Cockayne. — Botanical Excursion to Southern Islands. 259 



pressed closely against the ground, or numbers of such occur 

 in close proximity. Such rosettes seem to vary considerably 

 in size according to their position witli regard to wind 

 and light, those of shady gullies being much larger than 

 those on the hillside. A rosette in the open may be + 25 cm. 

 in diameter, made up of quite a few leaves, hugging the 

 soil, pressed closely above one another and arching down- 

 wards so that their upper surface is convex, a kind of cup 

 being thus formed, with the highest part of its arching leaves 

 as its binm. During rain this cup quickly fills with water, 

 which soaks rapidly through the leaf-bases, bringing fresh 

 rain-water to the roots. The leaves also become thoroughly 

 wetted, their numerous hairs helping to hold the moisture, 

 and it is probable that these also assist in the supply of pure 

 water through their power of absorbing such, as suggested by 

 Diels (27, p. 291). Very frequent all over the formation are 

 large colonies of Bulbinelia rossii, the green tips of the winter 

 buds just visible above the dark-coloured peat, or the buds are 

 completely hidden by the brown leaf-bases of the previous 

 vear's leaves. Such colonies mav be several square metres in 

 extent. Trailing over the surface of the ground very abund- 

 antly are the long shoots of Acceria sanguisorbcB antarctica, 

 with its characteristic pale-green leaves almost or quite 

 glabrous on the upper surface. The small-leaved bright- 

 green Nertcra depressa, another creeping-plant, is also very 

 abundant. Here and there are grass-like tufts of Scirpus 

 ajccklaiidicus and the silvery-leaved Helichrysum prostratum, 

 and very frequently associated with these are the shining green 

 winter rosettes of Gentiana cerina. The feathery leaves of 

 Cotula plumosa are especially noticeable, its thick green stems 

 straggling over large patches of ground. Near the sea 

 Lomaria dura is a frequent member of the formation. 



Turning now to the life-forms of the endemic members 

 of the Pleurophyllum meadow, the most striking feature, and 

 that which distinguishes it especially from the subalpine and 

 alpine meadows of the New Zealand Alps, is the very large 

 leaf-surface possessed by some of the most characteristic 

 plants. Similar leaf-development is seen, however, in some 

 other parts of the New Zealand biological area. In Stewart 

 Island and some of the adjacent islands is Aralia lyallii, and 

 in the Chatham Islands the magnificent Myosotidium nobile, 

 now almost extinct in the wild state (23, p. 302). In Ker- 

 guelen Island also Pringlea antiscorbutica may be instanced 

 as a parallel development under similar conditions. 



Pleurophylhmi speciosum has large leaves pressed close to 

 the ground, and forming, according to Kirk, " a flat rosette 

 3ft. to 4ft. in diameter" (56, p. 220). This position of the 

 leaves must be of great advanta.ge in enabling the plant to 



