TABLE OF CONTEXTS. 



Page. 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . iii 



. CHAPTER I. 



THE GENERAL HISTORY OF THE PLANTS. 



The New Zealand biological region Special botanical interest of New Zealand 

 Origin of the flora Australian and South American connections A 

 bridge to South America South American worms, spiders, and fishes 

 South American plants The struggle for existence Grass land versus 

 forest The kowhai of Chatham Island Rival theories of evolution 

 Plant societies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 



CHAPTER II. 



How THE STORY HAS BEEN WRITTEN. 



Sir Joseph Banks His love of natural history Banks and Solander in New 

 Zealand The first work on the New Zealand flora Explorations by the 

 French Allan Cunningham and his brother Raoul and the plants of 

 Banks Peninsula The work of Colenso A novel collecting-kit Sir 

 Joseph Hooker and, New Zealand botany Classical works on the plant- 

 life of New Zealand Explorations in the Southern Alps Hector, 

 Buchanan, and Haast Thomas Kirk and the modern period of New 

 Zealand botany . . . . . . . . . . 14 



CHAPTER III. 

 THE FORESTS. 



A priceless possession Rain-forest climate The two classes of forests 



General characteristics of the mixed forest Origin of special forest 



plants Lianes and epiphytes Flowers Fertilisation New Zealand 



timbers The kauri forest The kahikatea forest The mixed forest and 



its distribution Beech forests . . . . . . . . . . 25 



CHAPTER IV. 

 THE NATURAL SHRUBBERIES. 



Some peculiarities of New Zealand shrubs - - The southern heath - - The 

 northern heath Parasitic plants The central heath Adaptations of 

 the heath-plants The subalpine scrub Shrubby veronicas and dai-v- 

 trees Prolonged juvenile forms of New Zealand plants Some interest- 

 ing experiments Various forms of the yellow kowhai . . ~>^ 



