Floristi.k, Geographie, Systematik etc. 55 



the species of plants found in each zone, are, as follows: Zone of 

 submerged plants, zone of water lilies, of floating sedges, of bog 

 shrubs, of tamarisk, of poplars and willows, of marginal willows. 

 The remainder of the paper, based on careful instrumentation, is 

 to determine the edaphic conditions of the different associations, or 

 circumareas, outlined above. A bibliography is added. 



Harshberger. 



Cheeseman, T. F., On the systematic Botany of the islands 

 to the South of New Zealand. (The Subantarctic Islands of 

 New Zealand.II. p. 389-471. Wellington, New Zealand, 22 Dec. 1909.) 



General report on the systematic botany of the islands lying to 

 the south of New Zealand based mainly on collections made by 

 the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury's Expedition to the Islands 

 in 1907, but embodying also collections previousl3 T obtained. 



The paper commences with a general introduction on the Posi- 

 tion of the islands and of their botanical exploration. Then follows 

 an enumeration with localities and critical notes of all the species 

 known to occur in the Islands, and this is followed by a list of 

 the naturalised or introduced plants. A Tabular View is given of 

 the distribution of these species in the different Islands of the group, 

 in New Zealand and in other Subantarctic regions. The Gramineae 

 are included in this table though the systematic report of them is 

 given by Mr. Petrie in the paper noticed below. The new species 

 described by Mr. Cheeseman are Geum albifloritm n. comb., Lage- 

 nophora pumila n. comb., Myosotis albida n sp. and Astelia sub- 

 ulata n. sp. 



The author then discusses at considerable length the affinities 

 ot the fiora, comparing it fully with those of Kerguelen Islands, 

 Marion Islands and Crozets, South Georgia, Fuegia etc. 

 The total number of species is 194, of which 53, that is 27.3°/ , are 

 endemic; detailed particulars of each of the endemic species are 

 given, and the author divides this element into two sections, first, 

 the ancient group consisting of long isolated types not closely related 

 to any other, containing 32 species, and second, the remaining 21 

 species of more recent origin. Of the 141 species that are not ende- 

 mic 133 are found in New Zealand and the remaining 8 occur 

 in one or more of the other Subantarctic Islands. 



In his general summary of the whole flora the author recogni- 

 ses; Ist, the endemic element consisting of the two sections already 

 mentioned, 2nd, the New Zealand element, by far the largest 

 portion and composed of species at present existing in New Zea- 

 land, and 3rd, the Fuegan element which also consists of two 

 portions, one including Colobanthus, Abrotanella, Phyllachne, Rost- 

 kovia etc. much older than the other; the second portion including 

 plants living at the present time in both countries such as Ranun- 

 culus büernatus, Asovella Selago etc. 



The author then describes at considerable length the different 

 explanations that have been offered to account for the distribution 

 of the plants as described in his paper, and expresses his opinion 

 that it can be explained by the recognised agents of plant distri- 

 bution across the ocean-winds, ocean currents, birds, etc. and that 

 the hvpothesis of an Antarctic continent is not necessary. 



C. Chilton. 



