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Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - Some remarks upon the geographical distribution of vegetation in the colder Southern Hemisphere. By Carl Skottsberg. Botanist of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901—1903. With 2 maps, tabl. 8 and 9. - General survey of the austral of or palæooceanic (Engler) realm. - II. The subantarctic dominion. - 1. District of subantarctic South America. - A. South Chilian—Fuegian Province.

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42O CARL SKOTTSBERG.

also in the forest, giving it an aspect quite unknown to the
evergreen one.

The spring brings a rich supply of water from the melting snow.

The forest consists of at least two kinds of deciduous beech, N.
antarctica and Pumilio. I am not able to decide if they prevail in
different zones, but in the places I have seen N. Pumilio
predominated. So in Navarin Island, round Harberton and in Ushuaia.
It is true Dusen writes (16, p. 415) that the forests at Ushuaia were
constituted by N. antarctica, but this seems to me to be a mistake,
this species playing a very unimportant part there. Alboff states
(52) that N. antarctica ß bicrenata DC. (= N. Pumilio!) constitutes
»forêts littorales» at Ushuaia. From the alpine region of the Martial
mountains Alboff describes a variety alpina of the »antarctic» beech;
the creeping beech that I myself collected in about the same locality
belongs to a dwarf form of N. Pumilio.

In the undergrowth we find tiny specimens of evergreen beech,
reaching its normal height and strength only round the swamps
and at the margin of the rivers. Drimys and Maytenus do not play
any important part. Shrubs occur, though less dense than in the
rainforest; they are chiefly represented by Berberis ilicifolia L. fil.
and microphylla Först. The ground has no carpet of liverworts,
but mosses appear, sometimes abundantly, and herbs and grasses
are common: Ranunculus chilensis DC., Adenocaulon chilense Less.,
Macraehonium gracile Hook, fil., Senecio acanthifolius Hombr. et
Jacq., Cardamine hirsutaI_,.,CodonorchisLessonii(\3rv.} Lindl.,
Uncinia-and Cørøir-species, some grasses, etc.

The thickets near the shore are composed of Berberis,
Chilio-trichum diffu<sum (Först.) Phil. and Pernettya mucronata (L. fil.) Gaud.,
or in the rainy region also Desfontainea, Philesia and Escallonia
serrata Sm. They harbour a comparatively rich flora, where the genus
Acæna and Senecio appear with many species, further Geum
ma-gellanicum Comm., Gentiana patagonica Gris., Anemone multifida
Poir., Gunner a magellanica Lam., Ranunculus peduncularis Sm.,
Rubus geoides Sm., Viola maculata Cav., etc.

The alpine flora is poor, but meadows can sometimes be found
at a height of 5-600 m., where the forest almost ceases, or at
least consists of creeping dwarftrees.

On these meadows we find some of the prettiest plants of the
Fuegian flora, as Epilobium australe Poepp. et Haussk., Ca It ha sagittata
Cav., Hamadryas magellanica Lam., Saxifraga magellanica Lam,,

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