Ixxxviii FLORA OF TASMANIA. [On tie N. Zeal. 2f Polynesian 



New Zealand. 



Australia. 



Tasmania. 



5. Orchideae. 



Gramineae. 



Cyperaceas. 



6. Rubiaceae. 



Cyperacese. 



Gramineae. 



7. Epacrideae. 



Epacrideae. 



Myrtacese. 



8. TJinbelliferae. 



Goodeniaceae. 



Liliaceae. 



9. Rammculacese. 



Orchideae. 



Proteaceae. 





New Zealand. 





Drimys. 



Fuchsia. 



Callixene. 



Coriaria. 



Calceolaria. 



Gairnardia. 



Edwardsia. 



Thuja. 



Rostkovia, 



Another remarkable difference between these Floras is afforded by certain American genera 

 being found in each, but which are not common to both. Of these the most striking are — 



Australia and Tasmania. 

 Eucryphia. Styloncerus. 



Oenothera. Pernettya. 



Elaveria. Prionotes. 



So too with regard to the European genera and species, there are certain temperate and northern 

 species found in New Zealand but not in Australia, such as — 



•Taraxacum officinale, Veronica Anagallis, Sparganium natans, Agrostis canina. 



Turning now to the points of affinity betwen Australia and New Zealand, these are so numerous 

 and decided as to render the dissimilarities all the more singular. 



In the first place, there is no New Zealand Order absent from Australia except Coriariece, 

 Brexiacea, and Chloranthacea, which are single genera rather than Orders. Of the 282 genera of 

 Phsenogams in New Zealand, 240 are also Australian, and 60 are almost confined to these two 

 countries. The greatest amount of generic affinity exists in three of the largest Orders in each, viz. 

 Composite?, Orchidea, and Graminea?, which may be considered generically identical in both. To this 

 category of resemblances also belong the antarctic genera and representative genera, many of which 

 are also found in America, and which will be hereafter considered. Of these 240 genera, by far the 

 larger proportion are confined to eastern Australia, not one being exclusively western Australian. 



Descending to species, I find that 216, or one-fourth of the New Zealand Phsenogams, are natives 

 of Australia,* and of these 115 are confined to these two countries. Of the remaining 101, 77 are 

 common to America, 75 to India, and 52 to Europe. The comparatively small number of these that 

 are common to India, and greater number common to America, is a remarkable fact, considering the 

 relative position of these countries ; and the large number of European genera is no less so. 



Another interesting anomaly is, that of the 115 species peculiar to Australia and New Zealand, 

 only 26 belong to genera peculiar to those countries, and only 6 to the long list of Australian genera 

 that contain upwards of 20 species each. Again, upwards of 20 of these 115 are scarce and chiefly 

 alpine plants in both countries, occupying comparatively very small areas ; whereas of the 101 that 

 are found in other lauds besides Australia and New Zealand, only 5 or 6 are alpine, and most of these 

 are antarctic also. 



Thus, under whatever aspect I regard the Flora of Australia and New Zealand, I find all attempts 

 to theorize on the possible causes of their community of feature frustrated by anomalies in distribu- 

 tion such as I believe no two other similarly situated countries in the globe present. Everywhere 

 else I recognize a parallelism or harmony in the main common features of contiguous Floras, which 



* The majority of these will be found in the Tasmanian Classified List at p. lvi., with the indication of their 

 being natives of New Zealand. 



