Dear Sir
Since sending to post my letter of yesterday’s date it has occurred to me that perhaps my collecting of plants in the Azore islands may be nearer what you require, than is any British record I can refer to.
On the islands of Fayal & Flores, I landed many times and at several different places,—rambling about with the special object of seeing & collecting all the flowering plants & ferns. And I deem it very likely that my lists are not far from a full flora of these isles.
On going over the lists,—and rejecting those species of way sides & cultivated ground, which are the accompaniments of man & agriculture in all climates at all similar, & therefore probably introduced by the inhabitants of the Azore islands,—I find the following numbers left, to represent the genuine flora:— diag Fayal:—
Flowering species…. 129.
Ferns & allies (3)… 27
——
156.
Flores:—
Flowering species…. 122
Ferns & allies (3)… 22
——
144.ramme
The superficial area of these two islands is below 100 square miles I presume. Their composition, so far as I saw, & could tell, is entirely volcanic, without strata.
Faithfy Yours | Hewett C. Watson
Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1605,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on