to a 
height of about 1,800 yards, is a region of laurels, 
producing a sward of mosses and grasses, and 
many plants with showy flowers; the third, ex- 
tending from the second to a height of about 
2,770 yards, is a region of pines; the fourth is a 
region of brooms, of nine or ten feet in height, 
and affording sustenance to wild goats; the fifth 
is a zone of mere alpine grasses and cryptogamic 
plants, scantily covering heaps of lava; and the 
sixth is a region of absolute sterility, producing 
not even mosses or lichens. The great power 
which mere altitude exerts over climate and vege- 
tation explains the interesting facts, that regions 
have usually a poor or a rich flora in the degree 
of their own diversity of surface,—that the plants 
of two countries within the same parallels of lati- 
tude, the one a mountainous and the other a 
champaign country, constitute totally different 
groups,—and that the plants of even the same 
country and the same latitude, as those of the 
north-west and the north-east coasts of America, 
or as those of the south-east and the south-west 
coasts, are sometimes very widely dissimilar. 
“In the equinoctial countries of America,” says 
M. Brisseau Mirbel, “vegetation displays itself 
to the view of the observer as on the gradually 
rising steps of an immense amphitheatre, the base 
of which sinks below the waters of the ocean, 
while its summit reaches to the foot of the gla- 
ciers which crown the Andes, 5,000 yards above 
the level of the sea; showing that in America 
there are vegetables which grow at the height of 
1,600 or 1,800 yards beyond the point where vege- 
tation ceases in the Pyrenees and Alps; a differ- 
ence that does not depend solely upon latitude, 
but likewise, according to M. Ramond, upon the 
breadth, or, if you will, the thickness of the chain 
of mountains. In chains of but little breadth, 
such as those of Europe, the air and temperature 
of the plains have an influence, which is con- 
stantly tending to confound the limits of the dif- 
ferent kinds of vegetables; but this is not the 
case in the chain of the Andes, which is from 48 
to 60 leagues in breadth. Messieurs Humboldt 
and Bonpland have had also this advantage in 
their researches, that as these were made under 
the equator, they have been enabled to trace the 
whole series of modifications which are to be met 
with between the two extremes of temperature 
found at the surface of the globe; while other 
botanists, having explored none but the northern 
mountains of the Old continent, could only trace 
ie it was reserved for Messrs. Humboldt and 
(pelea 
