FLORA OF NEW ZBiALAND.
4. T h e se tlu ’ee p e c u lia ritie s a rc sliai’ed b y a ll th e islan d s in tlie so u tli tem p e ra te zone (in c lu d in g
even T r is ta n d ’A cu n h a , th o u g h p la c ed so close to A fric a ), b e tw e en w h ich is la n d s th e tra n sp o rta tio n
o f seeds is even m o re u n lik e ly th a n b e twe en th e lai-ger ma sses o f la u d .
5. T h e p la n ts o f th e A n ta r c tic is la n d s, w h ich a re eq u a lly n a tiv e s o f N ew Z e a lan d , T a sm an ia ,
a n d A u s tra lia , a re a lm o s t in v a riab ly fo im d o n ly o n th e lo fty m o u n ta in s o f th o se co u n trie s .
N ow as n o t o n ly in d iv id u a l species, b u t g ro u p s o f th e se , w h e th e r o rd e rs , g en e ra , o r th e ir sub-
dm s io n s , a re to a g re a t d eg re e d is trib u te d w ith in c e rta in lim its o r area s, i t follows th a t th e flo ra o f
ev e ry is la n d o r arch ip e lag o p re s e n ts p e c n lia ritic s o f its own. T h o u g h a n in s u la r c lim a te may
fav o u r th e re la tiv e ab u n d a n c e o f in d irid u a ls , an d even species o f c e rta in N a tu r a l O rd e rs, th e r e is
n o th in g iu th e c lim a te , o r in an y o th e r a t tr ib u t e o f insiüa i-ity, wliich in d ic a te s th e n a tu r e o f th e
p e c u lia rity o f en d em ic species. T h e is lan d s o f ea ch o ce an c o n ta in c e rta in h o ta n io a lly allied forms
in com mo n , w h ich a re m o re o r less ab u n d a n t in th em , an d ra re ly o r n ev e r fo u n d o n th e n e ig h -
bom-ing c o n tin e n ts ; th u s th e r e ai-e ciu-ious g e n e ra p e c u lia r to th e N o r th A tla n tic islan d s, o th e rs to
th e N o r th Pacific is la n d s, o th e rs to th o s e o f th e S o u th Pacific, an d o th e rs ag a in to th e M a la y an
A rc h ip e la g o ; ju s t as th e r e a re s till o th e rs pecidiai- to th e A n ta rc tic is la n d s, a n d m a n y to N ew
Z e a lan d , F u eg ia , an d T a sm an ia .
E a c h g ro u p o f is la n d s h en c e fo rm s a b o ta n ic a l reg io n , m o re o r less definable b y its p la n ts as
well as b y its oce anic b o u n d a rie s ; p recisely as a co n tin u o u s a re a lik e A u s tra lia o r S o u th A fric a does.
T h e re is h owever th is difference, th a t w h e re a s th e N a tu r a l O rd e rs th a t give a b o ta n ic a l c h a ra c te r to
a c o u tm u o u s a re a o f a c o n tin e n t o r to a la rg e is la n d (as th e Proteaceæ in S o u th A fric a o r iu N ew
H o lla n d , an d Coprosma in N ew Ze aland) a re n um e ro u s in species an d o ften u n ifo rm ly sp re ad ,— in
c lu ste rs o f sm a ll is la n d s, d is ta n t from co n tin e n ts , th e y a re few iu species, an d th e in d iv id u a ls a re
s c a tte red , ap p e a rin g as i f th e v estiges o f a flo ra wdiicli b e lo n g ed to a n o th e r epoch, a n d wMoh is
p a s s in g aw'ay : th is is p e rh ap s a fan cifu l idea, h u t one w h ich I b elieve to c o n ta in th e g e rm o f t r u t h ;
fo r n o B o ta n is t c an re fle c t u p o n th e d e s tru c tio n o f p e c u lia r species o n sm all is la n d s (such as is now
g o in g o n in S t. H e le n a am o n g st othei-s), w ith o u t feeling th a t, as e a ch d isap p e a rs, a g ap rem a in s,
w h ich m a y n ev e r b e botanicaUy refUled ; th a t n o t o n ly a re th o s e lin k s b re a k in g b y wliioli b e c o n n
e c ts th e p re s e n t flora w ith th e p a s t, b u t also th o s e b y wh ich h e b in d s th e d iffe re n t m em b e rs o f th e
veg e tab le k in g d om o ne to an o th e r. I t is n o t tr u e in evei-y sen se th a t all e x istin g n a tu r e ap p e ars to
th e n a tu r a lis t as an h a rm o n io u s w h o le ; e a ch species com bines b y its own p e c u lia ritie s tw o o r m o re
o th e rs m o re closely, an d rev e a ls th e ir affinities m o re c learly , th a n an y o th e r d o e s ; ju s t as th e flora
o f a n in te rm e d ia te sp o t o f la n d co n n e c ts th o s e o f two a d ja c en t a re a s b e t te r th a n a n y o th e r lo c a lity
does. I t is o fte n b y o n e o r a v e ry few species th a t tw o la rg e N a tu r a l O rd e rs a re seen to b e re la te d ;
ju s t as b y a few C h ilian p la n ts th e wh o le flo ra o f N ew Z e a lan d is c o n n e c ted w ith th a t o f S o u th
A m e ric a . T h e d e s tru c tio n o f a species m u s t h en c e c re a te a n h ia tu s in o u r sy stem s, a n d I believe
tl ia t i t is m a in ly th ro u g h su ch losses th a t n a tu r a l o rd e rs , g en e ra , a n d species become iso la ted , th a t is,
p e c u lia r, in a n a tu r a lis t’s eyes.
To r e tu r n to th e d is trib u tio n o f ex istin g species, I c a n n o t th in k th a t th o s e who, a rg u in g for
u n lim ite d p owers o f m ig ra tio n in p la n ts , th in k ex istin g m e an s am p le fo r u b iq u ito u s d isp e rsio n , suffic
ien tly ap p re c ia te tb e difficulties in th e way o f th e n e c e ssa ry tra n sp o rt. D u rin g m y voyages am o n g st
th e Antai-ctic islan d s, I was led , b y th e c o n s ta n t re cu rre n c e o f fam ilia r p la n ts iu th e m o s t ina ccessible
sp o ts, to reflect m u c h on th e su b je c t o f th e ir p o ssib le tr a n s p o r t ; an d th e co n v ictio n was soon forced
u p o n m e , th a t, p u ttin g asid e th e a lm o s t in su p e ra b le o b stac les to tra n s-o c e an ic m ig ra tio n b e tw e en su ch
islan d s as F u e g ia an d K e rg u e le n ’s L a n d , for in s ta n c e (which h av e p la n ts in common, n o t fo u n d else-
Avhere)^ th e r e were su ch p e c u lia ritie s in th e p la n ts so c irc um s ta n c e d , as r e n d e r e d m a n y o f th em
th e le a s t lik e ly o f a ll to h av e av a iled th em s e lv e s o f Avhat p o ssib le ch a n c e s o f tr a n s p o r t th e r e m a y
have been. A s species th e y w ere e ith e r n o t so a b u n d a n t in in d iv id u a ls, o r n o t p ro lific en o u g h to h av e
b e e n th e firs t to offer th em s e lv e s fo r ch an ce tr a n sp o rt, o r th e ir seeds p re s e n te d n o fa c ilitie s fo r m ig r a tio
n * , o r were s in g u la rly p e rish a b le from feeble v ita lity , so ft o r b r it tle in te g um e n ts , th e pi-csencc
o f oil th a t soon b e c am e ran c id , o r from h a r in g a fleshy a lb um e n th a t q u ic k ly d e c ay ed f- A d d ed
to th e fa c t th a t o f all th e p la n ts in th e re sp e c tiv e floras o f th e A n ta rc tic is la n d s, th o s e com m o n to
an y two o f th em w e re th e m o s t u n lik e ly o f aU to em ig ra te , a n d th a t th e r e Avere p le n ty o f species
posse ssing u n u s u a l facilities, Avhich h a d n o t av a iled th em s e lv e s o f th em , th e r e Avas a n o th e r im p o r ta n t
p o in t, n am e ly , th e li ttl e c h a n c e th e r e A v a s o f th e seeds g row in g a t a ll, a fte r tr a n s p o r t. Th o u g h
th o u s an d s o f seeds a re a n n u a lly sh ed in th o s e b le a k reg io n s, few in d e ed v eg e ta te , a n d o f th e s e fewer
s till a rriv e a t m a tu r ity . T h e re is n o a n n u a l p la n t in K e rg u e le n ’s L a n d , a n d s e ed lin g s a re ex trem e ly
ra r e th e r e ; th e seeds, i f n o t e a te n b y b ird s , e ith e r r o t o n th e g ro u n d o r a re w a sh ed aw a y ; a n d th e
co n c lu sio n is ev id en t, th a t if sn ch m o rta lity a tte n d s th em in th e f r OAvn is la n d , th e ch an c e s m u s t be
sm a ll in d e ed fo r a so lita ry in d iv id u a l, a fte r b e in g tra n sp o rte d p e rh ap s th o u s a n d s o f mile s, to some
sp o t Avhcre th e av a ilab le soil is p re -o c cu p ied .
Bey o n d th e b a re fa c t o f th e d ifficu lty o f a c com itin g b y an y o th e r m e an s fo r th e p re s en c e o f th e
same species in tw o o f th e is la n d s, th e r e ap p e a red n o th in g in th e b o ta n y o f th e A n ta r c tic re g io n s to
su p p o rt o r even to fav o u r th e a s sum p tio n o f a d o u b le c re a tio n , a n d I h en c e d ism issed it as a m e re
sp e cu la tio n w h ich , till i t g ain ed some su p p o rt o n p h ilo so p h ic a l p rin c ip le s, co u ld o n ly b e re g a rd e d as
sh e lv in g a d ifficu lty ; w h ilst th e u n s ta b le d o c trin e th a t w o u ld a c co u n t fo r th e c re a tio n o f e a ch species
on ea ch is la n d b y p ro g re ssiv e d ev e lo pm en t o n th e sp o t, was c o n tra d ic te d b y CA^ery fact.
I t was Avith th e se co n c lu sio n s before m e , th a t I was le d to sp e cu la te o n th e p o s sib ility o f th e
p la n ts o f th e S o u th e rn Oc e an b e in g th e rem a in s o f a flo ra th a t h a d o n ce sp re ad over a la rg e r an d
m o re co n tin u o u s tr a c t o f la n d th a n noAv ex ists in th a t o c e a n ; a n d th a t th e p e c u lia r A n ta r c tic g en e ra
an d species may b e th e v estiges o f a flora ch a ra c te riz e d b y th e p red om in a n c e o f p la n ts Avhich a re
now s c a tte re d th ro u g h o u t th e s o u th e rn islan d s. A n allu sio n to th e s e sp e cu la tio n s was m a d e in th e
' F lo ra A n ta r c tic a ’ (pp. 2 1 0 a n d 3 6 8 ), w h e re some c frcum stan c e s c o n n e c ted w ith th e d is trib u tio n o f th e
A n ta rc tic is lan d s were dAvclt u p o n , an d th e fr re s em b lan c e to th e sum m its o f a su bm e rg e d m o u n ta
in ch a in Avas p o in ted o u t ; b u t b ey o u d th e facts th a t th e g e n e ra l fe a tu re s o f th e flo ra fav o u red su ch
a view, th a t th e difficulties in th e way o f tr a n s p o r t ap p e a red to a dm it o f n o o th e r so lu tio n , a n d th a t
th e re a re n o lim its a ssig n ab le to th e ag e o f th e species th a t wo u ld m a k e th e ir c re a tio n p o s te rio r to
su ch a series o f g eological ch an g e s as s h o u ld rem o v e th e in te rv e n in g la n d , th e r e was n o th in g in
th e sh ap e o f eAudence b y wh ich m y sp e cu la tio n co u ld h e su p p o rted . I am in d e b te d to th e in v a lu ab le
la b o u rs o f LyeU an d D a rw in J , fo r th e fa c ts th a t co u ld a lo n e h av e g iv e n co u n te n a n c e to su ch
a n h y p o th e s is ; th e o n e shoAving th a t th e necessai-y tim e a n d elev a tio n s an d d ep re ssio n s o f la n d
* Tims of the Compositm, common to Lord Auckland’s Group, Fuegia, and Kerguelen’s Land, none have any
pappus (or sced-doAvn) at a ll! Of the many species with pappus, none are common to two of these islands !
t Of the seeds sent to England from the Antarctic regions, or transported by myself between the several islands,
almost all perished during transmission.
X See EarAvin’s ‘ Journal of a Naturalist,’ and ‘ Essays oii Volcanic Islands and Coral Islands.’ The proofs of
the coasts of Chili and Patagonia having been raised continuously, for several hundred miles, to elevations varying
between 400 and 1300 feet, since the period of the creation of existing shells, will be found in the first-named of
these admirable works, which should be in the hands of every New Zealand Naturalist, if only from its containing