Wellington Philosophical Society, 545 



one is indigenous to New Zealand, which, however, possesses two endemic 

 species, one representing the nuciimentaceons section of the order, the other 

 tlie fohiculaceoiis section ; the former belongs to Fersoonia, a genus largely 

 developed in Australia, but not known elsewhere ; the latter to Knightia, of 

 which one other species is known in New Caledonia. The large genus 

 Pimelea, restricted to New Zealand and Australia, comprises nearly seventy 

 species in the latter country and ten in the former, but except P. longifoUa, 

 which extends from this colony to Lord Howe's Island on the Australian 

 coast, no species is common to both floras. 



Fagus, which forms so large a part of the mountain forests in New 

 Zealand, is represented in Australia by three s^Decies, all of which are 

 endemic. 



In Coniferas there is no species common to both countries ; the common 

 genera Damviara, Podocarpits, Phyllocladus, and Dacrydium ; except Podocar- 

 pus, each is represented by a single genus in Australia, but Phyllocladus and 

 Dacrydium are especially characteristic of New Zealand, the first having 

 three species, one or other of which is found scattered throughout the colony 

 except in the driest districts ; the other contains seven species, some of 

 which occur in all districts. In this, as in many similar cases, the Australian 

 flora has been influenced by that of New Zealand rather than the reverse. 



A much larger proportion of Monocotyledons is common to both countries, 

 chiefly owing to the wide distribution of many species of Cyperacese and 

 Gramine^. 



In Orchidaceffi there is a close generic relationship, no fewer than sixteen 

 genera being common to both countries, but not more than six species, two 

 alone of which are found elsewhere ; the restricted distribution of the species 

 of this order is strongly marked all over the world. 



Astelia, a liliaceous genus largely developed in New Zealand, is repre- 

 sented in Australia by a single endemic species. Juncese has eight species 

 common to both countries, six of which are found nowhere else. 



Twelve genera of Cyperace^e, and thirty-two species, are common to both 

 floras ; many of the species exhibit a wide distribution, and not more than 

 twelve are restricted to Australia and New Zealand. 



In Gramine^e the relationship is still more strongly marked, more than 

 half the New Zealand species, and twenty-five genera out of twenty-seven, 

 being common to both countries ; only ten of the species are restricted to 

 these countries, many of them having a wide distribution. 



In ferns and allied plants, the proportion of species common to both 

 countries is still larger. Austraha exhibits two hundred and thirty-two 

 species, comprised under forty-seven genera; New Zealand has thu'ty- 

 nine genera and one hundred and fifty-three species. Thirty-three genera 



a39 



