HANDBOOK 
TO THE 
f mt s o f DL to M e it I it it to 
CHAPTER I. 
EXPLANATORY. 
Although the ferns of New Zealand have long been proverbial for 
their beauty and variety, no work has yet been published professing 
to treat of them alone. They have been classified and described 
by Dr. Hooker in his “ Flora Novae Zealandiae,” and they are also 
mentioned in several books on ferns, but these works are too vol- 
uminous and expensive to suit the means of many, so that whilst 
the collection and preservation of these beautiful plants has become 
a popular amusement, few can name or classify their specimens. 
The following pages have been written with the desire, in some 
measure, to supply the means by v, nich those who at present collect 
ferns without any knowledge of their botanical names may add to 
the pleasure of their pursuit by the systematic arrangement of their 
acquisitions : The use of scientific terms has been, as far as possible, 
avoided, and complete botanical descriptions must not be sought for in 
this pamphlet, but no tern hitherto found in the Islands has been left 
unmentioned, and it is hoped that the characteristics given of each 
will be sufficient to enable the enquirer to identify and arrange them. 
It will perhaps be well to commence our subject by finding- 
out the place that ferns take in the entire system of botanical 
classification, and their relation to the rest of the vegetable world. 
De Candolle distributes all plants into three great classes, — 
Exogens, Endogens, and Acrogens ; plants belonging to the last 
)f these classes have no wood, or wood having a sinuous struc- 
ture, no flowers, and bear reproductive organs called spores. 
Ycrogens again are divided into sub-classes Foliacese and Aphyllae, 
die first comprehending those that have, the second those that 
lave not, distinct stem and leaves, and in the first of these sub- 
classes we shall find the natural order Filices (Ferns) with this 
essential character : — A distinct stem and leaves, the latter 
lsually divided into numerous pieces, and marked with veins 
either simple, forked, or anatomosing. Vernation circinate. Repro- 
luctive organs either upon the back or margin of ordinary leaves 
)r wrapped up in, or covering separate and contracted leaves. 
Thus we arrive at a clear definition of our subject and find 
hat, of the three great classes that comprehend all plants from 
-he most stately tree to the minutest sea-weed, ferns belong to 
ffie third • and further that they form the first Natural Order in 
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