1 58 Transactions. 



Art. XV. Notes on a Botanical Visit to Coll or Bench Island (Stewart 



Island). 



By D. L. Poppelwell. 



[Read befori tin Otago Institute, 12th -June, 1917 ; received by Editors, 22nd, December, 



1917 ; issued separately, 24th May, 1918.'] 



Ox the 10th April, I'.MT. in company with Mr. G. Biggar, of Croydon. I 

 had the opportunity, by courtesy of Mr. Henry Hansen, of Half-moon Bay, 

 of spending a few hours on the above island — one of those off the north-east 

 coast of Stewart Island, distant about six miles from the mainland, at 

 Half -moon Bay. The whole surface of the island is clad with a close forest 

 and scrub association, which in parts is difficult to get through, and conse- 

 quently my list can hardly be considered exhaustive, but it gives a good idea 

 of the plant-covering. The general characteristics of the coastal scrub of 

 all these outlying islands are very similar. This island, however, contains 

 a forest association something like Pukeokaoka,* differing considerably from 

 both Herekoperef and Bunkers,! which are its nearest neighbours. The 

 top of the island is somewhat broken by a series of undulations, and the 

 chief features of the vegetation are the close coastal scrub, the great 

 quantities of Stilbocarpa Lyallii, and the large groves of Dicksonia squarrosa. 

 The ferns of the forest-floor are of immense size, the fronds of Asplenium 

 bulbiferum and A. falcatum attaining a height of 1-5 metres. Petrels and 

 other burrowing-birds do not seem very plentiful except towards the 

 southern end of the island, but penguins (Megadyptes antipodium) were 

 common at the time of our visit, and appeared to be moulting The 

 influence of these birds on the vegetation must be considerable, both on 

 account of their traffic and by the enrichment of the ground by their 

 droppings. 



I do not intend further describing the plant-associations in detail, but 

 append a list of species noted. From this it will be seen that these number 

 fifty-four, belonging to thirty-seven genera and twenty-four families. For 

 the first time, I think, Senecio Stewart iae is definitely reported from this 

 island. It is plentiful at the south end, but was not seen elsewhere. 



LIST OF PLANTS NOTED. 

 PTERIDOPHYTA. 



Cyatheaceae. 

 Dicksonia squarrosa (Forst. f.) Sw. 



Hymenopii y llaceae. 



Hymenophyllum sanguinolentum 



(Forst. f.) Sw. 



dilatatum (Foist, f.) Sw. Polypodiaceae. 

 demissum (Forst. f.) Sw. Polystichum vestitum (Forst.) Presl. 

 tunbridgense (L.) Sin. — • hispidum (Sw.) Sm. 



'■' See 1). L. POPPELWELL, Notes on the Plant-covering of Pukeokaoka, Stewart 

 Island. Trans. N.Z. Inst, vol. 48, p. 244. 1916. 



t See D. L. Poppelwell, Notes of a Botanical Visit to Herekopere Island, Stewart 

 Island, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 47. p. 142, L915. 



X See article in this volume, p. 1 ">4 



