Colenso. — On a Collection of Ferns. 3ll 



Aet. XXXIX. — On the large Number of Species of Ferns noticed in a small 

 Area in the New Zealand Forests, in the Seventy-mile Bush, between Norse- 

 wood and Danneverke, in the Provincial District of Haivke's Bay. By. W. 

 Colenso, F.L.S. 



[Read before the Haivke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 8th May, 1882.] 

 Ouk adopted country, the colony of New Zealand, has long borne a great 

 name for its Ferns, owing, perhaps, as much to their being everywhere so 

 common (exclusive of the ubiquitous brake fern, Pteris esculenta), from 

 the lowest level on the sea-shore, its rocks and cliffs, up to nearly the 

 highest point of vegetation on the alpine ranges, — as to their large number 

 of genera or of species ; although the surpassing beauty and novelty of 

 some of them have justly served to raise their fame. In respect to their 

 number of species, New Zealand is very far ahead of our British Islands, 

 which only contain 48 species of true ferns ; but then this truly natural 

 order is but poorly represented in Europe. On the other hand, the neigh- 

 bouring larger Australian colonies contain nearly twice the number of 

 species hitherto found in this colony. In their natural state, the open 

 plains and hills of New Zealand were almost everywhere covered with the 

 common rusty-looking Pteris esculenta ; and the woods were filled with 

 numerous species and genera, not merely terrestrial, growing on the ground 

 like other plants, and including several fine and famed arborescent species 

 (commonly called tree-ferns), but also a good number of epiphytical ones, 

 only found growing on trees, and then only in the deepest umbrageous and 

 damp recesses of the forest ; there, alike protected from winds and heat, 

 and unvisited by animal ravagers in the shape of cattle, they flourished in 

 charming profusion. 



According to Dr. Sir Jos. Hooker's " Handbook of the New Zealand 

 Flora," there were, at the time of its publication (in 1864), 120 species of 

 ferns (exclusive of varieties) found in New Zealand, belonging to 31 genera. 

 Of those 120 species, 5 should be deducted, as having been only hitherto 

 detected in the off-lying islets in what is called the New Zealand botanical 

 region, viz., the Auckland, Campbell's, Lord Howe's, and Kermadec Islands ; 

 thus leaving 115 species described in the " Handbook" as pertaining to 

 New Zealand proper. 



During the last few years I have made a practice of visiting the woods 

 and forests of this district several times in the year, and on each visit have 

 become more and more impressed with the almost unlimited resources of 

 bountiful Nature — especially in her botanical productions, and particularly 

 in what is called her lower forms, viz., of Cryptogams. It would require a 

 series of papers, and that from far abler pens than mine, to give a mere list 



