Bird. — Lianes of the Ancient Forest of Canterbury Plains. 341 



Again, if the seedling-shoot rests against the branches of some shrub, 

 the shoot pushes its way up between the branches to the top of the shrub. 

 The leaves, being very flexible, are of little assistance in climbing, but the 

 sinuous growth through divaricating branches seems to afford sufficient 

 means of keeping the plant erect, and the branches which are given off at 

 the top of the shrub finally secure a firm anchorage. 



Should a seedling not reach a support, the thin stems trail along the 

 ground for 1-2 m., and in favourable conditions root freely. From these 

 trailing-stems lateral shoots rise up, and thus often reach a support a con- 

 siderable distance from the position where the plant emerged from the 

 ground ; in fact, it sometimes happens that a single plant reaches more 

 than one support by means of these spreading stems. On the other hand, 

 no support at all may be gained, and the branching stems then form a 

 prostrate mass on the forest-floor, or else they interweave and by their 

 mutual support the plant takes the form of a cushion-like mass, which is 

 often as much as a metre high. Shoots projecting from the sides or from 

 the top of such a mass may then often reach some adjacent shrub or tree, 

 and through this rise to a greater height. 



2. The Species oe Eubus. 



The seedlings of the various species of Riibus show great similarity in 

 their early behaviour. The primary shoot rises erect for 60 cm., and when the 

 growing-point is injured a lateral shoot arises which continues the upward 

 growth. It will be seen that this is the greatest height to which the primary 

 shoot of any of the lianes here dealt with can stand unsupported, this being 

 due to the relative thickness of the Riibus stem, seedlings 50 cm. in height 

 having a stem 5 cm. in diameter. By resting against any near object the 

 seedlings can reach greater heights, and in doing so the leaves are of extreme 

 importance. Prickles are well developed at a very early stage, and, as leaves 

 project from the stem often for 10 cm., a fairly wide area is thus in reach 

 of the prickles. Any support is immediately held by a touching prickle, 

 and by this means the seedlings are well suited to rapidly reach high sup- 

 ports. Any two shoots of a seedling rising up together support each other 

 by the grasping of the prickles, and thus can reach to a height of nearly a 

 metre. But when there are no supports near a seedling, the shoots trail 

 along the ground, and form low, flat, straggling growths, which are very 

 characteristic of certain portions of the forest. They are often 3-4 m. across, 

 and so at the circumference of such a growth there is usually some plant 

 which is suitable for the support of Rubus shoots. 



3. Metrosideros hypericipolia. 



Young plants of this species have been observed during the course of 

 this present investigation only in m^oist situations in the immediate vicinity 

 of roots of forest-trees, which roots are present in large numbers. The 

 Metrosideros plants show a marked tendency to scramble up the sides of 

 and over these roots, applying themselves closely to the bark, and putting 

 forth adventitious roots which fix the plants firmly. By continued growth 

 the distal shoots extend over the tree-roots, such as those shown in 

 Plate XXIV, fig. 2, and some of these shoots reach the base of the main tree- 

 trunk. Here they may branch copiously, applying themselves closely to the 

 bark, in some instances encircling the entire tree. Their climbing-roots are 

 given off, and by this means, and by continued growth, a gradual ascent on 



