Cockayne. — Botanical Excursioti to Southern Islands. 273 



The conditions of life for the plants of the floor of this for- 

 mation are quite different from those to which the scrub as 

 a whole is exposed, and which regulate its distribution and 

 define its components. Where one sits down within the 

 shelter of the scrub the air is quite still, while the wind can 

 be heard plainly whisthng overhead. 



That comparatively open spaces exist within the domains 

 of the scrub was pointed out above when speaking of its 

 density. Such aie occasionally met with on the southern 

 slopes of Lyall's Pyramid, and increase in number as North- 

 east Harbour is neared. Here are associated together many 

 of those fine herbaceous plants which were described when 

 treating of the PlcuropJiylbim meadow of the Auckland 

 Islands, and probably this association of plants is a forma- 

 tion distinct from the scrub, owing its existence to greater 

 moisture in the ground and protection from the scrub. In 

 such situations the great leaves of Ligusticum latifolhmn, 

 with their stout petioles, are more than knee-deep. Where 

 the ground becomes a little wetter still is Pleurophyllum 

 speciosuni, its leaves larger and less decayed than in the 

 meadow formation. These same plants, and, most of all, 

 Stilbocarpa polaris, follow the many watercourses which 

 cut into the hillside, and grow luxuriantly in the running 

 water. On the banks of such streams the small butter- 

 cup, Banunculus subscaposics , is abundant. This plant so 

 far has only been found in Campbell Island. According to 

 Hooker it is quite rare (46, p. 5), for during the Eoss expedi- 

 tion only one specimen was discovered. Hooker subsequently 

 referred an allied New Zealand buttercup to this species 

 (48, p. 7), but Kirk very rightly separated this latter from 

 E. subscaposiis in the " Students' Flora," giving it the name 

 of B.foliosus (66, p. 14). I collected a number of living plants 

 of R. suhscaposus, and two are now growing well on the Can- 

 terbury College rockery, one of which bloomed on the 25th 

 October. The leaves of B. subscaposus are somewhat cordate 

 in outline, trifoliate, with leaflets cuneate at the base and 

 three-lobed above. Both petiole and lamina on both surfaces 

 are densely covered with appressed whitish''' hairs. The 

 petiole is stout, and 2-2 cm. to 3"8cm. long in the plants 

 examined; the lamina is 2 cm. x 1-8 cm. The petals are 

 yellow, with a broad band of brown, which is most noticeable 

 at the back of the petal. 



The transition between tussock meadow and scrub, men- 

 tioned above, and which may be designated " tussock scrub," 

 consists of tussocks of Danthonia bromoides ± l'6m. tall and 



* In the " Flora Antarctica " the hairs are described as of a tawny- 

 yellow colour. 



18— Trans. 



