DIFFERENT DEGREES OF ENDEMISM. 205 
Even its systematic position is uncertain, some placing it in the 
portulaca family (Portulacaceae) and others into the chickweed family 
(Caryophyllaceae). It may have some slight relationship with Lyallia 
kerguelensis, an endemic species of Kerguelen Land. 
A lesser degree of endemism is shown in the case of these genera 
of the pea family: Carmichaelia, Notospartium, Corallospartium, 
and Chordosparttum. The genus Carmichaelia stands alone in the 
pea family (Leguminosae), on account of the structure of its seed- 
pod. The genus, however, occurs outside New Zealand, but in one 
locality only, there being one species (C. exsul) indigenous to Lord 
Howe Island. The other three genera are endemic, and may be 
considered of recent origin. Corallospartiwm comes very close to 
Carmichaelia ; Notospartiwm has the same growth-form as most of 
the species of the above genera, but its pod is quite different ; and 
Chordospartium has the habit of Notospartiwm, and its flowers are 
arranged in the same way, but its pod is that of Corallospartium. 
A lower degree still of endemism is exhibited by the genus 
Traversia. This comes exceedingly close to Senecio, with which, 
in recent works dealing with the genera of the whole earth, it has 
been united; but from the standpoint of relative endemism its sole 
species, 7’. baccharoides, stands on a much higher plane than the 
species of Senecio proper, which genus extends over the whole 
earth. 
Endemism of a somewhat lower scale still is exhibited in such 
cases as the following: Scirpus frondosus, which belongs to the 
endemic subgenus Desmoschoenus ; those species of Veronica belong- 
ing to the section Pygmaea, small moss-like alpine cushion-plants ; 
Olearia Forsteri, once placed in a separate genus called Shawia ; 
the species of Fuchsia, once put into a genus named Skinnera ; 
those species of Suttonia which fall into the subgenus Hu-Suttonia. 
Considering the great distinctness of certain New Zealand genera 
and other genera which hardly extend beyond New Zealand (e.g., 
Celmisia, Aciphylla, and Raoulia), it is not going very far to suggest 
that such genera originated in New Zealand itself. For such an 
endemic element the term ‘“ Palaeozelandic”’ or ‘‘ ancient New Zea- 
land”? may be used. This element would date for its beginnings to 
far back in the Tertiary period. It resembles to no small extent 
the Fuegian element, and it is chiefly guesswork as to which of the 
two elements certain genera should be assigned. 
