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APPENDIX. 1053 
Ii. LIST OF PLANTS NATURALIZED IN NEW 
ZEALAND. 
Tue extent to which an alien vegetation has become established in New 
Zealand has long been a familiar fact. Immediately after the discovery 
of the country and the establishment of intercourse with other parts of the 
world a stream of foreign plants commenced to pour in; and when European 
settlers arrived, bringing with them their flocks and “herds, and began to 
clear away the indigenous vegetation to make room for pastures and culti- 
vated fields, the inrush of foreign weeds became still more marked, and 
their spread through the country still more rapid. At the present time 
there are many districts where the indigenous flora has been almost entirely 
supplanted by a crowd of hardy immigrants from the Northern Hemisphere ; 
and there are few localities indeed, however remote, in which some species 
of foreign origin have not succ essfully established themselves. This is not 
the place to inquire into the reasons why the native vegetation is apparently 
unable to hold its own against these foreign intruders, or to discuss the 
many curious side-issues which at once arise when the subject is under 
consideration. Those who are interested in the matter should refer to 
Mr. Kirk’s memoir “On the Displacement of Species in New Zealand ”’ 
(Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvii, 1), and to a paper of my own on “‘ The Naturalized 
Plants of the Auckland Provincial District ” (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv, 268). 
In the subjoined catalogue I have included all species of foreign origin 
known to me which appear to be thoroughly well established. I have 
purposely omitted several garden escapes and other plants which have 
been observed in small quantity only, or in a single locality, not wishing 
to encumber the list with the names of species which may fail to become 
permanent denizens. The total number of plants recorded is 528, belonging 
to 285 genera, and included in 66 families. The families best represented 
are Gramneaewith 81 species ; Compositae, 70; Leguminosae, 49; Cruciferae, 
35; Caryophylleae, 26; and Labiatae, 20. With respect to their native 
country, no less than 425 come from some portion of the North Temperate 
Zone, including in the term Europe, North Asia, part of North Africa, and 
part of North America; 41 are of tropical origin, most of them having very 
wide ranges ; 19 are from South Africa, and 20 from extra-tropical South 
America; while from Australia, notwithstanding its proximity to New 
Zealand, only 23 have been received.* 
Many of the naturalized plants included in the catalogue are now so 
widely distributed that they will be taken for true natives by any one 
unacquainted with their history, and I fear that the pages of this work will 
be searched in vain for descriptions of them. A supplementary volume, 
containing short diagnoses of all such species, would doubtless be a creat 
convenience to students, and I am not without hopes that I may be enabled 
to undertake the work. In the meantime, I have inserted in the catalogue 
references to good descriptions of each species, selecting books that are 
aiely to Eye contains in ine chief public BD Tats of the Dominion. 
* The above aeuee refer to the list of naturalized plants ante in the first edition 
of this work. The corresponding figures for the list following are: Total number of 
species 576, genera 320, families 78 ; Gramineae 88, Compositae 77, Leguminosae 51, 
Cruciferae 36, Caryophyllaceae 26, Labiatae 20 ; north temperate regions 463, tropical 
regions 45, South Africa 21, South America 20, Australia 28.—W. R. B. O. 
