December 14, i8<)9] 



NA TURE 



147 



Ijotanical investigation of New Zealand was begun 

 liefore its settlement by Europeans ; and it has been 

 ( ontinued by a small band of them with such ardour and 

 exactitude, that future workers in the field have a sub- 

 stantial foundation to build upon. In the absence of 

 authentic records, the present conditions in the vegeta- 

 tion of the country could not have been understood. 

 Kirk estimated that about 500 exotic species of plants 

 had become more or less completely established in New 

 Zealand ; and they are spread all over the country, from 

 the sea-coast almost to the altitudinal limits of vegeta- 

 tion. But the most surprising part of it is the extent to 

 which vigorous native plants have been displaced by 

 •comparatively delicate foreigners ; and it would indeed 

 be incredible in the absence of indisputable evidence. 

 However, I must not pursue this subject here, and I have 

 •only alluded to it in connection with the plan and scope 

 of the fragment of Kirk's " Flora " before me. The 

 •Government wisely decided to publish so much of this 

 work as was printed off, or ready for the printer, at the 

 time of the author's death. This contains the natural 

 •orders Ranunculacea; to Composit^e, in the sequence of 

 Bentham and Hooker's " Genera Plantarum " ; and its 

 value only makes one wish that the author had lived to 

 ■complete it. Perhaps the only serious criticism one 

 could fairly bring to bear upon the work before having 

 had considerable practical experience in using it for the 

 ■determination of species, is its size and weight, which 

 •would preclude its being used in the field. Rather less 

 than half of the known flowering plants (671), and 260 

 introduced plants, are described on some 360 pages. 

 Completed on this scale it would make, with glossary, 

 index, &c., at least 850 pages. By using a smaller type 

 with less spacing, and a lighter paper, it would be 

 possible to reduce the book to pocket dimensions. This 

 objection has been raised here, because we believe the 

 New Zealand Government is making arrangements with 

 another botanist to write a complete Flora. 



It might be suggested that the introduced plants 

 should be left out ; but, considering that they constitute 

 something like a third of the number of species occur- 

 ring in a wild state, that some of them are dispersed 

 from one end of the islands to the other, and that in 

 some districts or Ipcalities introduced plants pre- 

 ponderate, it is as absolutely essential that they should 

 be included as that the European element should figure 

 in any account of the present inhabitants of New Zea- 

 land. To begin with, the young student cannot dis- 

 tinguish between the introduced and indigenous ele- 

 ments. To the beginner, one is as good as the other, 

 and, as a matter of knowledge, to know the one is of as 

 much importance as it is to know the other ; and we 

 think it would be a grave mistake to exclude the foreign 

 element from a book treating of the flora of the country. 

 Kirk gives less detailed descriptions of them, and prints 

 them in a smaller type, so there is no difficulty in dis- 

 tinguishing between the two. 



When we come to consider the question, " What have 

 the discoveries made since the publication of Sir Joseph 

 Hooker's ' Handbook of the New Zealand Flora,' in 

 1864, added to our knowledge of phytogeography ? " the 

 answer must be " next to nothing." Perhaps the most 

 interesting thing in this connection is the discovery of a 

 NO. 1572, VOL. 61] 



number of Tasmanian species, especially on Stewart 

 Island, in the extreme sou>h. The outlying islands, such 

 as Macquarie, Antipodes, and the Kermadecs, have been 

 more fully explored ; but the results merely go to 

 strengthen the previously conceived idea that the highest 

 southern vegetation, like the highest northern, is very 

 much the same all round the world. 



With regard to botanical discoveries in New Zealand 

 since 1864, it may be truly said that they are of com- 

 paratively little interest. Only one new generic type 

 ( Tetrachondrd) of a really distinct character has been 

 found, and this is a minute herb, having the habit of 

 Tillaea. It is of anomalous structure, and has been 

 provisionally placed in the Boraginaceic, though it has 

 opposite leaves. Two new genera have been proposed 

 for species formerly referred, in part, at least, to the 

 curious leguminous genus Carmichaelia. The differen- 

 tial characters are chiefly in the form of dehiscence of 

 the pods. Perhaps the very rare and imperfectly known 

 Stphonidiu/n, allied to Euphrasia, deserves generic 

 standing, but it is almost certainly a congener of Hooker's 

 section Anagosperma of Euphrasia^ which has recently 

 been raised to generic rank. 



Coming to species, it is true that the number has been 

 nominally increased by upwards of one-third. In other 

 words, more than 500 species of flowering plants have 

 been proposed in addition to the 935 described by Hooker ; 

 but of these probably not less than a third will prove un- 

 tenable. For instance, in Olearia, Kirk retains thirty- 

 four species, and reduces a dozen of the so-called new 

 ones. As compared with what was previously known, 

 there are few striking plants among the recent discoveries. 

 The majority of the new species belong to such familiar 

 genera, of almost world-wide range, as Ranunculus, 

 Epilobium, Senecio, Veronica and Carex, and to such 

 characteristic Australasian genera as Coprosma, Olearia, 

 Celmisia, Carmichaelia and Astelia. Among Australian 

 genera, not previously found in New Zealand (as dis- 

 tinguished from Australasian), new or old species have 

 been recorded of Actinotus, Lipatophyllmn, Caleana 

 and Calochilus. 



I have not entered into strict criticism of the late Prof. 

 Kirk's work, because, had he been spared, he might have 

 corrected errors and made good many omissions ; but I 

 may mention that the derivation of generic names is 

 partially given ; the same of the native countries of in- 

 troduced plants ; several published names have been 

 overlooked ; and a key to the species of Oxalis is 

 wanting. 



The illustrations referred to in the opening sentence of 

 this notice are to be issued in a separate volume. They 

 will include the unpublished Banksian copper-plates of 

 New Zealand plants, kindly placed at the disposal of the 

 New Zealand Government by the Trustees of the British 

 Museum. I may note in this connection that the 

 Trustees have now made provision for the reproduction 

 of the whole of the valuable collection of plates, about 

 700 in number, engraved at the expense of Sir Joseph 

 Banks, but never printed ; and illustrating the botany of 

 Cook's voyages. 



In conclusion, I may add that Mr. Hamilton's list 

 of the flowering plants will be found useful, as it contains 

 references to the place of publication, mostly in the 



