MB. J. BrCUA]!^A]!^ ON NEW-ZEALAND BOTANY. 63 



Notes on the Botany of the Province of Marlborough, made 

 during a visit there in the months of Navember, December, and 

 January, 1866- 67. By Mr, J. Buci^nan. Communicated by 

 J. D. Hooker, M.D., F.E.S., Y.RL.S. 



[Read June 20, 1867.] 



The botany of Marlborough is well defined in its distribution 

 the greater portion of the country being open pasture, while the 

 bush is confined chiefly to the gullies and lower slopes of the 

 mountains ; if to this is added an alpine region including all above 

 4000 feet, the three divisions into which the district is naturally 

 divided will be easily understood. 



The district may be described as a series of great mountain- 

 ranges, attaining in many places altitudes of from 5000 to 9700 

 feet, and rising like islands from a sea of low land, terraced and 

 undulating. The pasture varies in quality as certain geological influ- 

 ences prevail, the terrace-land being principally gravels and sands, 

 and the lower hills lime and marl. Aridity rules ; and these areas 

 carry but a sparse and little-nutritive pasture of a few species of 

 grass. Repeated burnings of the country are evidently reducing 

 the number of species of plants ; and a country naturally arid from 

 its geological nature will, by this treatment, become more so. 



At the junction of the lower hills with the ranges the pasture 

 improves ; there is found a richer soil and more moisture; and in 

 the numerous mountain- valleys and mountain-slopes up to 3000 

 feet the pasture is superior. 



The bush of this district is almost identical with that of the 

 east coast of Wellington in the North Island. There are still 



1 



found here 

 mda, Knial 



NesodafTi 



province of Canterbury on the east coast as far as Banks Penin- 

 sula. The. prevailing tree in the bush is Fagus Solandri, ascend- 

 ing in the gulleys sometimes to 5000 feet. The wood of this tree 

 is perfectly worthless where it is exposed to the weather ; yet it 

 has been used extensively for telegraphic posts, many of which 



are already rotten. 



Before giving a list of the plants of the district, the most of 

 which were collected, it would be as well to describe the vegeta- 

 tion of one river-valley as the type of the others, and the ascent 

 at one nlace of tlie Kaikoura Mountains, Taking: the Clarence 



o 



Biver valley, and starting from the sea, sand dunes are passed 

 over with the almost uniform vegetation of such places; Coprosma 



