240 Transactions. — Botany. 



giving a distinct colour to the formation. On the peat- 

 covered ledges of rock the halophytic grass Festuca scojjaria, 

 also common on coastal cliffs in the South Island of New 

 Zealand, grows abundantly and luxuriantly. Here, too, the 

 xerophytic ferns Lomaria dura and Asplenium ohtiisattnn form 

 dense and large masses, their rhizomes, roots, and decaying 

 fronds being very efficient soil-producers. Finally, in many 

 places Gotula lanata trails its stems down the rock-faces. 



The cliffs of Eose Island, where we landed from the 

 " Hinemoa's " oil-launch, are almost perpendicular, and are 

 still wetter than those mentioned above. Here Poa ramosis- 

 sima clothes them so densely as to make a close formation, 

 a most uncommon event for the vegetation of rocks. The 

 masses of this grass measui'ed quite 20 cm. through to the 

 wet peat in which it was rooted. Here, too, Festuca scoparia 

 helps to make the close mass of vegetation, its leaves hang- 

 ing downwards for more than l-5m., their tips almost dipping 

 into the sea at high-water. On the wet ledges not covered 

 with grasses are Callitriche antarctica and tufts of Scirpus 

 a^icklandicus . My notes do not mention the customary mari- 

 time ferns, but it may be taken for granted that they are pre- 

 sent, and also probably Gotula lanata ; indeed, the cliffs here 

 have the same vegetation as those treated of above, but owing 

 to their greater moisture their vegetation is more luxuriant. 



The stony beach of Adams Island, facing the Western Arm 

 of Carnley Harbour, abuts on the PleuropJiylhim meadow, no 

 forest or scrub zone in many places separating the two forma- 

 tions. In consequence of this, and perhaps also because it is 

 not much exposed to sea-spray, some of the characteristic 

 meadow-plants, notably the very fine umbellifer Ligusticuvi 

 latifolium, grows amongst the stones of the beach. Here also 

 Cot7cla lanata and the closely related Gotula pkiviosa are 

 abundant. V 



On the summit of the rocks at the western corner of 

 Adams Island, at perhaps 50m. or so above sea-level, is 

 Plantago sp. and the very common New Zealand halophyte 

 Samolus repens. At times during heavy weather the plants of 

 these rocks must be drenched with sea-spray. Mr. E. Lukins 

 describes how he found " large pieces of kelp, seaweed, broken 

 shells, and starfish" on these cliffs, "all thrown up by the 

 force of the huge seas "(75). This must be the station where 

 Kirk collected S. reijens, and if it occurs nowhere else in the 

 Auckland Group or in the Southern Islands it is a most 

 interesting and instructive example of local distribution, 

 similar in character to examples of other species of sperma- 

 phytes in Chatham Island, which I have pointed out may 

 be considered relics of a former vegetation much richer in 

 species (23, p. 316). 



