6 PLANTS OF NEW ZEALAND 



higher things, for the lower portion of the stump consists of the 

 dead roots of past seasons ; and by growing on these the plant 

 gradually raises itself out of the water of the bog in which it 

 grows, into higher and drier levels. 



The edge of the New Zealand swamp has been w^ell 

 described by Mr. A. H. Adams, in a poem called The Brave 

 Days To Be — 



" Out in the open, by the swampy pools, 



The army of waving grasses went ; 



First in the van the hosts of '^raupo reared 



Long hnes of ruddy spears ; close following 



The green ranks of the ^harakeke came, 



Lifting aloft their sullen flashing blades, 



And sturdy bronze-brown standards ; and, behind. 



The ^tois' white battalions flaunted far 



Their dazzling banners and soft silver plumes. 



While gaunt and motionless upon the hill, 



The naked *cabbage-trees stood sentinel." 



The Fern Land. 



North of Lake Taupo, the tussock country ends. In 

 Auckland the open land is covered with heath or fern. Fern 

 country is found throughout New Zealand, but becomes more 

 plentiful towards the North. Here there are large areas 

 covered with the bracken, {Pteris aquilina ; var. esculenta). 

 In many places it grows in great luxuriance, rising to the 

 height of ten feet, and forming miniature forests that cover 

 the land to the exclusion of all other vegetation. 



The rhizome of this fern, as is well known, was used by the 

 Maoris for food when none other could be obtained. It 

 therefore held an important place in their dietary, though it 

 can scarcely be described as a staple article of food. To 

 prepare it for use it was soaked, washed, placed on a flat rock, 

 and repeatedly beaten by a heavy stone pestle or club {patu.) 



1. The bnlrnah (Tiwhaauaustifolia). I 3. Arundo consjiicua. 



•2, The Qnx (PJtormium tenax). I 4. Cordijliue australis. 



