Cockayne. — Development of Seedlings. 355 



and Sol., Aristotelia raceviosa, Hook, f., and Vero7iica salici- 

 folia, Forst., are the only New Zealand species described. 

 Kirk, in his various writings, has treated at some length, 

 especially in his "Forest Flora," of the young forms of a 

 number of our plants, but mainly those forms which occur 

 together with the mature leaves on old plants, or young 

 specimens of considerable size as found wild ; in very few 

 instances, however, has he described an actual seedling from 

 the time of its germination. 



From the above considerations it may be seen that a very 

 considerable field is open for investigation by New Zealand 

 botanists. That such investigation is of great interest and 

 importance hardly needs asserting. It may be well, however, 

 to show briefly some of the results which may follow such 

 work. Taking, first of all, systematic botany, much light 

 may be thrown on the relationship of forms, so that we shall 

 be able to determine much more accurately than has hitherto 

 been possible the limits of many of our critical species. If, 

 for instance, two plants have seedling forms exhibiting con- 

 siderable differences, they would most likely belong to different 

 species ; while should the two seedlings be identical it w^ould 

 be a strong argument in favour of the two being identical. 



With regard to the first of the above hypotheses, Panax 

 simplex, Forst., according to Kirk ("Forest Flora," p. 212), 

 seems a case to the contrary, since it is stated to have two 

 distinct young forms " so widely different from each other 

 that it is difficult to believe they can belong to the same 

 plant." In such a case as this a mistake may easily be made 

 by the most careful observer, and artificial investigation is 

 necessary before the statement can for certainty be accepted. 

 No one, unless well versed in seedling forms of New Zealand 

 plants, however well he might know the mature form, could 

 possibly recognise the seedlings of quite a number of our 

 plants. Here, of the three figures on pi. cvi., only one — 

 No. 3 — can claim to represent a young seedling, while Nos. 1 

 and 2 might very well be later developments of No. 3. With- 

 out, however, going into this subject in detail now, different 

 environment, as will be shown later on, has a most marked 

 effect on the same forms in many plants ; hence this case, 

 granted that the facts are as stated, may be merely a case 

 of different development under different conditions. And 

 this is the more likely since No. 3 is stated to be the only 

 form found on the Auckland Islands (Hooker), and the preva- 

 lent form on Stewart Island (Kirk). 



Besides the value of the study of seedlings from the 

 specific point of view, that from the biological standpoint is 

 of far more absorbing interest : the matter of varying environ- 

 ment, mentioned above, may lead to the discovery of most 



