Vegetation of New Zealand Author:Peter Wardle New Zealand, with its long isolation from other lands, and latitudes extending from subtropical to sub Antarctic, has a unique flora and highly diverse vegetation. This book is a comprehensive description of that vegetation, ranging from its origins to the major communities within which the plants exist. The text is supported by over 300 p... more »hotographs, maps and diagrams has made an outstanding contribution to the understanding of the biology of these islands. This is a reprint of the volume originally published in 1991. Chapters 1 ? 4 describe the New Zealand environment, flora and fauna. They discuss the origin, relationships, life forms and reproductive aspects of the indigenous vegetation. Chapter 5 is a synopsis of vegetation types, habitat classes and environmental processes; it serves also to define the terms in which these are described in the book. Chapter 6 contains an outline of the geographic divisions of the country. Chapters 7 ? 9 offer expanded descriptions of plant communities, preceded where appropriate by information on their structure and characteristic species and genera. The concluding chapters discuss ecological functions and processes. Vegetation of New Zealand is an essential book for botanists, ecologists, conservationists and others who love New Zealand?s plants, animals and landscapes. There will also be a large audience outside New Zealand. Its natural vegetation is unique; because of this and the longevity of its evolutionary history it has always attracted considerable global interest.« less