238 Transactions. — Botamj. 



succulent Tillcea moschata roots readily from the axils of its 

 leaves. Where svich a portion of the formation has been dis- 

 turbed by grazing animals, and its vegetation more or less 

 destroyed, Rumex neglectus is in many places taking entire 

 possession, and a pure formation of this plant, foreign to the 

 primitive vegetation, may in such places occupy the ground for 

 some time to come, thanks to its power of rtipid increase by 

 means of stout underground stems. 



On the shady side of the gullies, and extending thence on 

 to the summit of the dunes, is a close turf of the moss before 

 mentioned associated with the endemic Ejnlobmm conferti- 

 folncm, Pratia areiiaria—a. species very common in Chatham 

 Island, but probably not found in New Zealand proper — 

 Lagenophora forsteri, and Ranunculus acaulis. The leaves of 

 the Pratia were more or less withered, but the other mem- 

 bers of this formation were quite green, especially the moss 

 species, which is the dominant plant, and gives the dis- 

 tinct green colour to the formation, as stated above. Of 

 the above species the only one to be spoken of here is 

 Epilohiuvi confcrtifoliitm. This is a creeping -plant which 

 frequently forms rather dense patches on the surface of 

 the ground. It is by no means confined to the dunes, 

 but occurs in the forest, the meadows, and probably in 

 other stations. A New Zealand mountain Ejnlobiuvi is fre- 

 quently referred to this species, but Mr. D. Petrie has more 

 than once informed me that he considers the two as quite 

 distinct, and with this I most certainly agree. The old 

 shoots are prostrate and dorsi -ventral, the leaves being 

 inserted on their flanks ; but the young shoots are raised 

 slightly from the ground, and here the leaves are in a spiral. 

 The creeping stem is green, and + 1-75 mm. in diameter. 

 The leaves are slightly fleshy, bright-green in colour, and 

 provided with a short but rather stout petiole. The leaf- 

 blade is + 12 mm. x + 6 mm., and has a rounded apex and 

 a slightly toothed margin. The young shoots in spring grow 

 closely together. Roots ± 4-6 cm. in length are given off 

 here and there from the prostrate stem. Seeds germinate 

 very readily in cultivation. The flowers are bright-pink in 

 colour, and the peduncles are extremely short. Plants 

 brought from the Southern Islands came into bloom on the 

 Canterbury College rockery early in November. Altiiough 

 growing on a sand-dune, the short roots are sufliciently long 

 both to anchor the plant and reach the water. Whether 

 the distichous arrangement of the leaves is hereditary or 

 whether it is merely a non- hereditary light relation only 

 experiment can show. The colour of the flowers is an un- 

 common one amongst New Zealand plants, and is dealt with 

 further on. 



