Floristik, Geographie, Systematik etc. 647 



tion. Ainsi, contrairement ä l'opinion d'autres auteurs, les Seseli 

 Tommasinii, varium et Beckii doivent gtre consideres comme des 

 especes autonomes. 



3° Le Seseli inaequale est probablement un hybride des Seseli 

 ■montanum et tortuosum fixe depuis longtemps et se propageant par 

 voie agamique. R. Pampanini. 



Cockayne, L., A ßotanical Survey of Stewart Island. 

 (Report to the Department of Lands. New Zealand; Wellington. 

 1909. 68 pp. fol. 43 pl. and 1 map. Price 2/6.) 



This report is one of a series of government publications on 

 the vegetations of parts of New Zealand where the primitive flora 

 and fauna still exists, and where national reservations are being 

 established. (Botan. Cent. CX. p. 147—182). The island is one of 

 great interest beeause the natural Vegetation has been little inter- 

 fered with by man. At the same time it is only 15 miles from the 

 southern end of the mainland of New Zealand, and forms the 

 first of that chain of islands lying towards the Antarctic, many of 

 which Dr. Cockayne has already visited and described. 



Stewart Island is roughly triangulär, the coast-line on the 

 three sides varying from 30 to 40 miles long, and in many places 

 deeply indented and broken. The surface is almost everywhere 

 hilly, rising in Mount Anglern to 1000 metres; there is much 

 high ground forming tablelands and ridges which in places ap- 

 proach the coast. Much of the scenery is therefore very grand, and 

 the reader has many picturesque glimpses of landscape and Vege- 

 tation in the numerous reproductions from photographs included in 

 the report. The soil conditions are also diverse, including coastal 

 and inland sand-dunes, rocky coast and inland gorges, and much 

 boggy peaty wet ground. The climate, as far as known, is wet with 

 many rainy days, much overcast sky, and frequent violent westerly 

 gales; these conditions being most pronounced amongst the moun- 

 tains. There are however no extremes of cold or heat, the summer 

 is cool, but in winter there are few prolonged periods with a general 

 covering of snow even on the mountains. The report is divided into 

 sections: special ecology, plantformations, history of the flora, flo- 

 ristic botany, etc. 



Special Ecology. Emphasis is laid on the influence of wind 

 as a potent factor in the grouping of the plants. Were it not for 

 the violence of the wind, there would be little open ground on the 

 island, the forest would ascend higher on the mountains, and sub- 

 alpine scrub would occupy much that is now grassland. The life- 

 forms of characteristic trees, shrubs and other plants are briefly 

 described. The smaller shrubs typical of scrub and heath are gene- 

 rally xerophytic, especially in leaf-structure, while amongst the 

 herbaceous plants the subantarctic life-form — cushion , rosette, 

 tussock, etc. — are well represented. The island is well-known for 

 its wealth of ferns, but these belong mainly to about 40 species; 

 the two common tree ferns are Dicksonia squarrosa and Hemitelia 

 Smithii; Hymenophyllaceae are strongly represented by 20 species. 

 Gleicheniaceae by 4 species. Special prominence is given to plants 

 with a "jugend-form" distinct from the adult, a subject on which 

 Cockayne has already done work. In Weinmannia racemosa, Dacry- 

 dium intermedium and others, the plant may fiower during the 

 juvenile stage. 



