14 ROMANCE OF LOW LIFE AMONGST PLANTS. 



process, the adherent bases of the dead fronds 

 gradually elevate the growing point, until a kind 

 of spurious stem is formed, which in the " tree ferns " 

 assumes the form and appearance of a trunk. Some 

 of our common ferns, such as the " male fern," 

 exhibit this process on a small scale, and from them 

 an idea may be formed of the gradual growth of the 

 pseudo-stem in tree ferns. When w^ell grown, the 

 magnificent tree ferns of the Southern Hemisphere 

 vie with palms in elegance, and sometimes in size. 

 New Zealand abounds in beautiful ferns. " Most 

 conspicuous are the lofty and graceful arborescent 

 ferns, of which there are several species. The 

 • Ponga ' of the natives {Cyathea dealbata) is a noble 

 tree ; it grows abundantly on the declivities of the 

 hills, under the shade afforded by the forests ; it 

 attains the height of fourteen or sixteen feet, crowned 

 with its delicate fronds, which extend to a length of 

 eight feet. Above, the fronds are of a fine dark 

 green, but underneath of a beautiful silvery white 

 colour. The circumference of the trunk is one foot 

 and a half. Externally the trunk is composed of a 

 black substance, hard as ebony, which is continued 

 into the interior, intersecting the white medullary 

 part. When the tree is cut down, an adhesive juice 

 exudes from it. The natives use the trunk of this 

 fern as posts, in the erection of their dwellings, and 

 they are very durable — the medullary portion soon 

 decaying, but the exterior lasting for several years. 

 There are two other species, surpassing in magnifi- 

 cence of growth that just mentioned. I accompanied 

 a native to a place where I could observe them 



