280 Transactions. — Botany. 



covered thickly with its bright-orange drupes, and Coprosma 

 chathamica has large drupes, 12 cm. by 9cm., which are 

 probably of a yellow colour. 



The tree ferns composing a large part of the forest under- 

 growth are chiefly Dicksonia sguarrosa and D. antarctica. 

 Besides these Gyathea dealbata and Cyathea meclullaris occur, 

 but more sparingly. Sometimes the tree ferns grow very 

 closely, and do not permit many other plants to spring up 

 amongst them ; at other times they are further apart, and the 

 ground is then densely covered with ferns similar to those 

 of the New Zealand forest growing under the same circum- 

 stances, such as Asplenium bulbiferum, A. falcatum, Lomaria 

 lanceolata, Aspidium aculeatum, Hymenophyllum demissum, 

 and others. 



Besides the ferns, Epilobium rotund if olium, E. linnceoides, 

 Uncinia australis{?) , a few grasses, a species of Hydrocotyle 

 with very large leaves, which is either H. robusla or an 

 undescribed endemic species, and often great numbers of 

 seedling trees, form the general carpet of the forest. In 

 places where the humus is deep are the orchids Ptero- 

 styiis banksii and Acianthus sinclairii. On the floor of 

 very damp forests, in places where stock have access, 

 and where much of the original vegetation is destroyed. 

 Callitriche muelleri and Grantzia lineata carpet the ground, 

 mixed with considerable quantities of Ranunculus rivularis, 

 the Crantzia being of very great size. At the present time 

 the forest carpet is in many places almost obliterated by the 

 trampling and grazing of stock; indeed, in no place now on 

 the island is the lowland forest in its virgin condition. 



The stems of the tree ferns hold in their matted roots 

 and the bases of their stipes a good deal of water, and also 

 no inconsiderable amount of fine humus, which must have 

 originated from the decay of the leaves. Thus it is that 

 many plants, crowded out probably from the soil by more 

 vigorous competitors, have chosen the stems of the tree ferns 

 for their permanent home ; others live equally well either 

 upon the ground or on the fern-stems. The tree-fern stems, 

 with their good drainage conditions and the abundant food- 

 supply from the humus, offer a most excellent station for the 

 germination of all kinds of seeds ; indeed, seedlings of the 

 forest trees abound in such a situation. This is still more 

 marked in the " tableland forest," under which head the matter 

 is further discussed. Amongst the plants growing on the 

 tree-fern stems are Tmesipteris tannensis, Trichomanes veno- 

 sum, Polypodium billardieri, P. pustulahim, Aspidium capense, 

 and Earina mucronata. Several of these plants also grow 

 on the trunks of the forest trees, in which position the 

 xerophyte Polypodium serpens is very common. Although 



