212 Transactions. — Botany. 



seed-stems into their wool, and thus freely distribute it. 

 When crossing the Ashburton moraine en route to the upper 

 Eangitata in February last I observed V. blattaria and V. 

 l)hainiceum growing among the tussocks and snow-grass. 

 The foxglove (Digitalis 'purpurea) grows abundantly in some 

 of the valleys, where its seed is probably distributed like that 

 of Verbascum. Veronica agrestis, serpyllifolia, arvensis, bux- 

 baumii are plentiful on waste places. The two additional 

 species in the list are not anywhere numerous, and occur, 

 when met with, in old pastures. Bartsia viscosa is one of 

 the commonest of plants on the vast river-beds, where it fre- 

 quently attains to 2 ft. in height, and produces large and well- 

 developed spikes of its handsome yellow flowers. 



The labiates include some rare and interesting and also 

 some very aggressive plants. The spearmint [Mentha viridis) 

 occurs in large masses on the sandy river-flats, and frequently 

 overgrows damp ditches and water-races crossing the plains. 

 M. y^degium is common on the margins of slow-fiowing 

 streams and stagnant lakes, and, like the spearmint, attains 

 to height and vigour unknown in English gardens. Prunella 

 vulgaris, Melissa officinalis, Teucrium scorodonis, Stachys 

 arvensis, S. germanica, and Lamium album occur commonly 

 in old pastures and among the general vegetation of the great 

 river-flats. 



The plantains are everywhere abundant. Plantago major 

 displays greater vigour when growing on the cool shady side 

 of plantations and on the margins of slow-flowing creeks. 

 The other species occur largely in pastures and by damp 

 hedgerows. P. media is seen at its best on slightly swampy 

 but good land, where it grows in dense masses. 



The species and varieties of Chenopodium are among the 

 most worthless of naturalised plants. C, album and zirbicum 

 have, for thirty years, proved an unmitigated nuisance and 

 expense to farmers in the county. They were the first 

 English weeds to overrun the newly ploughed fields, where 

 they grew and dispersed with great rapidity. Before the 

 introduction of the modern seed-cleaning machinei'y it was 

 almost impossible to keep the sacks of grain free from the 

 weeds infesting the fields, and the two plants under notice 

 were the worst of all. Like these plants, other tall-growing 

 weeds were cut and bound up in the sheaves, and their seeds 

 were thus freely distributed over farms. Sheep also greatly 

 assisted by carrying the seed over the country in their wool. 



From numerous inquiries among the very old colonists 

 resident in the county 1 have ascertained that docks (liumex 

 crispus, B. obtusifolius) grew in masses in moist depressions 

 in the Wakanui district before a plough had turned over a 

 foot of the rich virgin land. Forty-four years ago there were 



