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E u ro p e * , a n d tlio se h ig h ly s p o rtiv e ; a n d in th e H im a la y a , th e h c a d -q u a rtc rs o f th e g en u s , th e r e arc
s till m o re species, a u d th o s e (com p a ra tiv e ly speaking) b y n o m e an s v a riab le . A g a in , Clematis,
R a n u n cu lu s, Ep ilo b ium , A p ium , L o b elia , JV ahhnbcrgia, Gaiilthei'ia, Olea, Gentiana, Calystegia,
E u p h ra s ia , L u zu la , a n d Po a , all v e ry co smo p o litan , a re as v a riab le in N ew Z e a lan d as elsewhere ,
a n d some o f th em m o re so ; b u t as th e y a rc n o t as eq u a lly re p re s e n te d in n um b e r o f species in N ew
Z e a lau d as elsewhere , th e re s u lts p re s e n te d b y each g en u s a re o f v e ry d ifie ren t v alue. T h u s Lobelia
a n d TÎ ahlenbergia, th o u g h very la rg e g e n e ra in d e ed in m a n y p a rts o f th e glo b e w h e re th e species
a re n o t co n sp icu o u sly p ro te an , ai’e re p re s e n te d in N ew Z e a lan d b y tw o widely diffused an d exc eptio
n a lly p ro te a n species. Po tamo g e tó n a n d P o a (w ith m a n y o th e rs) b e lo n g to a class eq u a lly com m o n
in N ew Z e a la n d a u d elsewhere , a n d eq u a lly -\ariable m e ryw h e re . E p ilo b ium , Veronica, Benecio,
a n d o th e rs, b ea i’ a la i'g e r p ro p o rtio n to th e N ew Z e a lan d F lo ra th a n to a n y o th e r F lo ra o f eq u a l a re a
an d n um b e r o f species, a n d a re d ec id ed ly as v a riab le in N ew Z e a lan d as an yw h ere.
(c.) I f we tu r n to th e sp a rin g ly diffused a u d en d em ic g en e ra , th e sam e w a n t o f a n y reco g n iz ab le
re la tio n s b e tw e en e x te n t o f g eo g rap h ic a l d is trib u tio n , n um b e r o f species, an d th e ir vai’ia tio n , p revails,
re n d e rin g v ain a n y a ttem p t to ch a ra c te riz e th em b y s u ch g en e ra l te rm s as sh a ll convey a m o re a c c
u ra te o r d efin ite id e a, th a n , th a t in w h a te v e r lig h t we re g a rd th em th e y a re a ll v e ry v a riab le ; th e
ab so lu te ly lo c a l a n d w e ll-m a rk ed g en e ra , as Alseu o sm ia , H o h eria , a n d Carmichælia, b e in g q u ite as
m u c h as o r m o re so th a n th e o th e rs. T h is le ad s to th e la s t r em a rk .
[d.) A re th e N ew Z e a lan d p la n ts m o re v a riab le th a n th o s e o f o th e r c o im trie s ? T h is i t is a lm o s t
im p o ssib le to an sw e r, exc ept b y g iv in g th e g en e ra l im p re s sio n s (and su ch a re b u t to o o fte n fallacious)
re c e iv ed d u rin g m y e x am in a tio n s ; an d may , I conceive, be b e tte r p u t th u s— H a v e I h a d c om p a ra tiv
e ly m o re d ifficulty in w o rk in g o u t N ew Z e a lan d p la n ts th a n th o s e o f o th e r co u n trie s to whose
flora s I h av e p a id eq u a l a tte n tio n ? I h e re ag a in fin d a lm o s t in su p e ra b le o b stac les to a d ire c t a n swer.
I f I h av e m e t w ith fewer difficulties in o th e r floras, as in th o s e o f T a sm am a , E u ro p e , a n d th e
A n ta rc tic reg io n s, i t m a y be b ec au se m y m a te ria ls w e re b e tte r , a n d m o re as s is tan c e was av a ilable
from m y p red e c e sso rs, a n d n o t be c au se th e species were less v a riab le ; ag a in , i f I liave m e t w ith u n u
su a l difficulties in th e N ew Z e a lan d F lo ra , i t is c e rta in ly in a g r e a t m e a su re to b e a c co u n ted fo r b y
th e v e ry gi’e a t n a tu r a l o b stac les in tb e way o f a rig h t u n d e rs ta n d in g o f th e N a tu r a l O rd e rs , g en e ra ,
an d species, some o f w h ich I h av e m e n tio n e d a t p. x x rii. U p o n th e whole, I do th in k th a t th e
N ew Z e a lan d g e n e ra a re in p ro p o rtio n to th e ir n um b e rs m o re v a riab le th a n th o s e o f o th e r c o u n trie s
whose b o ta n y I liave in v e stig a ted , w h e th e r in s u la r o r c o n tin e n ta l ; b u t I do n o t w ish to express th is
o p in io n so d e c id ed ly as to w a r r a n t a n y co n c lu s io n b e in g d raw n from it.
I n th e B ritis h F lo r a I fin d fu lly s ev en ty widely d is trib u te d g e n e ra (o u t o f ab o u t 51 2 ) co n ta in in g
species as v a riab le p ro p o rtio n a lly as an y in N ew Z e a lan d , b esid e s m a n y o th e rs c o n ta in in g b u t one o r
tw o v e ry sp o rtiv e species.
I n T a sm a n ia a n d A u s tra lia some o f th e la rg e s t g e n e ra (as E u c a lyp tu s) a re th e m o s t p ro te a n in
ev e ry p o in t o f riew , th e o ld e r in d iv id u a ls o f e a ch species n o t o n ly diffe ring w id ely from th e y o u n g e r,
b u t also from ea ch o th e r in s ta tu re , h a b it, an d b o ta n ic a l c h a ra c te rs. I n A c a c ia , o n th e o th e r h an d ,
while th e y o u n g s ta te s o f m a n y in d iv id u a l species differ from th e old as m u c h as in E u c a ly p tu s , th e
la tte r a re ea sily lim ite d b y c o n s ta n t ch a ra c te rs in m o s t im p o r ta n t o rg an s. I n a th i r d im m en se
en d em ic A u s tra lia n g en u s, B a n k sia , th e species a re very loc al, a n d co n s ta n t as to fo rm ; w h ils t in a
fo u rth eq u a lly la rg e an d a lm o s t eq u a lly lo c a l g en u s o f th e same o rd e r, Persoonia, th e species vai-y
. * Except, indeed, we admit with many excellent botanists, and perhaps with all our best ones, that the majority
of the European species are reducible to a very few.
mu ch . E n o u g h h a s b een ad d u c ed to show th a t th is sn iq c c t is m o s t d ifficu lt a n d ob scu i’c, a n d 1 may
ad d th a t i t is o n e in w h ich h a s ty g e n e ra liz a tio n from firs t im p re ssio n s h a s g iv e n ris e to m u c h e rro r.
2. G en e ra whose species a lte r iu fo rm o r h a ln t. T h e se a re— H ym en a n th e ra , P itto sp o rum , P la g ian
th u s, Melicope, D is ca r ia , E dw a r d s ia , Carmichælia, A c k am a , P a n a x , A r a lia , Carpodetus, Coprosma,
Parsonsia, Olea, W einma n n ia , D am m a ra , T h u ja , Po d o ca rp u s, D a c r y d ium , P h ijllo cla d u s, Rh ip o g o n um.
M a n y o f th e above v a ry so rem a rk a b ly th a t b o ta n is ts h av e b e e n g re a tly p u z z led b y th e a b n o rm a l
forms th e y p re s e n t : th u s a s ta te o f H ym en a n th e ra c ra ssifo lia h a s b e e n re fe rre d to Goodenia, o n e
species o f W einma n n ia h a s b e e n m a d e in to tw o g en e ra , an d a n Olea h a s b e e n c o n v e rted in to a
Metroside ros. S ome s ta te s o f P la g ia n th u s u r tic in u s an d o f Carpodetus se r ra tu s (p la n ts o f tw o v e ry
d iffe ren t N a tu r a l Ord ers) a re a lm o s t n n d is tin g u ish a b le , a n d so a re H ym en a n th e ra cra.^sifolia an d
P itto sp o rum o b co rd a tum ; so also M e lic y tu s m ic ra n th u s , P a n a x anomala, a n d Melicope s im p le x ,
a re often so ex trem e ly lik e o n e a n o th e r in foliage as to b e co n fo u n d ed w h en in a d ry s ta te . M ith
re g a rd to Carmichælia, A c k am a , Weinma n n ia , m o s t o f th e Ara lia c eæ , Coprosma, P a r so n sia , an d
some o f th e P in e s , th e v a ria tio n is g re a te s t in am o u n t betw'een o ld an d y o u n g p la n ts ; b u t w ith
D isca ria , H ym en a n th e ra , P itto sp o rum , som e species o f Coprosma, Olea, a n d m a n y P in e s , th e r e seems
to be n o law, ab n o rm a lly fo rm ed o rg an s a p p e a rin g o n th e s am e b ra n c h e s w ith n o rm a l ones.
F rom th e above lis t i t would ap p e a r th a t v a ria b ility o f th is n a tu r e is m o s t f re q u e n t am o n g st
m o re o r less en d emic g e n e ra a n d species, b u t w h e th e r in th is re sp e c t th e N ew Z e a la n d F lo r a is m o re
v a riab le th a n o th e rs I have n o t pro v ed . Th o Y'ew, C ed a r, H o lly , P j , a n d esp e c ia lly F u rz e a n d
Ju n ip e r, p e rh ap s v a ry in E u ro p e as m u c h as, o r m o re th a n , th e above ; b u t i t is difficu lt to a p p re cia
te th e am o u n t o f v a ria b ility in a fam ilia r o b je c t. O n th e wh o le I am in c lin e d to th in k t h a t th e
New Z e a lan d F lo r a is rem a rk a b le fo r th e n um b e r o f p la n ts w liich v a ry th u s , b u t th a t th is p e c u lia rity
is re n d e re d conspicuous b y th e p rev alen ce o f Coniferæ an d A ra lia c eæ , w h ich a re v a ria b le in all p a rts
o f th e world.
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