The Northern region comprehends Lapland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, and the northern provinces of Russia. The vegetation is monotonous; the ligneous species form only the one-hundredth part of the plants; the cryptogams predominate. The trees are principally coniferous and amentaceous. The oak, the hazel, and poplar are arrested at 60° N. lat.; the beech, the ash, and the lime at 63°; the conifers at 67°; barley and oats can be cultivated up to 70°. Spitzbergen, the most northerly island of Europe, situated between 76° 30′ and 81°, contains only ninety-three species of phanerogamous plants, belonging principally to the families of _Graminaceæ_, _Cruciferæ_, _Caryophyllaceæ_, _Saxifragaceæ_, _Ranunculaceæ_, and _Compositæ_. Among these plants there is scarcely a single tree or shrub, but only an under-shrub, _Empetrum nigrum_, and two small creeping willows. Martius, to whom botanical geography is indebted for many valuable observations, made a voyage along the western coast of Norway, from Drontheim to North Cape, in recording which he has traced with a vigorous hand the picturesque vegetation of that country. “While disembarking I was much surprised to see cherry-trees bearing fruit about the size of peas. Lilac, mountain ash, black currant, and _Iris germanica_ were covered with expanding flowers. My astonishment ceased, however, when I learned that the spring had been a very fine one. The most common tree in the gardens and streets is the mountain ash. I remarked also four oaks (_Quercus Robur_), which appeared to suffer from the cold; in fact, upon the west coast of Norway the northern limit of the oak lies half a degree south of Drontheim. The ash is a more hardy tree, but it never attains the dimensions of the oak in Sweden, and in latitude 61° 18′ I noted the last of them. The lime lives at Drontheim, as do the poplar (_P. balsamifera_) and the horse chestnut; the lilac blooms in every garden. All fruit trees can only be cultivated as espaliers. Even in the most favored situations, the apple, pear, and plum do not ripen every year. In the environs of Drontheim, groups of elder, birch, fir, intermingled with ash, maple, aspen, bird-cherry, hazel, juniper, and willow crown the heights. The fields are dry and well exposed, while the meadows occupy the lower ground.