and 17 of these ai’e u o t found in Australia, or elsewhere in the Old World. I t is curious th a t none
of the la tte r belong to those peculiarly Ai-ctic and north temperate genera mentioned in the note to
p. xxiv, except Caltha, to a southern form of which, hoAVCAær, the Ncav Zealand species belongs.
3. Plants common to New Zealand, Australia, and South Amcriva.—Of th e 77 plants common
to these tlu-ee countries, Avhich include one-tenth of the flora of NeAv Zealand, the majority arc
Grasses, 10; Cype/'acece, 7; moistiu’e-luviug Monocotyledons, 9 ; Monochlamydeoe, 8 ; Umbelliferæ
and Compositæ each 4 ; and fidly 50 of th e Avhole number ai’e also found in Europe, and do not
indicate any peculiar affinity betAveen these three southern masses of land : of those th a t are not
European, some are Antai’ctic plants found in moimtainous districts of Australia and Tasmania, as
Oxalis Magellanica. Of genera and species which, from their near affinity with one another, and
marked distinction from any others, m ay be said to be represented in all three countries, the majority
are Antarctic, and will be noticed under tlie fifth head.
4. European plants in New Zealand.—These, am o u n tin g to 60, o r ab o u t o n e-twelfth o f th e
Avhole flora, ai’e in man y respects th e m o st in te re s tin g , an d to th e ir id en tificatio n (which I consider
approximate only) I have given a g re a t deal o f care. M an y I consider s till open to in q u iry , Avhich
may red u ce th e ir supposed n um b e rs ; b u t ou tb e o th e r h an d I am sui’e th a t fu tu re discoveries wiU
ad d to th em . To some ex te n t th e se a re d is trib u ted a c co rd in g to Avell-defined law’s, whicli do accord
Avith facilities for migi’a tio n by tra n sp o rt, th u s :— a . 17 a re sea-shore p la n ts , o r in h a b ita n ts o f salt
ma rshe s, as Ruppia, Zamiichellia, Atriplex, au d th e ir allies ; Dodonoea, Arenaria rubra, a n d Calystegia
Soldayiella, also affect co a s ts ;—b. 16 are fresh-Avater p la n ts , o r n atives o f very m a rsh y spots, for
Avhose tra n sp o rt, hoAvever, i t appears to me as difficult to ac co u n t as if th e y were la n d -p lan ts ;— c. 5
ai’e Compositæ, of Avhich fo u r have pappus ; a facility for ae rial tra n sp o rt, Avhich loses its significance
an d Aveight from th e fa c t th a t th e species o f Compositæ (which o f all Ord ers is th e la rg e s t an d most
universal) ai-e th e m o st local. T h e fa c t o f th e se Sa'c b eing found in so very man y p a rts o f th e globe,
an d b ein g th e o nly ones th a t a re so, is ex tremely rem ark ab le , for i t p o in ts to oceanic tra n sp o rt as
th e means o f th e ir diffusion : th o u g h th e p ro b ab ilities are ag a in st th e ii’ all having th u s ac cidentally
m e t in th a t m o s t iso la ted are a which th e y aU in h a b it ;— d. 19 o f th e species are Glumaceæ, in c lu d in g
seven Grasses an d th re e aq u a tic Cyperaceæ (which la tte r have also b een in c lu d ed u n d e r b).
This large proportion of the lower Orders of Pbænogamic plants is in accordance with a general
law of geographic distribution, but not the more intelligible on th a t account, for I cannot recognize
in th e n structure or physiology any peculiarities th a t render them fitted for snch diffusion*. And I
may add, th a t after a most careful microscopic study of the stractui’e of the seeds of all the plants
common to Europe and NeAv Zealand, I have come to the conclusion that, as a body, they present
no such facility for trans-oceanic or aerial transport, as Avould account for their having migTated
further than the majority of other plants. To this may be added the fact tha t the Orders to w'hich they
belong, are not those whose seeds after transport are found to vegetate most surely or freely in gardens.
IMany of the European species occurring in New Zealand are also Australian, Tasmanian, and
A ntarctic; some of the more remarkable exceptions are ,—of plants not hitherto found in South
America, Hierochloe borealis, Alopecurus geniculatus, some Carices, and other Monocotyledons.
Of plants not found in Australia, Agrostis canina and Taraxacum officinale. Of those not ibimd
cither in Australia or South America, Carex stellulata and Pyrenaica, and Sparganium natans.
* For some details upon the adaptation of various seeds to oceanic and aerial transport, see my Essay on
the Geographic Distribution of the Plants in the Galapagos Archipelago.—Transactions of the Liiinean Society,
vol. XX.
I t should also be mentioned here, th a t some very Avidely diffused European and Australian plants
are absent from New Zealand, as Lythrum Salicaria, Alcheniilla arvensis, Portulaca olerácea, Hydro-
cotylevulgaris, Zapania nodifloi'a. Verbena officinalis, Prunella vulgaris, Samolus Valerandi, Vallisneria
spiralis. Potamogetón perfoliatus and crispus, Alisma Plantago, Caulinia oceánica, Juncus mariiimus
and effusus, Carex ccespitosa, Cladium Mariscus, Isolepis jluitans, Cyperus rotundus, Glyceria fluitans,
and Arundo Phragmites.
5. Antarctic'^ plants in New Zealand.— O í these Antarctic plants, about 50 inhabit th e mountains
and southern exti’eme of New Zealand; a number Avhich (as I have stated at p. 15) avUI
probably be greatly increased by future discoveries. They may be geographically grouped as
follows:—a. Those of general distribution, being common also to Europe, as Callitriche, Montia,
Cardamine hirsuta, Potentilla anserina, Epilobium tetragonum, Myriophijllum, Calystegia Soldanella
and C. Septum, Limosella, many Monochlamydece, and more Monocoiyledones.—b. Those found also
in Tasmaniatj and chiefly on its mountains, b u t not elsewffiere; as Oxalis Magellanica, Ac<jena,
some Epilobia, Colohanthus, Scleranthus, TUloia, Apium, Coprosma, Leptinella, Hierochloe antárctica,
etc.
The botanical affinity between extra-tropical South America, the Antarctic islands, New Zealand,
and Tasmania, is, IioAvever, much better indicated by tbe peculiar genera, by groups of those, or
by individual species Avliich, as it were, represent one another in tAA’o or more of these localities, and
Avhich give a peculiar botanical character to the flora of southern latitudes beyond latitude 35°.
Of these genera, there are 50 which afford botanical characters* in common, and give as decided
a proof of close affinity in vegetation, as do th e 50 identical species above mentioned. The most
conspicuous of these genera common to all the abo\'e-named localities are, Colobanthus, Drosera,
Accena, Gunnera, Oreomyrrhis, Leptinella, Lagenophora, Forstera, Pratia, Gaultheria, Gentiana,
Euphrasia, Plantago, Drapetes, Fagus, Astelia, Juncus, Carpha, Ch<2 tospora, Oreoholus, Uncinia,
Carex, and many Grasses, especially Hierochloe, Alopecurus, Trisetum, Dcyeuxia, etc.
In the following b st 228 species are thus co ntrasted: in most of these cases the parallelism is
very striking, but a fcAV are open to future investigation. In sketching out the grand features of
so lai’ge an area, I must demand some indulgence from those of m y readers Avho may have the opportunity
of going into the details of the evidence I here adduce. The subject is one th a t cannot
be fuUy Avorked out without far more materials thau have hitherto been collected. I could easily
have trebled the list were there any object in doing so, by adducing instances of feebler repre-
sentationj than I have thought it Avorth Avliile to introduce. When the floras of the mountains of
South Chili, N cav Zealand, Southern Tasmania, the Australian Alps, the Crozets, Prince EdAvard's
Islands, Amsterdam Island, St. Paul’s Island, and M ‘Q.uai’rie Island, shall haA^e been properly explored,
the great iirohlem of Representation and Distribution in the South Temperate and Antarctic
zone Avill be solved.
* Eor the limitation of the terra Antarctic, I must refer to tlie Introduction to the second part of the ‘Flora
Antai’cticaf p. 310, and shall only mention here that its flora includes that of Fuegia, the Falklands, with different
islauds east and south of them, Tristan d’Acunha, St. Paul’s, Amsterdam and KeigueleiTs Land, Lord Auckland’s,
Campbell’s, and other islands south and east of New Zealand.
t Tasmania contains some Antarctic genera and species not hitherto found in New Zealand, which will be
specially alluded to in the Tasmanian Flora, as Pernettya, Eumjphia, etc.
Í I need hardly remark, that in the following list ail the instances selected are of Botanical afiinity; to the
exclusion of cases of mere analogical resemblance between plants that are not hotanicaUy closely allied.
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