Laing. — Vegetation of Banks Peninsula. 371 



The Siibalpine Area.- — This area, as might be expected, is related to the 

 subalpine area of Mounts Grey and Karetu, hills of about the same height 

 as Mount Herbert, and little more than thirty miles away to the north. 

 In both localities Drapetes Dieffenhachii, Anisotome aromatica, and Olearia 

 cymhifolia are amongst the first subalpine forms to appear above the forest 

 line. Mount Oxford is higher and has a much more varied alpine vegeta- 

 tion ; and even Mount Karetu from 1,500 ft. and upwards shows species 

 not occurring on the peninsula. Amongst them are Coprosma repens, 

 Celmisia spectabilis, Anisotmne filifolium, Exocarpus Bidwillii, and Senecio 

 geminatus. No doubt this is due to the fact that we have here to deal 

 with a nuich larger subalpine area than on the peninsula. So far as 1 

 know, however, Ourisia niacrophyUa, Forsiera tenella, and Oreomyrrhis andi- 

 cola do not occur in the Mount Grey district. If further search does not 

 reveal their presence, their absence might seem to indicate that the sub- 

 alpine florula of the peninsula contains species belonging to an older alpine 

 flora, not now existent in the neighbourhood. None of the plants referred 

 to are species likely to have been recently brought there, or to have been 

 brought in the first place by wind or birds. Still, we have not enough 

 evidence here to come to any definite conclusions, and the matter must 

 be left in abeyance. This review of the vegetation of Banks Peninsula 

 must now be concluded, with the hope that before the present remnants 

 of the primitive flora disappear every opportunity will be taken by local 

 students to complete the work here outlined. 



Before concluding this section I must thank those New Zealand 

 botanists from whom I have received much kind assistance. Mr. Cheese- 

 man has identified a number of species for me, particularly of ferns ; as 

 also has Mr. Petrie, who has given me much help in connection with the 

 genera Coprosma and Uncinia. I owe much to the kindly suggestions 

 and advice of Dr. Cockayne, who has studied the vegetation of the Port 

 Hills ; and Professor Wall, who has during several years closely examined 

 the flora of the peninsula, has kindly revised the distribution of the species, 

 and, as will be seen, made numerous additions to the list of localities given. 

 I am particularly indebted to him for assistance with the ferns and with 

 the genus Epilohium. I believe that the list as it now stands is fairly 

 complete, and that ihe number of subsequent additions will be com- 

 paratively small. 



Bibliographical List of Chief Books and Articles consulted. 



1846. A. Raoul, Choix de plantes de la Nouvelle-Zelande. 

 1853. Sir J. D. Hooker, Flora Novae-Zelaiuliae. 



1864. Handbook of the New Zealand Flora. 



1870. J. F. Armstrong, On the Vegetation of the Neighbourhood 'of 



Christchurch, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 2, p. 118. 

 1880. J. B. Armstrong, A Short Sketch of the Flora of the Province of 



Canterbury, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 12. ]>. 325. 

 1882. T. H. Potts, Out in the Open. 

 1899. T. Kirk, Students' Flora. 



1906. T. F. Cheeseman, Manual of the New Zealand Flora. 

 1910. Miss B. D. Cross, Observations on some New Zealand Halo^jhvtes, 



Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 42, p. 545. 

 1914. R. M. Laing, On a Subalpine Element in the Flora of Banks 



Peninsula, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 46, p. 56. 



