CHAP. XXII THE FLORA OF NEW ZEALAND 491 



land flora to that of Australia, but an affinity almost ex- 

 clusively confined to the least predominant and least 

 peculiar portion of that flora, leaving the most predominant, 

 most characteristic, and most widely distributed 23ortion 

 absolutely unrepresented. We must however be careful 

 not to exaggerate the amount of affinity with Australia, 

 apparently implied by the fact that nearty six-sevenths of 

 the New Zealand genera are also Australian, for, as we 

 have already stated, a very large number of these are 

 European, Antarctic, South American or Polynesian genera, 

 whose presence in the two contiguous areas only indicates 

 a common origin. About one-eighth, only, are absolutely 

 confined to Australia and Noav Zealand (thirty-two genera), 

 and even of these several are better represented in New 

 Zealand than in Australia, and may therefore have passed 

 from the former to the latter. No less than 174 of the 

 New Zealand genera are temperate South American, man}^ 

 being also Antarctic or European ; while others again are 

 especially tropical or Polynesian ; yet undoubtedly a larger 

 proportion of the Natural Orders and genera are common 

 to Australia than to any other country, so that we may say 

 that the basis of the flora is Australian with a large inter- 

 mixture of northern and southern temperate forms and 

 others which have remote world-wide affinities. 



General Features of the Australian Flora aiulits Proheihle 

 Origin. — Before proceeding to point out how the 

 peculiarities of the New Zealand flora may be best 

 accounted for, it is necessary to consider briefly what are 

 the main peculiarities of Australian vegetation, from which 

 so important a part of that of New Zealand has evidently 

 been derived. 



The actual Australian flora consists of two great 

 divisions — a temperate and a tropical, the temjDerate being 

 again divisible into an eastern and a western portion. 

 All that is most characteristic of the Australian flora 

 belongs to the temperate division (though these often over- 

 spread the whole continent), in which are found almost all 

 the remarkable Australian types of vegetation and the 

 numerous genera peculiar to this part of the world. 

 Contrary to what occurs in most other countries, the 



