General, — Floristic details. 95 
Much lowland vegetation has been not merely modified in the course of 
settlement but actually wiped from the face of the land. But, except in a few 
instances, there are sufficient indications to show clearly enough of what the 
primitive plant-covering consisted, so that it is still possible to give a fairly 
accurate sketch of primeval lowland New Zealand. Many areas too remain ak- 
solutely in their virgin condition and this is the case with regard to forest in 
general and to the greater part of the South Island W. of the Southern ar 
as also to almost the whole of Stewart Island. 
2. Floristic details. 
The lowland-lower-mountain flora consists of the olibwing elements; 
ı. Species confined to the lowland-lower-mountain belt, here spoken of as 
“lowland”. 2. Species found both in the lowlands and high mountains. 
3. Species truly alpine or subalpine but which occasionally occur in the low- 
lands. 4. Coastal species which extend inland for some distance, or which 
occur far-from the sea under special circumstances. The total number of 
species belonging to these 4 classes is 998 made up of 517 belonging to the 
first class, 348 to the second, gı to the third and 42 to the fourth. Leaving 
out of consideration the coastal and purely high mountain elements, since they 
are of extremely slight importance in the general vegetation, the number of 
‚species is 865 which belong to 98 families and 324 genera. 
Considering first of all the 517 purely lowland species, they belong to 
81 families and 226 genera; 'and 327 (63 p. c.) are endemic, 130 (25 p. c.} 
Australian (gı pteridophytes and ee; and 13 temperate South 
American. With regard to their distribution in New Zealand, 249 (48 p. c.) 
occur in all the botanical provinces but only 102 of these extend to Stewart 
ne Island; 72, 24 and 54 species are peculiar to the Northern, Central and 
Southern provinces respectively, the total number of species in ea 
in the order named being, - — 407, and an a 34 a ee 
er 
