THE FORESTS. 47 



(Dysoxylum spectabile) ; the rewarewa (Knightia excelsa) ; the pukatea 

 (Lauretta novae-zelandiae} ; the tanekaha (PJiyllocladus trichomanoides) ; 

 and some of the New Zealand olives. 



The southern mixed taxad forest extending from latitude 42 to 

 the south of Stewart Island is distinguished rather by the absence 

 of the northern plants than by any peculiar species of its own, though 

 such are not lacking. The Town Belt of Dunedin consists of a remnant 

 of such a forest, and small pieces still exist all over the east of the 

 South Island. But in the west and south the ground is still occupied 

 by mighty forests, which for luxuriance of growth, wealth of ferns, 

 lianes, mosses, and liverworts can hardly be surpassed. Here, too, 

 many plants found in the North Island only in the subalpine region 

 occur at sea-level. 



THE BEECH FORESTS. 



The beech forests (fig. 18), incorrectly called k ' birch' by the 

 settlers, consisting of species of Nothofagus, are quite distinct from all 

 those of which we have hitherto treated, although they have some 

 species in common. The dense growth of the evergreen foliage shuts 

 out a large percentage of light, and in consequence the undergrowth is 

 .scanty. Some South Island subalpine forests of pure mountain-beech 

 (.V. cliff ortioides) contain in many parts little but seedling beech-trees. 

 Woody lianes, too, are wanting,* as are the more highly organized 

 perch.ing-plan.ts. Nor are ferns nearly so plentiful as in the mixed 

 taxad forest, though one, Polystichum vestitum, is frequently abundant 

 (fig. 1 9) . The tree-trunks are frequently covered completely with a black 

 fungus (Antennaria). Parasitic on the beech-trees are two mistle- 

 toes, the one, Elytranihe tetrapetala, having most showy scarlet flowers, 

 .and the other, E. flavida, having yellow flowers. A small club-moss, 

 Lycopodium fastigiatum, is sometimes very abundant on the forest- 

 floor. In moist places there are frequently large colonies of the giant 

 moss (Pohjtrichum dendroides), looking rather like a pine-tree in minia- 

 ture. Where the forest comes to an abrupt termination in the sub- 

 alpine region it is invaded by some of the shrubs of that zone. At 

 lower altitudes, and in the south of the North Island, various species 

 of beeches and other forest-trees are mixed together, as in the Day's 



* Sometimes a species of Rubus is present (P. scJimidelioides, var. colorati<x). 



