OCR Text |
Show ANNOTATIONS AND ADDITIONS. 329 the brothers Loddiges in 1848 has been estimated at 2360 species; while in 1843 it was rather more than 1650, and in 1813 only 115. What a rich mine of still unknown superb flowering Orchidere the interior of Africa must contain, if it is well watered! Lindley, in his fine work, entitled "The Genera and Species of Orchideous Plants," de cribed in 1840 precisely 1980 species; at the end of the year 1 48 Klotzsch reckoned 3545 species. ·while in the temperate and cold zones there are only 11 terrestrial" Orchidere, i. e. growing on and close to the ground, tropical countries possess both forms, i. e. the 11 terrestrial" and the 11 parasitic," which grow on trunks of trees. To the first-named of these two divisions belong the tropical genera Neottia, Cranichis, and most of the Habenarias. We have also found both forms growing as alpine plants on the slopes of the chain of the Andes of New Granada and Quito : of the parasitical Orchidere (Epidendrere ), Masdevallia uniflora (at 9600 French, or about 10,230 English feet); Cyrtochilum flexuosum (at 9480 French, or about 10,100 English feet); and Dendrobium aggregatum (8900 French, or about 9480 English feet) : and of the terrestrial Orchid ere, the Altensteinia paleacea, near Lloa Chiquita, at the foot of the Volcano of Pichincha. Claude Gay thinks that the Orchidere said to have been seen growing on trees in the Island of Juan Fernandez, and even in Chiloe, were probably in reality only parasitical Pourretias, which extend at least as far south as 40° S. lat. In New Zealand, we find that the tropical form of Orchidere hanging from treeR extends even to 45° S. lat. The Orchidere of Auckland's and Campbell's Islands, however (Chiloglottis, Thelymitra, and Acianthus), grow on the ground in moss. In the animal kingdom, one tropical form at least advances much farther to the south. In Macquarie Island, in lat. 54° 39', nearer to the South Pole therefore than Dantsic is to the North Pole, there is a native parrot. (See also the section Orchidere in my work de Distrib. geogr. Plant., pp. 241-247.) ( 22) p. 242.-11 The Oasuarinere." Acacias which have phyllodias instead of leaves, some Myrtacere (Eucalyptus, Metrosideros, Melaleuca, and Leptospermum), and Casuarinus, give a uniform character to the vegetation of Australia 28* |