File:Plants and their ways in South Africa (1915) (14774617604).jpg

Identifier: plantstheirway00ston (find matches)
Title: Plants and their ways in South Africa
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: Stoneman, Bertha, 1866-
Subjects: Plants
Publisher: London, Longmans, Green
Contributing Library: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden
Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden

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ia and Chili, but noneoccurs native to South Africa. Many of the South American types thusassociated are in the extreme south-western part of Chili. A glance at the map will show that South America is much nearer toAfrica than it is to Australia, it will therefore appear strange that itsflora should be more closely related to Australia. Among other orders representing a South African-TemperateAustralian alliance may be mentioned IridacecB, Restiacece, Hcemodor-acecE, Compositce, Thymeliacece, and Rubiacece. By referring to the chart, p. 375, a partial similarity will be seenbetween the distribution of Proteaceae and Cycadaceae. Fossil formsof the latter order show that they were once widely distributed in thenorthern hemisphere. Well-grounded evidence for fossil Proteaceae inthe northern regions is wanting. A distribution such as that of Proteaceae, supports the belief thata former land connexion existed between South Africa and Australia, 374 The Botanical Regions of South Africa 375
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Index map of floral regions of South Africa, with approximate boundariesby H. Bolus, 1905. (By the courtesy of Dr. H. Bolus.) 3/6 Plants and their Ways in South Africa That such a connexion existed until after the Antarctic glacial period inPermian times, is generally admitted by geologists. Types common toSouth Africa and to South America may have found their way to thelatter country from Australia by a land connexion after that betweenSouth Africa and Australia had been severed. This supposition isstrengthened by fossil land tortoises common to Australia and Patagoniaand by the fossil remains in Patagonia of an animal which seems to havebeen identical with the present Tasmanian wolf. The discovery inrecent times of a marsupial in South America belonging to a division(Diprodonts) hitherto known only in Australia may also tell of a longsouthern migration over this same land bridge, Antarctica, from Australiato South America. It is true that fossil marsupials are found in NorthAmerica

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