426 THE BOTANY OF [PART II. 



moides. As epiphytce on trees grow Earina mucronata, 

 Dendrobium Cunninghamii, and Bolbophyllum pygmseum. 

 Of the Aroidece the natives cultivate the Caladium escu- 

 lentum, which they call taro. According to their tales, 

 it is not an indigenous plant, but their ancestors brought it 

 with them at their first immigration. 



O 



The swamps of New Zealand are generally covered with 

 the Typha angustifolia, which often also covers extensive 

 districts of low ground, especially in the valley of the 

 Thames. The same species is common to both hemi- 

 spheres. Under the name of repo, or raupo, it is a most 

 useful building-material to the natives, who form the walls 

 and roofs of their houses with bundles of them, impenetrable 

 to rain, which they tie together with the mangi-mangi, a 

 climbing fern, the Lygodium articulatum of Achille Richard. 

 The natives also eat the root of the repo., which is somewhat 

 amylaceous. 



Amongst the climbing -plants which seek the support of 

 larger trees, the principal one is the Freycinetia Banksii, 

 also a monocotyledonous plant, belonging to the family 

 of the PandanecB of Robert Brown. It attaches itself prin- 

 cipally to the kahikatea-pine. It flowers in September; and 

 the natives are very partial to the sweet bractese of its blossoms. 



The number of PILENOGAMOUS or ENDOGENOUS plants 

 is 314. 



The Piperacece. Of these we have the Piper excelsum 

 and the Peperomia Urvilleana. The former is the New Zea- 

 land representative of the Piper methisticum of the Sandwich 

 and Tonga Islands: although bearing the same name 

 kawa it is not used by the New Zealanders to make an 

 intoxicating drink : its leaves, however, form a good and ap- 

 parently healthy substitute for tea. It grows everywhere 

 throughout the island. 



Of ConifercB and Taxidece 8 species have been described, 

 and they give the most valuable timber. I have already 

 mentioned in the course of this volume the geographical 

 limits of the only cone-bearing pine, the valuable kauri, or 

 Dammaru Australis, which is confined to the extreme north of 



