THE WARMER TEMPERATE ZONE. 165 



brium irio, or London rocket, sprang up all over 

 the ruins, though previously it was a very rare 

 plant, and is so now. 



In New Zealand, many singular and elegant 

 plants are found. Noble trees form immense 

 forests, sixty of which yield timber of the finest 

 quality, and many are of kinds to which we 

 have nothing similar. Oaks, birches, and wil- 

 lows, are entirely absent ; but there are some 

 species of the fir tribe and beech peculiar to 

 the country. The New Zealand flax (Plwr- 

 mium tenax) is found abundantly on the moun- 

 tains and plains, and great quantities are ex- 

 ported to this country, where it is much used, 

 especially for twine, its fibre being stronger 

 than that of ordinary flax. One hundred and 

 forty species of ferns, and a species of fuchsia, 

 together with a metrosideros with crimson 

 blossoms, adorn the country. This latter grows 

 to a very great size, and sends shoots from its 

 trunk and branches to the ground, which 

 become so massive that they support the old 

 stem, which seems to die ; it is, in fact, an 

 enormous epiphyte, growing to, instead of from 

 the ground. 



In Van Diemen's Land, eucalyptus trees of 

 enormous dimensions abound, as in Australia, but 

 of still greater height, many towering to a height 

 much exceeding that of the Monument. One 

 prostrate tree was measured, which was two hun- 

 dred feet to the first branch, a second cut into 

 rails was one hundred and eighty feet long, a third 

 wa3 so large that it could not be cut into lengths 



