Cockayne. — Botanical Excursion to Southern Islands. 289 



and cliffs or fill their hollows, comes a second zone, consisting 

 for the most part of Poa foliosa, mixed with a variable amount 

 of Carex trifida. This same zone, which merges into the mari- 

 time tussock slope, occupies the flat summit of the cliffs, down 

 the precipitous faces of which the long, green, flat leaves of 

 the grass hang in thick masses. 



2. Tussock Meadow. 



The tussock meadow is by no means a uniform forma- 

 tion, but varies so much in composition and physiognomy 

 according to the position in which it grov7s that it is here 

 subdivided into three sub-formations ; indeed, I am not sure 

 but that these latter should be considered as distinct plant- 

 formations. 



(a.) Maritime Tussock Slopes. 



From the steeply sloping bank of soft, wet, and spongy 

 peat rises up a dense mass of tussocks about I'Sra. in height 

 grovping upon thick trunks so very closely together that it is 

 not easy to walk between them. These tussocks consist 

 chiefly of a species of grass which I could not identify, and is 

 possibly the same as the " silver-tussock " of Campbell Island. 

 Kirk mentions Poa anceps as occurring en Antipodes Island, 

 and it may be that this is the grass referred to. At any rate, 

 it is by far the commonest grass on the island, and it is the 

 characteristic plant of the tussock meadow as a whole. Mixed 

 with this tussock are others, but occurring to a much smaller 

 extent, of Poa foliosa and Carex trifida. Where these tus- 

 socks grow closely there is room for no other spermaphytes, 

 unless they grow on the summit of the tussocks' " trunks" ; 

 but where they are a little further apart, so that spaces clear 

 from tussock occur, there is a varying amount — in some 

 places, indeed, a great abundance — of Lig^csticum antipoditm. 



(b.) Flat Tussock Meadow. 



Perhaps this should rather be classed as a 'heath, for 

 ecologically it seems much more to resemble this latter than 

 it does a meadow. The badly drained soil, poor in nourish- 

 ment, the abundance of lichens and lycopods, the stunted 

 bushes of Coprosma, and the semi-xerophytic ferns certainly 

 point to its classification as a heath ; but, on the other hand, 

 the presence of a grass as the dominant plant seems to mark 

 the society as a meadow. 



Taking a general view of the meadow, and casting the eye 

 for some distance over its flat expanse, yellow tussocks 50 cm. 

 or so apart are seen waving in the breeze, and alternating 

 with the very dark, almost black, spreading fronds of Aspi- 

 dium vestitum, so that it appears at first glance as if only 

 these two species were present, as it is, indeed, they alone 



19— Trans. 



