46 NEW ZEALAND PLANTS. 
CHAPTER IV. 
THE STORY OF THE FORESTS. 
General remarks—Distribution of the forest—Composition of the forest—The 
two classes of forest—Special characteristics of rain-forest—The kohekohe— 
Origin of special forest-plants—Climbing-plants—Scramblers—The climbing - 
apparatus of the bush-lawyers — Root-climbers — The climbing-ratas — 
Climbing-ferns — Winding lianes— The mangemange—A leaf yards in 
length—Explanation of the term “ spore’’—Tendril-climbers—The species 
of Clematis — Perching-plants — Seedling trees as perching-plants — Filmy 
ferns — The flowers of the forest — Pollination— The kauri forest — Life- 
history of a kauri forest—Mixed taxad forest—Westland taxad forest— 
Kahikatea swamp-forest—Southern-beech forest—Lowland southern-beech 
forest—Identification of the southern-beeches. 
HoweEVER little the average New-Zealander may know about the plants 
of his country, few there are who cannot raise some enthusiasm 
regarding the “ bush,” as the forest is everywhere called. To old 
and young it is a delight: the stately trees; the birds, fearless 
of man; and, above all, the wealth of ferns, appeal to all. But 
that this forest is a unique production of nature, found in no 
other land, is not a matter of common knowledge, though truly it 
has many claims to be considered a priceless possession. 
Although so large a part of the forest has been destroyed, usually 
for economic reasons—either that the land could be put to a better 
use or that the timber was required—but partly through fires, suffi- 
cient remains, often quite virgin, to give a fairly correct idea of the 
vast tree-covering of primeval New Zealand. 
In the lowlands this great forest extended almost unbroken 
throughout the North Island, and, in the South Island, over all the 
area west of the Dividing Range. The Marlborough Sounds area, 
too, was densely forest-clad ; thence going south along the east coast 
only small areas occurred here and there, until forest once more 
asserted its supremacy on the Seaward Kaikouras. Farther south, 
on Banks Peninsula, was noble forest, whence until a little to the 
north of Dunedin the land was treeless, save for isolated areas 
amongst the foothills of the Southern Alps. In the south of the 
