312 Transactions. — Botany. 



lata, Pratia arenaria, and Lomaria procera. Such an open 

 place of 1-25 square metres has Gleichenia scattered through 

 it, a few plants of Dracophyllum paludosum, one plant of 

 Uncinia sp., abundance of Lomaria procera 2 cm. or 3 cm. 

 tall, seven plants of Gent i ana umbellata, some Accena and 

 Pratia, a few plants of Caladenia, Epilobium novce-zelandice( ?), 

 two plants of Luzula sp. Wherever the ground is more boggy 

 Olearia semidentata becomes more abundant and Lepyrodia 

 appears. Here also Carex sp. puts in an appearance. 



(i.) Example of Reproduction after burning twice. — Where 

 the recent formation described under the heading (h) has been 

 burnt we have an example of reproduction of bog vegetation 

 after two burnings. The ground is not so boggy as in the 

 original bog, although it sinks slightly when trodden upon. 

 Here the principal vegetation is a carpet of Gleichenia cir- 

 cinata mixed with Pteris esculenta 75 cm. tall. There is more 

 of the Gleichenia than of the Pteris. All over the ground are 

 the burnt dead stems of D. paludosum. Here and there the 

 fire has missed a few patches of secondary Lepyrodia-Lraco- 

 phyllum formation. Through the Gleichenia projects Poa 

 chathamica, Lomaria procera, and Gentiana umbellata. On 

 the barer spots, where the fern is absent, occur numerous 

 seedlings of Dracophyllum paludosum about 6 cm. tall. In 

 other places, on bare spots, are Gotula asiatica, Caladenia 

 bifolia, Dnsera binata, Utricidaria monanthos, Epilobium 

 novce-zelandice(? ), and Pratia arenaria. In some places seed- 

 lings of D. pakidosum are very numerous — e.g., on a piece 

 of ground 32 cm. by 25 cm. are sixty plants of various sizes. 



(k.) Plants occurring immediately after burning Pteris 

 esculenta on the Ridge between the River Makara and the 

 River Aicainga ; the bracken here must have been burnt many 

 times. — The fern had been burnt very recently, and new 

 growth of other plants was just commencing. The chief 

 plants appearing were Gnaphalmm filicaule, the first plant of 

 all to appear ; Luzula ; Accena novce-zelandioe ; Hydrocotylc 

 asiatica ; Rammcuhis plebeius ; Microtis porrifolia ; Pratia 

 arenaria. 



(I.) Where two or three burnings have taken place on 

 a boggy flat piece of ground a mile or so to the south of 

 Lake Eangatapu Poa chathamica was growing in tufts 15 cm. 

 or less apart, the whole ground looking not unlike a field 

 of oats, The culms were 58 cm. tall, and in each tuft 

 were twelve to twenty leaves each 20 cm. in length. Mr. 

 Cox. who was with me at the time, had never seen this grass 

 growing in such profusion before, and was much struck with 

 its evident capability of being used as a fodder plant on very 

 boggy country. 



Speaking generally, the following seem some of the most 



