i879-] NEW ZEALAND FORESTS. 261 



sonia antarctica is well known for its majestic appearance, but it 

 should certainly be seen in this its natural habitat, with stems 20 feet 

 high, crowned by fronds from 8 to 10 feet long. To stand at the side 

 of a chasm and look down its rugged sides clothed with Blechnum 

 and Mosses, a gushing stream sparkling at the base, and one of these 

 giant Ferns filling up the centre, is but a sample of the many natural 

 ferneries which the traveller comes across. Another exile known to 

 most lovers of Palms is Areca sapida. It soon overtops the Tree- 

 Ferns, while the different shades of green make a pleasing contrast. 

 In spring it throws out bunches of red berries, which are much prized 

 by the natives, while the leaves are used by many settlers for thatch- 

 ing purposes. In its habit of growth it seems to shun all exposure, 

 and seeks the shelter of other trees. Often it is found in places com- 

 pletely guarded against both sun and wind. We have a species of 

 Cabbage tree, which from its hardy habit would do well for " subtropical 

 gardening." In leaf it is much like a Dracaena, and when seen at a 

 distance looks very like a plume of feathers. For greenhouse de- 

 coration in winter it would be a pleasing object. Another denizen 

 of the forest here is Dacrydium cupressinum, a plant which has 

 not received the attention which it deserves. It has been in cultiva- 

 tion more or less for thirty years, and having been numbered with 

 the Juniper family, may in some collections be found labelled Juni- 

 perus elata. The brightness of its evergreen foliage, which retains 

 vigour and freshness throughout the entire year, with innumerable 

 waving branches bending with feathery lightness to the most gentle 

 breezes, including a pleasing symmetry of form, all tend to give it 

 rank amongst the rare and beautiful, and make it a most desirable 

 plant for greenhouse culture. 



We may now notice one or two of the timber trees which constitute 

 the wealth of the New Zealand forest. The foremost of these be- 

 longs to the natural order Coniferae, and is known to collectors of 

 hard-woods as Dammara australis. Leaving out some of our British 

 Oaks of historic fame, it would be almost impossible to find a more 

 stately tree. It is common to meet with it in the forest of the North 

 Island, rising to a height of 150 feet, and measuring 30 feet in cir- 

 cumference at the base. The wood is very inflammable, from the 

 amount of resin contained in it ; and this no doubt accounts for vast 

 extents of such forest having been accidentally burnt. It exudes a 

 valuable gum, which has become an important article of commerce. 

 For shipbuilding it is considered equal to Oak, and large quantities 

 are annually exported for that purpose. Another timber of colonial 

 reputation is a species of the Chinese Pine, Podocarpus totara. In 

 foliage it is somewhat sombre ; the wood is so close in the grain as to 

 be termed " iron wood " by the natives, and is of course very durable. 

 As indicative of the wide domain of some of our botanical orders, we 

 may mention that the Verbena has a representative here, which ranks 



