210 Transactions. — Botany. 



river-beds and by-roads of the plains, where their growth 

 attains to great dimensions. In some districts they form 

 extensive and impenetrable masses, and have proved good 

 rabbit-warrens. The seed is carried by every water-race and 

 every freshet and flood in the rivers and distributed over the 

 country, and generally grows freely wherever it is deposited. 

 When buried in the silt-beds deposited by the water-races the 

 seed retams its vitality for an indefinite period. Medicago 

 denticulata, the medick-burr, is less aggressive than formerly, 

 though still unpleasantly plentiful. Trifolium arvense holds 

 almost complete possession of dry, sandy, and stony situa- 

 tions, and covers many hundreds of acres of such areas in many 

 parts of the county. It forms the chief vegetation growing 

 on the stony slopes and terraces along the sea-coast during 

 summer and autumn. An extensive area of poor land 

 occupied with T. arvense in full bloom exhibits or assumes a 

 marked feature of a desert vegetation. Lottis corniculatus 

 flourishes in neat masses generally on poor land, but it is not 

 plentiful, and disperses slowly. 



The Rosacea comprise ten or more species. Bubals 

 fruticosus, Bosa rnbigmosa, B. canina, Fragaria vesca, and 

 CratcBgus oxyacantha have long been naturalised and widely 

 dispersed by the agency of birds. The wild strawberry 

 {F. vesca) is confined to the neighbourhood of the bush and 

 moist warm valleys of the fore hills, and grows in extensive 

 masses. Primus avium{7) is also dispersing freely in old bush 

 districts, and is doubtless the true species mentioned by 

 De Candolle,''' which does not produce suckers. 



The stonecrop {Sedum acre) is the only representative of 

 its order occurring in the county. It occurs in large patches 

 on farms, and the means whereby it is distributed are not 

 easily elucidated. I believe it to have been sown among 

 unclean seed many years ago, and to have escaped notice 

 until it grew into conspicuous masses during recent years. 



The gooseberry (Bibes grossularia) has been distributed 

 extensively by birds. The plants form miniature jungles in 

 many old plantations where the introduced birds roost during 

 the night. 



In the Umbelliferea the fennel [Foeniculum vulgare), the 

 hemlock (Conitmi maculatum), and the wild carrot [Daucus 

 carota) are the most regrettable introductions. The two 

 former exist only in a few districts, while the latter covers 

 many acres, and grows dense and strong, especially on ne- 

 glected old roads and old pastures, and spreads rapidly. 



Composites are largely represented, and comprise several 

 almost valueless aud some destructive species. From the year 



• " Origin of Cultivated Plants." 



