•IS PLANTS OF NEW ZEALAND 



uftinities to the fossil Lycopodiaceae of the coal period, than 

 an>- other existing plants^'' " ; l.iut this opinion cannot justify the 

 extraordinary statement seen at times in the books of popular 

 writers, that the New Zealand flora is more like that of the 

 Carboniferous than is any other existing flora. As a matter of 

 fact, our species of ferns and lycopods do not show aftinities that 

 tend to prove them older than the ferns and lycopods of other 

 lands. Further, the evidence of the flowering plants does not 

 suggest that those of New Zealand are of any high degree of 

 antiquity. Many ancient forms, that once existed in New Zea- 

 land, and still exist m other lands, have been replaced hereby 

 plants of a more modern type. One of the oldest orders of the 

 plianerogams is the Cycadeae. We have now no cycads 

 in New Zealand, though fossils show that they formerly 

 existed here. Changes of climate may have driven them out. 

 At one time they formed a considerable portion of the 

 vegetation of the glolje, and they are still found in 

 large numbers m the tropical and sub-tropical regions of both 

 hemispheres. Turning to the Monocotyledons, we obtain 

 somewhat similar evidence. These plants are generally 

 sup[)osed to be older than the bJicotyledons, though the testi- 

 mon\- of the rocks on this point is by no means indisputable. 

 The\- are, however, assuredly extremely old, and if our flora 

 were exceptionally ancient, we miglit expect them to be well 

 developed in New Zealand. The contrary, however, is the 

 case. Throughout the southern hemisphere the monocoty- 

 ledons are more poorly represented than in the northern. 

 Again, the facts of fossil l)otany seem to show that the palms are 

 one of the oldest orders of monocotyledons. In New Zealand 

 We liave only one species of palm-tree. This [)aucit\' of 

 forms ma>" perhaps l)e due to climatic or similar conditions. 

 In the tropics the>' are ])lentiful. On the other liand, it is 

 to be admitted that we liave an ancient monocotyledon in 

 tlie cal:)l:)age-tree ( Cordijliite) . 



" Hauflliook of the New Zeiilaud Flora." !]>. 3S7), 



