Outlines of the geographical distribution of British plants : belonging to the division of vasculares or cotyledones / by Hewett Cottrell Watson.

Date:
[1832?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Outlines of the geographical distribution of British plants : belonging to the division of vasculares or cotyledones / by Hewett Cottrell Watson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    ]y of the principal or more interesting species may be cursorily noticed. , Beyond the parallel of 70° north latitude, on the small tracts of land yet visited, winter may almost be termed eternal; the mean temperature of the three summer months in the north of Spitzbergen and in Melville Island being below the mean of our winters. Yet in these dreary regions do we find the unsetting sun wake some few flowers of no mean beauty to lieep watch with him during— “ The long, long lapse of a summer Jay’s light, Shining on, shining on —” Indeed, were it not for the nightless summer of these regions, perhaps no flowering plants Avould be found to Avithstand their severity of climate. Be this as it may, we have had several of our native plants brought therefrom chiefly collected during the discovery voy- ages. From the farthest known land, viz. the polar extremity of Spitzbergen and its adjacent islets, about the 80° parallel of latitude, have been procured the following twenty British species :— Cochlearia Danica. — — Groenlandica. Silene acaulis. Arenaria rubella. Cerastium alpinum. Spergula saginoicles. Dryas octopetala. Saxifraga aizoides. oppositifolia. ~~—nivali.s. stellaris ? ? Saxifraga cernua. rivularis. cajspitosa. Leontodon palustre. Polygonum viviparum. Oxyria reniformis. Salix herbacea. Luzula campestris. Eriophorum capitatum. Poa laxa. All these, with the exception perhaps of Dryas oclo-
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