362 Traits actions. — Botany. 



Caudex entirely enveloped 4 ft. upwards from ground. Cya- 

 thea unhealthy. 



No. 2. Cyathea deatbata, 10 ft. high ; Panax arbor eum, 

 15 ft. high. Point of germination, 8 ft. above ground. Single 

 " root-stem '" descending spirally. 



No. 3. Dicksonia squarrosa (?) ; Panax, 20 ft. high. Ger- 

 minating-point, 6 ft. above ground. Crushed remains of dead 

 fern show near ground, and again 7 ft. up. 



No. 4. Dicksonia squarrosa (?) ; Panax, 15 ft. high. Point 

 of germination, 4 ft. up. Crushed remains of dead fern show 

 on opposite sides of coalescing " root-stems," 2 ft. and 

 5 ft. up. 



Art. XXXII. — On the flora of the Mauku District. 



By H. Caese. 



lEead befare tlie Auckland Institute, 2nd September, 1901.] 



" All rivers flow to the sea," and every stream helps to 

 swell the volume of some river. I am sending forth the 

 little creeklet of my observations to help to swell the great 

 river of botanical knowledge, which is constantly bearing use- 

 ful information and pleasure to thousands of true lovers of 

 nature. 



These notes are the outcome of a suggestion that the ob- 

 servations on botanical subjects by a resident in a particular 

 district may be of some use to botany generally, in that thev 

 afford opportunities of comparing the flora of one district with 

 that of others in the same country. This suggestion was made 

 to me at one time by Mr. Cheeseman. and again by Mr. 

 Petrie. I am glad to avail myself of this opportunity to 

 tender to these gentlemen my hearty thanks for the great 

 encouragement, ready assistance, and valuable information I 

 have received from tiiem from time to time during the period 

 — a few years only — in which I have devoted my spare time 

 to the fascinating study of plant-life. 



The region to which my notes refer is that part of the 

 Manukau County which is bounded on the north by the 

 Manukau Harbour, on the east by the railway-line, on the 

 south by the Waikato Eiver, and on the west by the Tasman 

 Sea. The Settlement ol Mauku is fairly central, and was 

 my headquarters. When first I arrived in the district, two 

 years ago, I was afraid that as a field for botanical research 

 it would prove very poor. But longer acquaintance with it 



