Cheeseman. — On the Flora of the Kermadec Islands. 159 



350 miles. Its area is almost exactly the same as that of Norfolk 

 Island and Sunday Island, but it is much more mountainous 

 than either, Mount Gower, the highest peak, being 2,840 feet 

 high. Its flora is pretty well known, chiefly through the 

 exertions of Mr. Charles Moore, the Director of the Sydney 

 Botanic Gardens, and other Australian naturalists. Most of 

 the new species have been described by Baron Mueller in his 

 "Fragmenta Phytographire Australia?," where also a carefully- 

 compiled catalogue of the flora is given. Two hundred and 

 two species have been collected on the island, 51 being peculiar 

 to it — exactly the same proportion that obtains on Norfolk Island. 

 Many New Zealand plants occur ; but the chief relationship of 

 the flora is with New Caledonia and North-eastern Australia. 



To show clearly what are the affinities of the Kermadec 

 flora it is necessary to give a few figures. Of the 115 species 

 collected by me in the group, no less than 85 are found in New 

 Zealand, or very nearly four-fifths of the entire flora. Fourteen 

 of the 85 are absolutely confined to the two localities. Forty- 

 four species are found in Norfolk Island, but of these no less 

 than 40 are found in New Zealand, and there are only two 

 plants confined to Norfolk Island and the Kermadec Group. 

 Forty extend as far as Lord Howe's Island, but 34 of these 

 occur in New Zealand, and none of the peculiar Lord Howe's 

 plants reach the Kermadecs. Seventy-six plants are common 

 tc Australia and the Kermadecs, but none of these are peculiar 

 Australian species, and 63 of them are natives of New Zealand, 

 the remainder occurring in Polynesia. Lastly, 47 Kermadec 

 species are Polynesian, 31 of them being found in New Zealand 

 as well. Two plants are peculiar to the Kermadec Islands and 

 Polynesia. 



It is impossible to doubt the significance of these figures ; 

 they clearly point to New Zealand as the origin of the major por- 

 tion of the flora of the group. Admitting that onedialf or more of 

 the Kermadec plants are species having a very wide distribution, 

 occurring not only in New Zealand but also in Norfolk Island, 

 Lord Howe's Island, Australia, and many of them also reaching 

 Polynesia ; yet the fact that they are accompanied by a large 

 proportion of plants otherwise confined to New Zealand, affords 

 very good reason for supposing that the greater portion, if not 

 all, are immigrants from thence. Had they made their way 

 from any other source, in all probability some of the endemic 

 plants of that country would also have made good an entrance. 

 For instance, we have seen that Norfolk Island and Lord Howe's 

 Island possess nearly 50 of the Kermadec plants. Now these 

 islands contain 86 peculiar species. They are in the same lati- 

 tude as the Kermadec Islands, and one of them is as near as 

 New Zealand. Their climate, geological structure, and physical 

 features generally, are very similar to those of Sunday Island. 



