8 PLANTS OF NKW ZEALAND 



New Zo:ilami Clul)-Mosses (Lycii[)ods) are also exceptional ly 

 well developed, and are the largest of the order known. The 

 discovery of a munbcr of the ^germinating spores of various 

 species in New Zealand is likely, l^efore long, to add consider- 

 ably to our knowledge of the life-history and attinities of this 

 interesting order of plants. 



The Bush. 



'• t am Taiie— the Tree-God ; 

 J\Iine are forests not a few — 

 Forests, and I love tliem greatly, 

 !\Ioss-enernsted, ancient, stately." 



DOJIETT. 



The New Zealand Ijiish can scarcely be said to show any 

 tvpica.l aspect. It reflects the prevailing lack of uniformity of 

 the [>laat associations. Consequently, it is impossible to describe 

 in a single epithet its chief characteristic. Indeed, so varied 

 is it, that one can often find in a single forest, as many 

 different kinds of trees as there would be m half of Euro[)e ; 

 and these, not belonging to a tew orders as do the European 

 trees, but to the most Avidely divergent families. Palm and 

 pine, rata and iuangr<.ive, cabbage tree and fuchsia, beech and 

 fern — the Malayan and South American plant grow here in 

 apparent, if not real amity. At first sight, it would seem a,s if 

 the ends of the earth had been laid under contribution for 

 strange forms, which were afterwards assembled on these 

 islands, but a closer examination shows that this lias not been 

 the ca.se; for, though the Inish has quite a patch-work ap[)ear- 

 ance, most of our trees, as will be shown subse(|uently, have 

 come to us from Malaysia, or at any rate from Melanesia. 



There is, however, one undeniable characteristic of the 

 forests. They are gloomy, tlKjugh it may he doubted whether 

 they are more sombre than those of many other regions. The 

 dark hue and leathery texture of the foliage, is no doubt due to 



