Forest Vines to Snow Tussocks: The story of New Zealand plants

Forest Vines to Snow Tussocks is the first general review of the distinctive features of New Zealand native plants since Cockayne's New Zealand Plants and their Story, now long out of print.. The plant communities, from dense lowland forest to alpine tundra, provide the book's framework, and within this many interesting and often puzzling aspects are considered: vines, epiphytes and parasites of the forest; the many peculiar shrubs with minute leaves and densely interlaced twigs; and the dense cushion plants, or "vegetable sheep", of the high mountains.Although more than 80 percent of New Zealand's native plants are found nowhere else our flora does not stand alone, so comparisons are made with the plants of other southern lands.. In the last chapter an attempt is made to reconstruct the history of the New Zealand flora over geological time.. Forest Vines to Snow Tussocks fills an important gap in New Zealand's botanical literature - a fascinating and invaluable book for student and general reader alike.. Note for this edition:This adds common names to the original text and expands the index. Scans of the original images are included, although only in black and white and the quality of some images is not the best. Replacement images can be contributed at https://github.com/drinckes/forestvinestosnowtussocks