Wellington Philosophical Society. 543 



Looking at the points of contact between the two floras afforded by 

 Leguminos£e alone, the relationship appears but slender. This order, 

 which stands second only to Composit^e amongst flowering plants in the 

 number of species it contains, includes more than one-eighth of the 

 Phanerogamia of Australia, where it comprises nearly as many species as 

 are found in the entire Phanerogamic flora of New Zealand ; yet, amongst 

 the thousand Australian forms not one is common to both countries, a fact 

 which is the more remarkable as the seeds of most plants of this order 

 suffer less than others when drifted by marine currents. The seeds of 

 Eiitada scandens are drifted from the shores of Northern Australia to the 

 coast of New Zealand, and have been picked up even on the East Coast as 

 far south as Tauranga. It is certainly matter for remark that no sea-borne 

 seeds of Acacia or other large Australian genera appear to have germinated 

 on the New Zealand coasts. 



Three genera of this order, however, are common to both countries, and 

 the first two are not found elsewhere. Clianthus, of which a single species 

 is endemic in the extreme northern portion of New Zealand, and another in 

 Australia, the first being a glabrous undershrub, the second a pilose herb. 

 Sicainsonia, which is represented here by a single species confined to the 

 Southern Alps, and by numerous species in Australia. Sophora has two 

 species in Australia and another in this colony, but belonging to a different 

 section of the genus. Carmichcelia and Notospartiinn, the only additional 

 genera in New Zealand, are endemic, and have no near allies in Australia. 



Both countries are characterized by a great paucity of Eosacese. In 

 New Zealand we find four genera and thirteen species ; in Australia, seven 

 genera and seventeen species ; four genera and four species being common 

 to both. 



In Saxifragese, the relationship is generic only, Quintinia and Aclcama 

 not being found elsewhere, and Weiinnannia having a wider distribution. 



Drosera is largely developed in Austraha, where it comprises forty-one 

 species, five of which extend to New Zealand, but with the possible excep- 

 tion of D. spathulata, are not found in other countries. In Halorage®, four 

 genera and eight species are common to both countries. 



Myrtaceffi ranks next to Leguminosa, in the extent to which it imparts 

 a peculiar character to the Australian flora, but has only a single species 

 common to both countries. Metrosideros, Myrtus, and Eugenia are repre- 

 sented by different species in each country. 



Epilobium, a genus developed in New Zealand to a remarkable extent, 

 has six species common to both countries, four of which are not known to 

 occur elsewhere. 



Of umbeUiferous plants, eight genera and six species are common to 

 both countries. The trimorphic arahads of New Zealand have nothing to 

 epresent them in Australia. 



