PLOEA OF KEW ZEALAND.
tlie ir allies in A u s tra lia . A p a u c ity o f Grasse s, a n ab sen ce o f Leg umin o sæ, a n ab u n d a n c e o f b u sh e s
an d F e rn s , a n d a wa tit o f a n n u a l p la n ts , a re th e p re v a le n t fe a tu re s in tb e o p en co u n try , w h ils t tb e
fo re sts ab o u n d in Cryptogamia, an d iu p hæ n o g am ic p la n ts w ith o b scu re g re e n flowers, an d very
o fte n o f o b scu re an d little -k n ow n N a tu r a l O rd e rs* .
C o n s id e ra b ly m o re th a n tw o h undi-ed o f tb e N ew Z e a lan d species h av e e ith e r u n is e x u a l o r
p o ly g am o u s flowers, o r a re o th e rw ise in c om p le te in th e ir re p ro d u c tiv e o rg an s, even when tlich- flora l
envelopes a re m o re o r le ss developed. T h e n um b e r o f N a tu r a l O r d e r s t is la rg e in p ro p o rtio n to th e
g e n e ra ; b e in g as 9.2 to 2 8 2 , th a t is, a b o u t o n e to th r e e : w h ile tlic g e n e ra a re to th e species as 2 8 2
to 730, ea ch g en u s h av in g o n th e av e rag e o n ly tw o a n d a h a l f species ; w h en c e i t follows tlia t th e re
are , on th e av e rag e, b u t e ig h t species to e a ch N a tu r a l O rd e r.
C o n s id e rin g th e se c ircum s tan c e s , a n d th e ad d itio n a l one, th a t v e ry m a n y o f th e N a tiu -a l O rd e rs
c a n n o t b e re co g n iz ed b y th e flower alo n e , b y f r u it a lone, o r b y h a b it o r fo liag e, i t m ay , I th in k , safely
he said th a t th e N ew Z e a lan d F lo ra is, for its ex te n t, m u c h th e m o s t d ifiicu lt o n th e g lo b e to a
b eg in n e r. In d e e d , tb e m e re fa c t th a t th e s tu d e n t m u s t k now a N a tu r a l O rd e r fo r ev e ry e ig h t species
h e h a s to in v e stig a te , offers as d ire c t a m e an s o f p ro v in g th is b y com p a riso n as a n y d a tum co u ld do,
for th e p ro b ab le p ro p o rtio n o f species o f p la n ts o n th e g lo b e to th e k u om i Natura*! O rd e rs , exceeds
thi-ee h u n d re d a n d fifty to o n e ; in T a sm an ia th e p ro p o rtio n s a re eleven to one, an d in G re a t B rita in
th e y av e rag e fo u rte e n to one.
I t is, th e re fo re , n o t su rp ris in g th a t th e v eg e ta tio n o f N ew Z e a lan d sh o u ld h e w a n tin g in an y
co n sp icu o u s o r p rev a ilin g fe a tu re , w h ich is th e case to so g re a t a d eg re e th a t, ex c lu d in g F e rn s , I do
n o t th in k an y tw o b o ta n is ts w o u ld , w ith o u t in v e stig a tio n , c h a ra c te riz e a n y p a r t o f th e is la n d s as th e
re g io n o f an y p a rtic u la r o rd e r, g en u s, o r species. T h e Coniferoe, w h en k n ow n , p ro v e to h e p e rh ap s
th e m o s t u n iv e rsa lly p rev a len t n a tu r a l fam ily ; b u t tb e m a jo rity o f th e ir species, n o t b e in g social, b u t
g row in g in te rm ix ed w ith o th e r tre e s , give n o c h a ra c te r to th e lan d sc ap e. T h e v a s t n um b e r o f tre e s ,
th e p a u c ity o f h e rb a c eo u s p la n ts , a n d th e a lm o s t to t a l ab sen ce o f a im u a ls, a re th e m o s t rem a rk a b le
fe a tu re s o f th e F lo ra ; fo r o f flow eiin g tre e s , in c lu d in g sh ru b s above tw e n ty fe e t liig h , th e r e a re u pw a rd s
o f 1 1 3 Î , o r n e a rly o n e -s ix th o f th e F lo ra , b e sid e s 1 5 6 sh ru b s a n d p la n ts w ith woody stem s. O f th e
la rg e s t N a tu r a l O rd e rs , so fa r as reg a rd s th e n um b e r o f species, th e in d iv id u a ls a re o fte n so few,
th a t tb e b o ta n is t wo u ld fo rm a v e ry e rro n eo u s e s tim a te o f th e n um e ric a l force o f su ch in th e whole
is la n d from a n e x am in a tio n o f some o f its p a rts o n ly : th u s th e O rd e rs m o s t n um e ro u s in species are ,
Compositoe, 9 0 ; Cypei'aceæ, 66 ; Gramineæ, 53 ; Scro p h u la rin eæ , 4 0 ; Orchidece, 39 ; Rubiaceæ, 2 6 ;
an d E p a c rid eæ a n d Umbelliferæ, ea ch 23 ; n o n e o f w h ich c an b e said to fo rm p re v a le n t fe a tu re s in
th e lan d sc ap e, th o u g h n o n e a re ra re .
I l l th e n e ig h b o u rin g is la n d o f T a sm an ia , w h e re th e sam e O rd e rs p re d om in a te to a g re a t e x te n t,
th e ca se is widely d iffe ren t : th e r e th e G rasse s ev e ryw h e re fo rm a p rom in e n t fe a tu re ; th e Cyperaceoe,
* My first day’s collections about the Bay of Islands included Oorpwcarpus, Abeuosmia, Melicytus, Drirmja,
Aristotelia, Coriariu, Gunnera, Carpodetus, Griselinia, Oorokia, Geniostoma, Laurdia, lledgcarya, Ireycindia, Mld-
poyonum, and Astdia ; all belonging to small, obscure, or little-known Natural Orders, many long considered of
dubious affinity : besides a host of obscure genera of little-known families.
t I t is to be observed, that I have adopted as few Natural Orders as possible; fewer, I think, than I sliould
have done in a work on general botany ; but I Avas anxious to diminish as much as possible tlie labours of the
beginner. Had I adopted all the Orders that have been proposed, there would be upwards of a hundred of flowering
plants in New Zealand.
X Iu England there are not more than 35 native trees, out of a flora of upwards of 1400 species.
from th e ir size, s tr e n g th , a n d c u ttin g fo liag e, a r r e s t th e tra v e lle r’s p ro g re s s th ro u g h th e f o r e s t;
Orchideæ o f m a n y k in d s cai-pet th e g ro u n d in sp rin g w ith b e a u tifu l b lo ssom s ; tb e h e a th s a re g ay
m t h E p a c r id eæ ; h e rb s , tre e s , a n d sliru h s o f Compositoe m e e t th e ey e in ev e ry d ir e c tio n ; w h ils t th e
M y r ta c eæ a n d Leg um in o sæ a re c h a ra c te ris tic s b o th o f th e a rb o reo u s a n d sh ru b b y v eg e ta tio n . T h e
difference is so m a rk ed , th a t I re ta in th e m o s t vivid recoUec tio n o f th e p h y s io g n om y o f th e T a sm a n
ia n m o u n ta in s a n d valleys, b u t a v e ry in d iffe ren t o n e o f tb e N ew Z e a lan d fo re s t, w h e re a ll is ,
com p a ra tiv e ly sp e ak in g , b le n d ed in to o n e g re e n m a ss, re liev ed a t tb e B a y o f I s la n d s b y th e s ym m e tric
a l crown o f th e T re e -fe rn , th e p a le g re e n fo u n ta in o f fo liag e o f th e B a c r y d ium cu pressinum, a n d
th e p o p la r-lik e K n ig h tia o v e rto p p in g all. I t is t r u e th a t th e r e is m o re v a rie ty in th e la tte r c o u n try
th a n is ex p ressed b y th is s e le c tio n o f a few in d iv id u a ls, a n d a li ttl e re fle c tio n re c a lls a v a s t n um b e r
o f n o b le , an d some b e a u tifu l b o ta n ic a l o b je c ts , b u t w ith tb e e x c ep tio n o f gro v es o f tb e K a ik a te a P in e
(Podocarpus dacryd io id es) o n th e swampy riv e r b a n k s , th e P om a d e r r is a n d L ep to sp e rm um o n tb e
o p en hUl-sides, a n d D am m a ra o n th e ir c re s ts, th e r e is l i ttl e to a r r e s t th o b o ta n is t’s firs t g la n c e ; an d
n o th in g in th e m a ss in g o r g ro u p in g o f th e species o f a n y N a tu r a l O rd e r re n d e rs t h a t O rd e r an
im p o r ta n t e lem e n t in th e g e n e ra l la n d sc ap e , o r gives in d iv id u a lity to a n y o f its p a rts , b y flowers
a n d g a ie ty , o r b y fo liag e a n d g loom . T h e s am e featm-es p rev a il ev e n so fa r s o u th as L o rd A u c k la n d ’s
G ro u p , w h e re D ra co p h yllum, Coprosma, M e tro s id e ro s , P a n a x , a n d a sh ru b b y V e ro n ica u n it e to fo rm
a n ev e rg re en m a n tle r a n d I su sp e c t, from th e a c co u n ts I h av e b e a rd a n d re ad , th a t th e y a r e re p e a te d
o n th e d am p cool co a sts o f Ch ili, to th e n o r th o f th e re g io n o f th e som b re B e e c h -fo re s ts wliich
c lo th e th e F iie g ia n islan d s.
A . P la n ts jtc cu lia r to N ew Z ea la n d .
I n a n a ly s in g th e P hæ n o g am ic F lo r a o f N ew Z e a lan d , th e firs t im p o r ta n t r e s u lt is th e la rg e
am o u n t o f a b so lu te ly p e c u lia r o r en d em ic p la n ts , o f w h ich th e r e a re 2 6 g e n e ra a n d 5 0 7 species, o r
m o re th a n tw o -th ird s o f th e whole. O f th e s e , th e g r e a te r p ro p o rtio n a re E x o g e n s, as was to h e
ex p e cted , from th e G ra sse s, Cyperaceoe, a u d w a te r-p la n ts b e in g m o re widely d iffused th a n a n y o th e r
fam ilies.
T h e P e ta lo id E n d o g e n s, o n th e o th e r h a n d , a re rem a rk a b ly lo c a l, especiaUy th e Orchideæ, o f
Avhich o nly two species, o n t o f th ii'ty -n in e , a re fo u n d elsCAvhere (in T a sm a n ia ) . T h is, howcA-'er, is so
in v a ria b ly th e case Avith Orchideæ, th a t th e p ro p o rtio n o f species in th e g lo b e to o th e r N a tiu -a l O rd e rs
is p e rh ap s g re a tly u n d e rra te d . N e a r ly a ll th e N cav Z e a la n d g e n e ra o f O rch id s a r c n a tiv e s o f
A u s tra lia , an d m o s t o f th em a re otherAvise p e c u lia r to t h a t c o n tin e n t ; th e u b iq u ito u s Sp/iranthes is th e
m o s t m a rk e d ex c ep tio n , as A u s tra lia co n ta in s th e o n ly Avidely d is trib u te d species in th a t v a s t N a tu r a l
O rd e r, n am e ly , S . rosea, w h ich h ow ev er is re p la c e d in N ew Z e a lan d b y S . No væ -Z e la n d iæ .
T h e n e x t p e c u lia r O rd e r is Coniferoe, whose twelv e species a re a ll en d em ic * : i t is v e ry widely
sp re ad , a n d m a n y o f its species in th e n o r th e r n h em isp h e re h av e Avidc th o u g h s tiic tly defin ed ran g e s .
I ll th is re sp e c t th e so u th e rn species differ from th e n o r th e rn , fo r th e y a re lo c a l ; th u s sev eral o ccu p y
v ery lim ite d a re a s in d e ed in T a sm an ia an d elscvdiere, o f Avhich th e ITuon a n d N o rfo lk I s la n d P in e s
a rc rem a rk a b le in s ta n c e s : D amm a ra a u s tra lis is co n fin ed to th e n o r th e r n h a l f o f th e n o r th e r n
is la n d o f N ew Ze a lan d , a n d o th e r species o n ly grow o n a fcAV lo fty m o u n ta in s . O f th e N ew Z e a lan d
g en e ra , tw o a re p e c u lia r to it , A u s tra lia , an d th e M a la y A rch ip e lag o [D a c ry d ium a n d P h y llo c la d u s ) ;
* Except perhaps Phyllocladus, one species of which is very closely allied to the Tasmanian P. aspleniifoUa.
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