PREFACE. 1X 
the greatest possible interest in the inception and progress of this work. 
My thanks are also due to Sir W. T. Thistleton-Dyer, the present 
Director of Kew, for his kindness in granting facilities for the comparison 
of my specimens with the types preserved in the Kew Herbarium, and 
for other valuable assistance; also to Mr. W. B. Hemsley, the Assistant 
Director, who has given me much helpful aid with the greatest readiness 
and kindness; and to Mr. N. E. Brown, who was specially instructed by 
the Director to make a comparison of my specimens with the types of 
the species in Veronica, Gentiana, Myosotis, and other genera, and whose 
report on the subject has been invaluable to me. I am also greatly 
indebted to Mr. C, B. Clarke for his unwearied kindness in supplying me 
with information and critical notes respecting the New Zealand Cyperaceae, 
and for furnishing me with a list of the synonymy of the species. Pastor 
G. Kukenthal, of Grub, near Coburg, has also contributed valuable notes 
respecting the New Zealand species of Carex and Uncinia. Finally, I am 
under many obligations to Professor E. Hackel, of Graz, Austria, for 
undertaking a critical examination of the whole of the New Zealand 
grasses, and for furnishing me with a series of very full and complete 
notes, with permission to use the same for the purposes of this work. 
The elimination of the naturalized species from the present work, 
although absolutely necessary to keep it within the limits of a 
single volume, will not be altogether satisfactory to the student. 
A beginner cannot be expected to distinguish between the indigenous 
and introduced species, especially when it is remembered that in several 
districts the latter now constitute the larger portion of the flora, and 
that there is no part of the country, however remote, into which some 
plants of foreign origin have not penetrated. Altogether, over six 
hundred species, or nearly one-half the number of the indigenous 
flowering-plants, have succeeded in establishing themselves. I am_ not 
without hopes that I may be enabled to prepare a supplementary volume 
containing concise but sufficient descriptions of the foreign element of 
the flora; for this alone will remove the inconvenience resulting from 
the want of a ready means of determining all the plants which a student 
may observe in any district. In the meantime, I have given in the 
Appendix a nominal list of all well-established naturalized plants, with 
references to books in which descriptions of them can be found. As most 
of the species are of Huropean origin, I would recommend the student to 
provide himself with a copy of Hooker’s “ Students’ Flora of the British 
Islands,’ or some similar work, and to use it in conjunction with this 
publication, 
It is not to be expected that a work containing descriptions of over 
1,550 species of plants can be prepared without the occurrence of errors 
and imperfections, and for these I must ask the indulgence of the reader. 
One serious disadvantage under which I have laboured, and which I share 
ey 
