Aspects of the distribution of certain indigenous woody species in the Waikato District, New Zealand

Abstract

The distribution in the Waikato district of Nothofagus species, gymnosperms, and certain angiosperms is compared; it is found that the vegetation on the western side of the Waikato is floristically poor compared to that on the eastern side. The suggestion is made that the Kaimai Range in the eastern Waikato acted as a refugium during the last glaciation, whilst the western area was a region of extinction. It is also suggested that the Waikato Basin by its structure has acted as a barrier to plant dispersal in the past.