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AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
[Vol. io, 
types. Some, like Fuchsia Colensoi and species of Rubus, are “scramblers”; 
others are twiners or tendril climbers, and others, like species of Metro- 
sideros and Freycinetia, are root climbers. The species of Rubus are note¬ 
worthy, especially the common R. Australis , which develops huge cable¬ 
like stems, clambering to the tops of the tallest trees. This giant bramble 
is a novel feature to a northern botanist, and the thorny tangles are almost 
as bad as the tropical rattans. A number of ferns may be included in the 
list of climbers. In addition to Lygodium articulatum , whose twining leaf¬ 
stalks are said to reach a length of ioo feet, 7 there are a number of species 
which may be described as root climbers. The most striking of these is 
Blechnum filiforme, which begins life on the floor of the forest and later 
climbs the trunks of trees. There is a marked difference in the leaves of 
the two stages, those of the climbing plant being much larger. Other 
common climbers are Rhipopogon scandens (Liliaceae), Muehlenheckia spp., 
Parsonsia (Apocynaceae), a twiner with pretty white sweet-scented flowers. 
Several species of Clematis are the commonest tendril climbers. 
Epiphytes 
Like the climbing plants, the epiphytic vegetation shows much variety. 
Some species are “temporary” epiphytes, like Metrosideros robusta, which 
begins life as an epiphyte but finally becomes rooted in the ground. Species 
of Dracophyllum and Griselinea behave in much the same way. 
The “permanent” epiphytes comprise a great variety of bryophytes, 
lichens, and pteridophytes. The most conspicuous epiphytic mono¬ 
cotyledons are species of Astelia, but these are not exclusively epiphytic. 
The epiphytic orchids, as already indicated, are inconspicuous species, but 
may belong to such tropical genera as Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum, and 
Earina. Of the dicotyledons, Pittosporum includes two epiphytic species, 
and Griselinea lucida , a very conspicuous shrub, is frequently, but not al¬ 
ways, an epiphyte. 
The Principal Elements in the New Zealand Flora 
In considering the New Zealand flora as a whole, one is at once impressed 
by the predominance of Malayan elements in the vegetation, especially as 
regards trees and shrubs. 
It is very evident that the most important features of the flora have been 
derived from the tropical regions to the north, and, although the climate 
of New Zealand is a decidedly temperate one, many of these tropical immi¬ 
grants have adapted themselves to the much lower—but even—tempera¬ 
tures of the South Island. 
Of course the tropical element is more pronounced in the North Island, 
and a good many species are confined to it; but many unmistakably tropical 
7 Hooker, J. D. Handbook of the New Zealand flora, p. 385. 1867. 
