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AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
[Vol. 10 , 
As elsewhere in New Zealand, ferns were abundant, and in addition to 
the ubiquitous Pteridium aquilinum, several species of Polypodium, Aspid- 
ium, Asplenium, and Pellaea were seen. 
A number of small epiphytic hepatics were common, and in one place an 
abundant growth of the familiar Lunularia cruciata, which apparently is 
native in both Australia and New Zealand. 
Wellington 
The only other region in the North Island visited by the writer was 
Wellington, whose fine harbor, surrounded by rugged mountains, opens 
into Cook’s Strait between the two main islands of New Zealand. Back of 
the harbor rise very steep hills, which at the time of my visit were ablaze 
with golden broom, extensively naturalized in many parts of the country. 
There is a pretty botanical garden in Wellington, which was gay with 
spring flowers. I was struck by the luxuriant growth of some Californian 
conifers, especially the very tall and symmetrical Monterey pines, a tree 
which is extensively planted for timber in New Zealand. To the botanist 
the most interesting feature of the garden is a small ravine which harbors a 
remnant of the forest which originally clothed much of the country about 
Wellington. Here one may see in their natural environment many of the 
characteristic trees, shrubs, and herbaceous flowering plants, as well as a 
good many ferns, liverworts, and mosses of the region. 
I made a visit to this interesting spot in company with Professor T. Kirk 
of the Wellington University, and to him I am indebted for an introduction 
to many of the characteristic local plants. Ferns were abundant, including 
fine specimens of the magnificent tree-fern Cyathea medullaris , as well as A 
number of small Hymenophyllaceae, species of Blechnum, Polypodium, 
and Asplenium. Some unusually interesting liverworts were noted, both 
thallose and leafy species, and were a foretaste of the rich harvest of these 
interesting plants afterwards collected in the rain-forest of the South Island. 
The trees and shrubs were much the same as those in the Auckland 
district. Two common shrubs, Pittosporum tenuifolium and P. crassifolium, 
were familiar, as they are common in California gardens, and Sophora 
tetraptera, one of the few showy-flowered New Zealand shrubs, is also 
occasionally seen in cultivation. 
The Myrtaceae, so abundant in Australia, are much less in evidence in 
New Zealand, with the exception of the two common Leptospermums and 
Metrosideros. The commonest species, aside from the latter, are Myrtus 
bullata and Eugenia maire. 
The Proteaceae are even more poorly represented than the Myrtaceae, 
there being only two species in New Zealand, Persoonia Torn and Knightia 
excelsa. The latter is a handsome tree with foliage somewhat like that of 
the Australian Banksias. Besides the New Zealand species, there are two 
others in New Caledonia. 
