SPECIAL IMPORTANCE OF NEW ZEALAND FOR BOTANICAL STUDY. 13. 
CHAPTER II. 
SOME PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING VEGE- 
TATION AND LIVING PLANTS. 
Special botanical interest of New Zealand—Changes wrought by the European 
settler—Explanation of the term “ flora’””—What is meant by the term 
“ vegetation ’’—Definition of the expression ‘ plant-community ’’—Some 
plant-communities of a farm—The plant-formation and the plant- 
association—Explanation of the term “ growth-form ’”—Some characteristic 
New Zealand growth-forms—More about growth-forms—Plasticity in plants 
—Effect of change in outer circumstances on the manuka—Stimuli and 
their effect in changing form—Natural changes in a plant-community— 
Topographical and biological succession—Climax and migratory formations 
—The struggle for existence—The growing-place of a plant—The meaning 
of the term ‘ adaptation ’’—Adaptations with regard to the water-supply. 
ce 
OccupyinG a most varied land-surface lying isolated from neigh- 
bouring land-masses, far out in the broad Pacific, the plants of New 
Zealand had for ages controlled their own destinies unhampered 
by competition with new arrivals, the destructive action of grazing- 
mammals, or, most antagonistic of all, the interference of man, save 
only, very late indeed in their history, that of a quite primitive 
race, few in numbers. Thus several factors, common in other lands, 
of supreme moment with regard to the vegetation were lacking. 
When, then, not much more than one hundred years ago the Knro- 
pean commenced to colonize his new heritage, the plant-covering, 
almost in its entirety, was truly virgin, and during its later years 
had reached a definite stage of development under the influence 
only of climate, soil, and the other conditions of its environment. 
Hence in New Zealand certain fundamental phases of plant-life can 
be somewhat more easily investigated than in the great majority of 
other lands, where the conditions on which its existence depends 
are more complex. This statement applies specially to that open- 
air study of plants, as they grow naturally, which has called forth 
most of the story—fragmentary enough, it is true—of New Zealand 
plants as told in this little book. 
