2 NEW ZEALAND PLANTS. 



of New Zealand are every whit as interesting as are the animals, while, 

 although less voluminous, their story can hardly be surpassed in 

 interest by that of the vegetation of an entire continent. A plant 

 population can surely claim its share of recognition when it can boast 

 of including the largest known buttercup, 1 the smallest member of 

 the pine-tree family, 2 a forget-me-not with leaves as big as those of 



:.> j 



FIG. 1. The Chatham Island Forget-me-not (Myosotidium nob He), growing near 



sea in north of Chatham Island. [Photo, L. Cockayne. 



rhubarb 3 (fig. 1), a speedwell 40ft. in height, 4 tiee-like daisies, 5 mosses 

 a foot or more tall, 6 brown seaweeds of enormous size 7 (fig. 2), and 

 those strange anomalies of the plant world, the vegetable-sheep. 8 



ORIGIN or THE FLORA. 



Leaving the above-mentioned remarkable plants to be dealt with 

 in due course, the first question which seeks an answer is how such 



1 Ranunculus Lyallii. 



2 Dacrydium laxi folium. 



3 Myosotidium nobih. 



4 Veronica yiyantea. 



5 Species of Olearia. 



6 Polytrichum dendroides and 



Dawsonia superba. 

 1 Macrocystis Dubem'i and 



D'Urvilha utili*. 

 8 Species of Haastia and Raoulia. 



