NEW ZEALAND PLANTS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 May 1929, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND PLANTS

SHRUBS OF RARE BEAUTY j CONTRIBUTION TO BOTANY. j The plants of New Zealand occupy |a place of honour, in the botanical and ; horticultural world, being perhaps dess appreciated in New Zealand than .elsewhere. The tea tree or manuka may be :cite'd ns a typical example of a neglected shrub. Very few people think />f planting this garden shrub, unless it is one of the recently developed Jpink or rose varieties, yet many will go to considerable trouble to grow 'plants of much less beauty. It is surprising how many colour variations imay be found in a clump of manuka ‘growing in its wild state. There are also the senecios and .olearias, which are seldom seen in cultivation. The writer well remembers having boon told as a child that there were no beautiful flowering native 'flower or shrubs, a statement which die accepted as a ll'act until opportunities permitted him to become a collector. ; It is true that we have no native ;roses or carnations, but we have tinicolonsoa, hibiscus, . dianella, fclematis and others. In an old English gardening book, published in 1848, clematis indivisa is referred to as a very showy and handsome plant from New Zealand. Then there is perhaps our gayest flower, the kaka beak, or Clianthus punieeus, which was discovered by Sir Joseph Banks over one hundred and fifty years ago. It was first brought into commerce in 1831, when seed was sent to England and was raised By the Rev. John Noble, of Ryde. In 1833 plants flowered and the flowers were figured in the transactions of the London Horticultural Society of the' year. We have our charming violets but they miss the attraction of the violet—its sweet scent.

All florists’ flowers have been improved under cultivation, and, as Drs Cockayne and Allan have found that there is hybridisation among the genera in their native state, so may the keen gardener improve the native species by hybridisation. At any rate we may study the habit o'f the plants so that we may learn how we can grow the flower successfully such plants as our Ranunculus Lvallii —or the beautiful Clemisias from the higher mountains.

Much work has been done in trying to bring the New Zealand plants under the notice of the gardeners by such men as, Travers, Matthews, Laing, Cockayne, Kirk, Checseman, Allan and many others. One of the world’s most important series of botanical bonks is “The Vegetation of the World,” which is com-

posed of volumes on tho plant geography of the various regions written by leading botanists anil published by Ur. L. Cockayne,' F.'R.S. ■ This was first published in 1921, and such was the call for it that within one year the edition was exhausted, and a call made 'for another. Appreciating the compliment, Dr Cockayne accepted the call. During the course of revision, h,e has almost entirely rewritten tho work. The second edition is now to hand, and the extent of the revision may easily he noted. In place of 361 pages there are 456, there are S 7 plates instead of 65, with fuller maps of the North and South Islands, showing the botanical districts. The woik is print ed on fine plate paper, and is well bound ; it is convenient to handle, and its mechanical get-up is a credit to both printer and publisher.

The hook was compiled by a botanis primarily 'for botanists, but to the leader interested in botany as a roere ation there is much of interest in the volume concerning New Zealand flora. Fart one consists of a very lull and interesting history of botanical investigation from the days of Sir Joseph Banks, our first botanical visitor, in 1769, until the present time. New Zealand flora has always been i.if great interest to tho botanists o' tin 1 world, and many of the plants are prized by horticulturists. Dr. Cockayne has recorded with appreciation tlu‘ work done by all known workers in the field.

Many have taken up the study of our indigenous flowers through the encouragement of Dr Cockayne, and n doubt he feels amply repaid by the help they have been able to afford him. There is a very full index o' plant names under botanical, native, and, in many cases, the popular names. The completeness of the index may be judged by its extent —over thirt.v pages. Til'chapter one the autnor ex plains his new teaching from the much debated species question, which is he *lng generally accepted by botanists. That this is so may he conceded bv the fact that he has been awarded the Darwin Medal by the Royal Society on the judgment of his peers. A biblio grapliv ol New Zealand botany, which will be o'f value to the student, iincluded.

An interesting story may now be told of the first edition, which was lire pared by Dr. Cockayne oil ilie invitn lion of Professor Bugler, editor of tinseries, 25 years ago. The manuscript was not completed until 1913, when i was sent to Germany. During the Great War it was doubtful if the work would he published, but owing to the integrity o'f Wilhelm Engel maim the work was set up in the English language anil from time to time proofs found their way to Now Zealand, to he returned through a neutral interim tional agency. The final proofs reached New Zealand in 1920. and the book was published in 1921—-eight years after the manuscript left the' author’s hands.