vi FLORA OF NEW ZEALAND. 



Fungi, that will reward future explorers in what, as far as flowering plants are concerned, are 

 exhausted fields. Upwards of 114 Ferns (including Lycopodia) are already known*, a number which 

 might be swelled by nearly one-half, were all the varieties which have been described as species 

 considered by me as such. I do not anticipate many more novelties in this Order ; the species (with 

 few exceptions) having veiy wide ranges in the islands, and these beautiful plants having always 

 attracted a greater share of attention than others. The foliaceous Cryptogamsf (Mosses and Hepa- 

 ticfe) are by far the most extensive Natural Order of plants (except Fungi) in these islands, as they 

 are of most temperate and especially moist climates. Of Hepaticse Mr. Mitten enumerates in this work 

 180, whereas only about 150 are found in all Great Britain; and Mr. "Wilson's 'Muscologia of New 

 Zealand ' includes 250 species, amongst which are many of the most gigantic, beautiful, and interest- 

 ing in structure, in the world. I have no doubt that both these Orders will be more than doubled : 

 it requires a practised eye, and some previous knowledge, thoroughly to explore a small district 

 rich in Mosses and Hepaticae. 



In Fungi this flora is still most imperfect, owing to the unattractive appearance of the species to 

 the general observer, and the difficulty of preserving them in a fit state for examination. Mr. 

 Berkeley has undertaken their arrangement, and his are the first observations of any consequence 

 that have ever appeared on the New Zealand species of this curious and most interesting Natural 

 Order, which is by fax the largest in the vegetable kingdom. So many of the kinds are minute, and 

 even microscopic, that it is probable that, when properly investigated, there will prove to be upwards 

 of 1000 species in New Zealand. 



Much novelty is not to be looked for amongst the foliaceous and larger Lichens, but great 

 additions may be made amongst crustaceous and minute epiphytical species. The New Zealand 

 Algse, of which Dr. Harvey enumerates nearly 300 species, have from their beauty and singularity 

 long been objects of great interest to the botanist; and by the labours of Menzies, Turner, Bory, 

 Harvey, and Montague, this Natural Order has been better illustrated than any other. The great 

 amount of novelty contained in the collections of Dr. Lyall, however, received since this work wa^ 

 begun, show that even this department may be greatly increased. 



The total number of species brought together in this Flora is nearly 1900, to which upwards of 

 100 may be added, for the many minute Cryptogamia which I possess, but which are in too imperfect 

 a state for satisfactoiy determination. This is much more than double the numerical extent of the 

 last enumeration published, that of M. Raoul, who in 1846 enumerates only 920 species, which may 

 be reduced to 770, if the naturalized and erroneous species be eliminated. In 1838 Mr. Cunningham 

 gave 640 species, which should be reduced to 570; in 1832 M. Richard included 350 in his list; 

 Forster's ' Prodromus' has 154; and Banks and Solanderis collections amount to 426. This rapid 

 increase of the Flora, which has thus been quintupled in twenty years, is mainly due to the attention 

 which has been devoted to the lower Orders : this may easily be shown ; for whereas in all the early 

 enumerations and collections the number of flowering plants exceeds the flowerless, in M. Raoul' s 

 Catalogue they are equal, and in the present work the relative proportions are reversed ; the Phseno- 

 gamic plants being to the Crvptogamic as 1 to T6; i. e. about two to three. 



* Banks and Solander described 66 species; Forster enumerates 40; M. A. Richard 57, of which 8 should 

 be expunged; A. Cunningham and M. Raoul 112, from which fully 30 must be deducted, to bring the lists into 

 comparison with my own estimate of 114. 



t These were little attended to by the earlier explorers, except Menzies. Banks and Solander collected very 

 few Mosses. 



