PREFACE. eae xe 
phenogams, and 156 vascular cryptogams. These are contained in 
382 genera, distributed in 97 orders. The average number of species 
to each order is slightly over 16 ; the average number of species to each 
genus rather more than 4. The orders containing more than 24 species 
are as under :— 
Compositze ys .. 221. | Ranunculacee .. mI 0) 
Filices .. . .. 1388 | Rubiacez vs oe ad 
Cyperacese an .. 119 | Epacridex si toe 
Scrophularine .. -. 113 | Onagrarie “it oe aeail 
Graminez “s ie 113-0) 9 Legtiminoses?\ .: be eee 
Umbellifere  .. =o OZ Juncaceze . oi 228 
Orchideze ue .. 57 | Boragmacee .. ey) 
The Composite thus constitute one-seventh of the whole flora, an 
unusually high proportion. The genera containing twenty species 
or more are :— 
Veronica : .. 64 | Senecio a seo) 
Carex .. i .. 54 | Epilobium xD ie 28 
Celmisia os ee ih ah Lae: = = .. 25 
Coprosma ah .. 40 | Myosotis 25 ae 28 
Ranunculus 5s .. 38 | Hymenophyllum rege 0) 
Olearia bs 5:4 OD 
Of the total number of species (1,571) no fewer than 1,143, or nearly 
three-quarters of the entire flora, are peculiar to the colony. With 
respect to the 428 species which are found elsewhere, 366 extend to 
Australia, and 108 to South America. Coming to the local distribution 
of the species, 789 are found in both the North and South Islands, 
219 occur in the North Island but have not yet been detected in the 
South Island, while 456 species known to occur in the South Island 
have not been collected in the North Island. No fewer than 23 
species are found in the Kermadec Islands but not m any other por- 
tion of the colony ; 25 in the Chatham Islands ; 10 in Stewart Island ; 
and 48 in the outlying islands to the south of New Zealand, including 
in the term the Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island, 
and Macquarie Island. 
It now only remains for me to express my grateful thanks to the 
Education Department, under whose auspices the work has been pre- 
pared, for the readiness with which it has co-operated with me in 
endeavouring to render it as complete and reliable as possible. In 
this connection, I would specially mention the Right Hon. R. J. Seddon. 
