INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
O n com m en c in g th e F lo r a o f N ew Z e a lan d I ad d re s s ed a few r em a rk s to m y re a d e rs a t th e A n tip o d e s,
in w h ich I re p re s e n te d th e ad y a n tag e s o f th o s tu d y o f B o ta n y , i f o n ly fo r th e u tU ita ria n p u rp o s e o f a c q
u irin g th e n am e s o f m a n y li ttl e k n ow n a n d u s e fu l p la n ts th a t c o n trib u te so m u c h to th e i r com fo rt
a n d en jo ym en t. I n th e absence o f snob a id s as a re a tta in a b le in co u n trie s w h e re a k n ow led g e o f b o ta
n y is m o re g en e ra lly diffused, th e n e c e s s a iy e x am in a tio n a n d s tu d y re q u ire d to n am e p la n ts p ro p e rly
by th e ir n a tu r a l ch a ra c te rs is co n sid e rab le ; h u t b y g o in g th ro u g h th e p ro cess fo r h im se lf, th e b e g in n e r
rap id ly acq u ire s a k n ow led g e o f th e s tru c tu r e a n d a n a tom y o f N a t a a l O rd e rs , G e n e ra , a n d S p ecies,
wh ich will en a b le h im to p ro s e cu te th e s tu d y o f th em a fan itie s, g e o g rap h ic a l d is tr ib u tio n , a n d v a ria tio
n , so as g re a tly to e x te n d th e v e ry lim ite d k n ow led g e we possess o f th e s e difSo u lt b ra n c h e s o f th e
science. H e will discove r th a t an e lem e n ta ry a c q u a in ta n c e w ith th e N a tu r a l O rd e rs a n d Species o f
p la n ts is n o t so re ad ily a c q u ired as in m a n y dm s io n s o f th e a n im a l k in g d om , w h e re i t is d ed u c ed
from a co n s id e ra tio n o f e x te rn a l c h a ra c te rs o f fo rm , c lo th in g , a n d colom', o r from m o d ific a tio n s o f
conspicuous o rg an s : ho m u s t com m en c e w ith th e k n ife a n d th e micro sco p e, tr a c in g th e d ev e lo pm en t
o f im p o r ta n t o rg an s , h ow ev er m in u te ; an d i f h e d e s ire to o b ta in th a t k n ow led g e o f th e a fiin itie s o f
p la n ts w h ich a lo n e will e n a b le h im to p ro s e cu te o th e r b ra n c h e s o f th e science, h e c a n o n ly do so b y
firs t m a ld n g liira s c lf th o ro u g fily a c q u a in te d w ith th e ir com p a ra tiv e an a tom y .
I n th e h o p e o f b e in g ab le to ofl’c r som e rem a rk s th a t m a y fa c ilita te th e lah om ’s o f th o s e who
would p u rsu e th e h ig h e r b r a n d ie s o f th is science, I sh a ll p refac e th e o b s e rv a tio n s I h av e to offer on
th e affinities an d d is trib u tio n o f tlic N ow Z e a lan d F lo r a , w ith some g e n e ra l th e o re tic a l views o n th e
o rig in , v a ria tio n , a n d d isp e rs io n o f species. T h e se a re se ld om a llu d ed to in s u ch b o ta n ic a l w orks as
a rc w ith in th e re a c h o f th o co lo n ist ; an d , th o u g h p ro b a b ly fam ilia r to m o s t o f m y E n g lish re ad e rs,
I n eed h a rd ly apologize to th o l a tte r fo r dw e llin g o n th em , if th e y ag re e w ith m e in c o n s id e rin g th a t
i t is v e ry n e c e ss a ry fo r tlio s e who s e t th em se lv e s u p as sy stem a tis ts , to give th e ir in d iv id u a l im p re s s io n s
u p o n th e s e im p o r ta n t a n d obscm’e su h jc c ts , th e e lu c id a tio n o f wh ich is one g re a t o b je c t o f th e ii
stu d ie s. N o t o n ly may a n a tu r a lis t’s views h e su p p o sed to re p re s e n t th e re s u lt o f h is a c c um u la te d
experience, h u t h is m o d e o f tr e a tin g h is su b je c t m u s t in m a n y cases b e in flu en c ed b y th em , h owever
m u c h ho m a y t r y to avoid it. F o r in s ta n c e , i t is n a tu r a l to suppose th a t an o b s e rv e r w h o b elieves
species to b e a rb itra ry divisions o f a g en u s , d e p e n d e n t on th e n a tu r a li s t’s ch o ice o f c h a ra c te rs , u i l l
b