XU FLORA OF NEW ZE^YLAND.
cases th e species is th e same, an d th e pai’e n t in d iv id u a ls Avere n o t even v a iic tic s o f o n e a n o th e r,
ex c ep t so fiir as reg a i’d s h a rd in e s s ; in o th e r Avords, th e specific c h a ra c te r rem a in s u n a lte re d in sp ite
o f th e ch an g e o f co n s titu tio n , ju s t as th e c lim a te o f o n e p a r t o f th e glo b e d isag re e s AAÛth th e h um a n
ra c e o f a n o th e r, a n d is even f a ta l to it.
S u ch ai’e a fcAv o f th e le ad in g p h en om en a o r fa c ts th a t ap p e a r to m e to give th e g re a te s t Aveight
to th e o p in io n th a t indiAuduals o f a species a re all d e riv ed from o n e p a r e n t : fo r su ch a rg um e n ts as
th e N cav Z e a lan d F lo ra fu rn ish e s , I m u s t re fe r m y re a d e rs to th e fo llowin g ch a p te r. I w o u ld ag a in
rem in d th e s tu d e n t th a t th e h a s ty ad o p tio n o f an y o f th e se tlieo rie s is n o t ad v isab le : p la n ts sh o u ld
h e la rg e ly colle c ted , a n d s tu d ie d b o th in th e liAung a n d d rie d s ta te s , a n d th e re s u lt o f th e ir d isse c tio n
n o te d , w ith o u t re fe re n c e to an y sp e cu la tio n s, Avhicli a re to o a p t to le ad th e in q u ir e r aAvay fi’om th e
rig o ro u s in v e stig a tio n o f d e ta ils, from w h icli a lo n e t r u t h c an b e e licited . AAdien hoAvever th e o p p o rtu
n i ty o r n e c e ssity ai’ises fo r com b in in g re su lts , a n d p re s e n tin g th em in tlia t sy s tem a tic fo rm Avhich
c an a lo n e re n d e r th em av a ilab le fo r th e p u i’poses o f science, i t b ecomes n e c e ssa ry fo r th e g en e ra liz e r
to p ro c e ed u p o n some d e te rm in a te pi’in c ip le ; a n d I c a n n o t co n c lu d e th i s p a r t o f th e su b je c t b e t te r
th a n b y ad o p tin g th e w ords o f th e m o s t ab le o f T r a n s a tla n tic b o ta n is ts , who is n o le ss so u n d as a
g en e ra liz e r th a n p ro fo u n d in h is knowdedge o f d e ta ils :— " A ll classificatio n a n d sy stem in N a tu r a l
H is to ry re s ts u p o n th e fu n d am e n ta l id e a o f th e o rig in a l c re a tio n o f c e rta in forms, wh ich h av e n a tu ra
lly b e e n p e rp e tu a te d u n ch a n g e d , o r Avitli su ch ch an g es o n ly as Ave m a y conceive o r p ro v e to h av e
a risen fr’om v a ry in g p h y s ic a l influences, a c c id en ta l cfrcum stan c e s, o r from c u ltiv a tio n * .”
§ 2 .
Species v a r y in a s ta te o f n a tu r e more th a n is u su a lly sup>posed.
T h e AÙews e n te rta in e d as to th e hm ita tio n o f species ap p e a r to b e q u ite a rb itr a ry ; n o g en e ra l
p rin c ip le s h av e b e e n disco v e red fo r th e g u id a n c e o f th e s y s tem a tis t ; a n d th o s e th a t a rc a d o p ted v a ry
in k in d a n d in v a lu e w ith ev e ry n a tu r a l g ro u p . I t is n o t th e re fo re su rp ris in g th a t tAvo n a tu ra lis ts ,
ta k in g o p posite views o f th e v a lu e o f ch a ra c te rs, sh o u ld so t r e a t a v a riab le g en u s th a t th e ir c o n c lu sio
n s as to th e lim its o f its species shoAild b e wffiolly irre co n c ilab le . Some n a tu r a lis ts co n sid e r
ev e ry m in u te ch a ra c te r, i f o n ly to le ra b ly c o n s ta n t o r CA-en p re v a le n t, as o f specific v a lu e ; th e y
co n sid e r tAvo o r m o re d o u b tfu l species to b e d is tin c t ti ll th e y a re p ro v ed to h e o n e ; th e y lim it th e
ra n g e s o f d is trib u tio n , a n d re g a rd p la n ts from Avidely sev ered lo c a litie s as a lm o s t n e c e ssa rily d is tin c t ;
th e y do n o t allow for th e efiects o f lo c a l p e c u lia ritie s iu tem p e ra tu re , h um id ity , soil, o r ex p o su re , exce
p t th e y c an a b so lu te ly tra c e th e cau se to th e eflect ; an d th e y h en c e a tta c h g r e a t im p o rtan c e to
h a b it, s ta tu re , colour, h a irin e s s , p e rio d o f flowering, e tc . T h e se views, Avhethcr acknoAvledgcd o r n o t,
a re p ra c tic a lly e a rn e d o u t in m a n y o f th e lo c a l floras o f E u ro p e , a n d b y some o f th e m o s t a c u te an d
o b s e rv an t b o ta n is ts o f th e d ay ; an d i t is difliicult to o v e r-e s tim a te th e am o u n t o f sy n o n ym y a n d confri-
sio n w h ich th e y haA^e in tro d u c e d in to th e n om e n c la tu re o f some o f th e com m o n e st an d m o s t v a riab le o f
p la n ts . I n su ch h a n d s th e Ncav Z e a lan d g e n e ra Coprosma, Celmisia, E p ilo h ium , e tc ., m a y h e in d e fin
ite ly ex ten d ed . T h e p rin c ip le s I h av e ad o p ted a re opposed to th e se : I h av e b a sed m y con c lu sio n s
species from 10,000 are tender. The common scarlet Rhododendron of Nepal and the Nortii-west Himalaya is
tender, but seedlings of the same species from Sikkim, whose parents grew at a greater elevation, have proved
perfectly hardy.
* Botanical Text-book, p. 303, by Professor Asa Gray, of Cambridge University, U.S.
o n th is su b je c t u p o n a y c ry ex ten siv e ex am in a tio n o f liv in g p la n ts in all la titu d e s , w ith m y a tte n tio n
p a rtic u la rly d ire c te d to th o in flu en c e o f e x te rn a l causes, n o t o n ly on th o g e n e ra l p h e n om e n a of v e g e ta tio
n h u t also u p o n in d iv id u a ls. A d d ed to th is , I h av e p a id a g r e a t d e a l o f a t te n t io n to v a riab e
p la n ts b o th o f tro p ic a l a n d tem p e r a te c lim a te s , an d s tu d ie d th em in a liv in g s ta te , b o th w ild a n d c u ltiv
a te d , an d also in th e h e rb a rium . T h e re s u lt o f m y o b s e rv a tio n s is, th a t diffe ren ces o f h a b it, co lo
u r Imirincss, a n d o u tlin e o f le aves, a n d m in u te c h a ra c te rs d raw n from o th e r o rg a n s th a n th o s e o f
rep ro d u c tio n , a re g en e ra lly fa lla c io u s as specific m a rk s , b e in g a ttr ib u ta b le to e x te rn a l cau se s, a n d ea sily
o b lite ra te d u n d e r c u ltiv a tio n . I t h a s h en c e h e e n m y p la n to g ro u p th e in d iv id u a ls o f a g en u s w h ich
I a ssume a fte r c a re fu l e x am in a tio n to c o n ta in m a n y species wh o se lim its I c a n n o t define, th a t th e
species sh a ll h av e th e same re la tiv e v a lu e as th o s e h av e o f a llie d g e n e ra whose specific c h a ra c te rs are
ev id en t I d o in g so I b eliev e I 'h a v e followed th e p ra c tic e o f ev e ry s y s tem a tis t o f la rg e ex p e rien ce
an d a cknowledged ju d gm e n t s in c e th e day s o f LimiEEUS, as B e n th am , B row n , th e D e Candolles,
D e caisn e , A sa G ra y , Ju s s ie u , Bin d ley , a n d th e E i c h a r d s ; n am e s w h ich in c lu d e n o t o n ly th e m o s t
le a rn ed sy s tem a tis ts , b u t th e m o s t p ro fo u n d a n a tom is ts a n d p h y s io lo g ists. I am fa r from su p p o sin g
th a t th e same m a te ria ls o f a difficult gi-oup w o u ld re c e iv e p re c is e ly s im ü a r tr e a tm e n t a t th e h a n d s o f
ea ch o f th e se em in e n t m e n ; h u t th e ir r e s u lts w o u ld so c lose ly ap p ro x im a te as to b e in h a rm o n y w ith
ea ch o th e r, an d av a ilab le fo r scien tific p iu -p o ses: w ith all, th e te n d e n c y w o u ld h e to re g a rd d u b io u s
species as v arieties, to ta k e e n la rg ed views o f th e ra n g e a n d v a ria tio n o f species, a n d to weig h
ch a ra c te rs n o t o n ly yier se, h u t w ith re fe re n c e to th o s e w h ich p re v a il in th e O rd e r to w h ich th e species
u n d e r c o n s id e ra tio n belong.
I n w o rk in g u p in c om p le te flo ra s e specially, I b eliev e i t to b e o f th e u tm o s t im p o rta n c e to a d o p t
su ch a co u rse, an d to re s is t s te a d ily th e tem p ta tio n to m u ltip ly n am e s , fo r i t is p ra c tic a lly v e ry diffic
u lt to ex p u n g e a species fo u n d ed o n an e r ro r o f ju d gm e n t o r o b s e rv a tio n * . T h e re is f u r th e r a n in h
e r e n t te n d e n c y in ev e ry o n e o ccu p ied w ith sp e c ia litie s to ex a g g e ra te th e v a lu e o f h is m a te ria ls a n d
la b o u rs, wh en ce i t h ap p e n s, th a t b o ta n is ts en g a g ed ex c lu siv e ly u p o n lo c a l flo ra s a re a t is su e w ith th o s e
o f m o re e x ten d ed ex p e rien ce , th e fo rm e r co n s id e rin g as species wdiat th e la t t e r c a ll v a rie tie s, a n d
w h a t th e la tte r su sp e ct to be an iu tro d u o e d p la n t th e fo rm e r a re p ro n e to co n s id e r a n a tiv e . T h e re is
mu ch to b e said o n b o th sid es o f su ch q n e s tio u s : th e lo c a l b o ta n is t lo o k s clo se r, p erce iv es so o n er,
an d o ften ap p re c ia te s b e tte r , in c o n sp icu o u s o rg an s a n d c h a ra c te rs , w h ich a re o v e rlo o k ed o r to o
h a s tily d ismissed b y th e b o ta n is t o c cu p ied w ith th o s e h ig h e r b ra n c h e s o f th o science, w h ich d em a n d
a wid er ra n g e o f o b s e rv a tio n a n d b ro a d e r views o f s p e c ia litie s ; an d th e r e is n o d o u b t h u t th a t th e
t r u t h c an o n ly bo a rriv ed a t th r o u g h th e ir jo in t lah o iu -s; fo r a g ood o b s e rv e r is o n e th in g , a n d th e
k n ow led g e an d ex p e rien c e re q u ire d to m a k e u se o f fa c ts fo r p u rp o s e s o f g e n e ra liz a tio n , a n o th e r :
m in u te differences h owever, w h en lo n g dw e lt u p o n , become m a g n ifie d an d a ssum e u n d u e v alue, an d
th e g en e ra l lio ta n is t m u s t always rece iv e w ith d is tru s t th e co n c lu sio n s d ed u c ed from a few species
o f a la rg e g en u s, o r from a few spcoimciis o f a widely d is trib u te d p la n t.
I h av e b e e n le d to dwell a t le n g th u p o n th is p o in t, b e c au se I fe e l sm e th e N ew Z e a lan d s tu d e n t
will a t first find i t difficu lt to ag re e w itli m e in m a n y cases, as fo r in s ta n c e o n so p ro te a n a F e r n as
L om a r ía p ro c e ra , whose v a rie tie s (to a n in e x p e rien c ed eye) a re m o re d is s im ila r th a n a re o th e r species
o f th e same g en u s . I n th is (an d in m a n y s im ila r cases) h e m u s t h e a r in m in d th a t I h av e ex am in ed
* The state ot the British flora proves not only this, hut further, that one such error leads to many more of
the like kind : students are led to over-estimate inconstant characters, to take a narrow vicAV of the importance and
end of botany, and to throw away time upon profitless discussions about the difference between infinitely variable
forms of plants, of whose identity really learned botanists have no doubt whatever.