

PKEFACE. 



The Flora of New Zealand is one of the most remarkable known. 

 Indeed, it is so highly specialized, that these islands are generally 

 considered to constitute a distinct Botanical Region. Drude originally 

 divided the earth into fourteen such Regions, and New Zealand was the 

 twelfth on his list.* This little colony is therefore botanically equal 

 in importance to districts of much vaster area. In spite, however, 

 of the fact that our Flora is one of the most interesting on the face 

 of the earth, there are very few who have any real acquaintanceship 

 with it. This ignorance is doubtless due to the inaccessibility and 

 technicality of the literature dealing with the subject. In this 

 work an endeavour has been made to give an account of our native 

 plants that will be intelligible to all. As few technical terms as 

 possible have been employed herein, and those used have been 

 explained either in the text or glossary. An attempt has also been 

 made to give as many interesting particulars of the species as the 

 limits of our space will allow. 



It is hoped, therefore, that the volume will be of service to all 

 who wish to know something more of a vegetation that is unique. 

 To New Zealand teachers, but especially to those interested in 

 nature study, it should be of considerable value ; as well as to all 

 colonists who have any love for the wild flowers of their neighbour- 

 hood. Tourists, also, will find here the means for readily identifying 

 all the more conspicuous plants that they are likely to meet with, 

 whilst en route through the colony. Though no new species are 

 described here, many fresh facts have been embodied in the text, 

 and a great quantity of botanical information has been culled from 

 many sources for the book. Hitherto the student has only been 

 able to obtain much of this material by wide and laborious reading 

 in English and German publications and -journals. Hence the 

 book will we trust be of some value to the botanist who wishes 

 to procure, in small compass, a suggestive guide for further research. 



* Handbuch der Pflanzengeographie. In a more recent edition of the book, he con- 

 siders the New Zealand Flora to be composed chiefly of Antarctic and Melanesian plants. 



n -a 



