I
i imgij th a t r \ill retvard fu tu r e ex p lo re rs in w h a t, as fa r as flowerin g p la n ts a re co n c en ied , a re
ex iiau sted fields. Upwai-ds o f 1 1 4 P e rn s (in c lu d in g Lycopodia) a re a lre ad y k n ow n * a n um b e r w h ich
m ig h t h e sweUed b y neai-ly one-haH, were aU th e v a rie tie s w h ich h av e b e e n d e sc rib ed as species
co n sid e red b y m e as such. I do n o t a n tic ip a te m a n y m o re n o v e ltie s in th is O r d e r ; th e species (w ith
few ex c ep tio n s) h a v in g v e iy wide ran g e s in th e is lan d s, a n d th e se b e a u tifu l p la n ts h av in g always
a ttr a c te d a g re a te r sh a re o f a tte n tio n th a n o th e rs . T h e foUaceous C ry p to g am s f (Mosses a n d H ep a -
ticæ) ai-e b y fai- th e m o s t ex ten siv e N a tu r a l O rd e r o f p la n ts (except F u n g i) in th e se is lan d s, as th e y
a re o f m o s t tem p e ra te a n d especiaUy m o ist e hm a te s . O f H e p a ticæ M r. M itte n en um e ra te s in th is wo rk
ISO, wh ereas o n ly a b o u t 1 5 0 a re fo u n d in a ll G re a t B r it a in ; a n d M r. W ils o n ’s ‘ M u sco lo g ia o f N ew
Z e a la n d ’ in c lu d e s 2 5 0 species, am o n g st w h ich a re m a n y o f th e m o s t g ig a n tic , b e a u tifu l, a n d in te r e s tin
g ill s tru c tu re , in th e world. I h av e n o d o u b t th a t b o th these' O rd e rs wUl b e m o re th a n d o u b led :
i t req u ire s a p ra c tised eye, a n d some p revious k n owledge , th o ro u g lily to explore a sm a ll d is tric t
r ic h in Mo sses an d H ep a ticæ .
I n F u n g i th is flo ra is stiU m o s t im p e rfe c t, owing to th e u n a ttra c tiv e ap p e a ran c e o f th e species to
th e g en e ra l observer, a n d th e d ifficulty o f presei-ving th em in a fit s ta te fo r ex am in a tio n . M r.
B e rk e ley h a s u n d e rta k e n th e ir a rra n g em e n t, a n d h is a re th e firs t o b serv atio n s o f a n y consequenc e
th a t have ever ap p e ared o n th e N ew Z e a lan d species o f th is cu rio u s a n d m o s t in te re s tin g N a tu r a l
O rd e r, wh ich is b y fa r th e la rg e s t in th e v eg e tab le k in g d om . So m a n y o f th e k in d s a re m in u te , an d
even microscopic, th a t i t is p ro b ab le th a t, w h en p ro p e rly in v e stig a ted , th e r e wiU pro v e to be u pw ard s
o f 1 0 0 0 species in N ew Ze alan d .
M u c h n o v e lty is n o t to be lo o k ed fo r am o n g st th e foliaceous a n d la rg e r L ich en s , b u t g re a t
a d d itio n s m a y b e m a d e am o n g st cm sta c eo u s a n d m in u te ep ip h y tic a l species. T h e N ew Z e a lan d
Algæ , o f w h ich D r. Haiwey e n um e ra te s n e a rly 3 0 0 species, h av e from th e fr b e a u ty a n d s in g u la rity
lo n g b e e n o b je c ts o f g r e a t in te re s t to th e b o ta n is t; a n d b y th e la b o u rs o f Menzies, Tm n o r, Bo ry ,
Haiwey, a n d M o n ta g n e , th is N a tu r a l O rd e r h a s h e e n b e t te r fflu s tra te d th a n a n y o th e r. T h e g re a t
am o u n t o f n o v e lty co n ta in ed in th e co lle c tio n s o f D r. LyaU, however, received s in c e th is w o rk was
b eg u n , show th a t even th is d e p a rtm e n t m a y b e g re a tly in c reased .
Tlie to ta l n um b e r o f species b ro u g h t to g e th e r in th is F lo r a is n e a rly 19 0 0 , to w h ich u pw a rd s o f
1 0 0 m a y b e added, for th o m a n y m in u te C ry p to g am ia wh ich I possess, b u t w h ich a re in to o im p e rfe c t
a s ta te fo r sa tisfa c to ry d e te rm in a tio n . T h is is m u c h m o re th a n d o u b le th e n um e ric a l e x te n t o f th e
la s t e n um e ra tio n p u b lish ed , th a t o f M . R ao u l, who in 1 8 4 6 e n um e ra te s o n ly 9 2 0 species, wh ich may
h e red u c e d to 770, if th e n a tu ra liz e d a n d e rro n eo u s species h e e lim in a ted . I n 1 838 M r. C u n n in g h am
gave 6 4 0 species, w h ich sh o u ld h e red u c e d to 5 7 0 ; in 1 8 3 2 M . R ic h a rd in c lu d ed 3 5 0 in h is li s t ;
F o rs te r’s ‘ P ro d rom u s ’ h a s 1 5 4 ; a n d B a n k s an d S o lan d e r’s co lle c tio n s .am o u n t to 4 2 6 . T h is rap id
in c re a s e o f th e F lo ra , wh ich h a s th u s b e e n q u in tu p le d in tw e n ty y e a rs , is m a in ly d u e to th e a tte n tio n
w h ich h a s b e e n d evoted to th e low er O rd e rs : th is may .easUy b e s h ow n ; fo r w h e re a s in all th e e a rly
en um e ra tio n s a n d co llectio n s th e n um b e r o f flowering p la n ts exceeds th e fioworless, in M . R a o u l’s
C a ta lo g u e th e y a re equa l, a n d in th e p re s e n t w o rk th e re la tiv e p ro p o rtio n s a re rev ersed ; th e P hæ n o -
gamio p la n ts b e in g to th e Cry p to g am ie as 1 to L 6 ; *. e. a b o u t tw o to th re e .
* Banks and Solander described 66 species; Forster enumerates 40 ; M. A. Richard 67, of which 8 should
be expunged; A. Cunuingham and M. Eaoul 112. from which fully 30 must be deducted, to bring the lists into
comparison with my own estimate of 114,
t These were little attended to by the earlier explorers, except Menzies.
few Mosses. Banks and. Solander collected very
I n co n c lu sio n , i f I m a y v e n tu re to a ssum e a lim it to th e F lo r a o f N ew Z e a lan d , from th e d a ta
a t m y disposal, a n d from a com p a riso n o f th e s e w ith th o s e o f b e t te r in v e s tig a te d co u n trie s w ith wh ich
I am fam ilia r I s h o u ld re g a rd 4 0 0 0 as th e p ro b ab le ap p ro x im a tio n ; o f wffiioh 1 0 0 0 m a y b e flowering
p la n ts . C om p a red w ith a n y o th e r c o u n trie s in th e same la titu d e , th is is a v e ry s c a n ty F lo r a in d e ed ,
esp ecially as re g a rd s flowerin g p la n ts ; o f w h ich B r it a in c o n ta in s , in a b o u t th e s am e a re a , u pw a rd s of
1 4 0 0 sp e c ie s ; a n d in T a sm a n ia , n o t y e t weU ex p lo red , a n d o n ly c o n ta in in g o n c - th ird of th e area ,
u pw a rd s o f 1 0 0 0 h av e a lre ad y b e e n d iscove red. I n C ry p to g am ie p la n ts , o n th e o th e r h a n d , th e s e
a re ex trem e ly r i c h ; n o t o n ly p ro p o rtio n a te ly to th e P hæ n o g am ic , b u t a b so lu te ly so. G r e a t
B rita in , w h e re th e s e low er O rd e rs h av e b e e n a s s id u o u s ly s tu d ie d fo r fifty y e a rs , co n ta in s a b o u t fifty
F e rn s , an d T a sm a n ia s ix ty -fo u r.
I n th e above rem a rk s I h av e n o t a llu d ed to th e F lo ra s o f some o u tly in g is la n d s , a ll o f wh ich
h av e m o re o r less c la im to b e co n s id e red b o tan ic aU y as a p a r t o f N ew Z e a lan d . O f th e se , th e e x te n t
o f its F lo r a re n d e rs N o rfo lk I s la n d th e m o s t im p o r ta n t : i t c o n ta in s m a n y m o re tro p ic a l fo rm s th a n
N ew Z e a lan d , a n d is also m o re closely c o n n e c ted w ith th e P a c ific a n d A u s tra lia n F lo ra s . C h a th am
Is la n d * h a s b e e n v is ited b y D r. D ieffen b a ch , who b ro u g h t th e n c e a v e ry few p la n ts , a ll id e n tic a l w ith
o r closely allied to N ew Z e a lan d species. L o rd A u c k la n d ’s G ro u p a n d C am p b e ll’s Is la n d were
in v e stig a ted b y m y s e lf in th e A n ta r c tic E x p e d itio n , a n d also b y th e F r e n c h a n d A m e ric a n A n ta rc tic
E x p e d itio n s, u n d e r A dm ira l D ’Urv iUe a n d C om m o d o re W ilk e s . A ll th e k n ow n species h av e b een
p u b lish e d in th e firs t v olume o f th e ‘ A n tai-ctic F lo r a ; ’ th e y a re a lm o s t aU id e n tic a l w ith o r closely
a llie d to N ew Z e a lan d p la n ts , a n d am o n g st th em a re fo u n d a few A n ta r c tic A m e ric a n ones, n o t
h ith e r to discove red in N ew Z e a lan d . T h e y in c lu d e 3 7 0 species, o f w h ich 1 0 0 a re flowerin g p la n ts ,
a n d o f th e se ag a in 5 4 a re k n ow n n a tiv e s o f N ew Z e a lan d . A s howev er n e ith e r th e s e is la n d s, n o r
th e m o u n ta in s o f th e M id d le I s la n d o f N ew Z e a lan d , h av e b e e n ex p lo red s a tisfa c to rily , i t is p ro b ab le
th a t a m u c h la rg e r p ro p o rtio n o f th e ir flora is com m o n to b o th .
C H A P T E R I I.
ON THE LIMITS OE SPECIES; TH E IR DISPERSION AND VARIATION.
I t is n o p a r t o f m y p re s e n t o b je c t to discu ss th e th e o re tic a l vie-ws th a t h av e b e e n e n te rta in e d o n th e se
obscui’e s u b je c ts : m y a im is to d raw a tte n tio n to a few le ad in g q u e s tio n s o f g re a t p ra c tic a l importance^
wh ich o u g h t n o t to b e ov erlo o k ed , ev en if th e y do n o t force th em s e lv e s o n th e n o tic e o f n a tu -
ra lis ts . I n e x p lan a tio n o f m y m e a n in g I sh a ll a ssum e c e rta in p o s itio n s t, an d ad o p t th em as p rin c ip le s
* A few Chatham Island plants were engraved in Paris many years ago for a magnificent work, ‘ Voyage de
la Venus;’ but the letterpress of that publication bas never appeared, nor has the Botany of that voyage been
completed.
t I need hardly remark that these have no claim to originality; they are merely selected as heads of the subjects
upon which I intend to enlarge.