Cockayne. — On Subalpine Scrub of Mount Fyffe. 365 



many of the shrubs are easy to cultivate, and have become 

 favourite garden-plants in various parts of Europe, where they 

 are more prized and better known than in New Zealand. Some 

 of the finest are, however, still very rare or unknown in cultiva- 

 tion, as, e.g., Olearia lacunosa, 0. excorticata, 0. capillaris, 0. 

 illicifolia mollis, Cassinia albida, and Dracophyllum traversii ; 

 but this latter magnificent small tree is not easy to cultivate 

 or to propagate. 



3. The Subalpine Scrub of Mount Fyffe 

 (a.) General Features. 



At a height of about 940 m. the subalpine scrub is first en- 

 countered upon Mount Fyffe, forming, so far as I could observe, 

 a narrow belt varying in width from perhaps 20 m. to 45 m. 

 along the upper margin of the mixed forest which thickly clothes 

 the lower parts of the mountain to its base. This scrub consists 

 in very large measure of Cassinia albida, which in many places 

 makes an almost pure formation, and which everywhere far 

 and away exceeds the other plants in amount. Here and there 

 mixed with the Cassinia, but always in small quantities, are 

 the following : Veronica traversii, Veron. leiophylla, Dracophyl- 

 lum uniflorum, Aristotelia fruticosa, Aristot. colensoi, Podocar- 

 pus totara, Rubus australis, Gay a ribifolia, Olearia cymbi folia, 

 0. coriacea, 0. forsteri, Senecio geminatus, Coprosma parviflora, 

 Cop. rhamnoides, Phormium cookianum, and Aciphylla colensoi. 

 Of the above some are very rare indeed, only two plants of 

 Olearia coriacea and one of 0. forsteri being observed. 



Viewed from a short distance the formation appears a 

 mass of sage-green, due to the superabundant Cassinia, with 

 its small leaves green on the upper and white on the under 

 surface, but relieved here and there by the dark- green upright 

 sword-like leaves of the Phormium. As the eye becomes used 

 to the monotone of the Cassinia, other greens, and even browns, 

 become evident — e.g., Veronica traversii, yellowish-green ; young 

 trees of totara, these a little taller than the rest of the scrub, 

 and of somewhat the same hue as the Veronica ; and Dracophyl- 

 lum, its close erect needle-like leaves reddish-brown in the mass. 

 Gaya ribifolia is also present in sufficient quantity to make its 

 mark, but at the time of my visit it was leaflets. At a later 

 period its leaves of a tender-green, and its wealth of white 

 cherry-like blossoms, must form a striking feature of the scrub. 



On the fairly deep soil beneath the shelter of the shrubs are 

 the following herbaceous plants and ferns : Aca?na sanguisorbce, 

 var., forming a carpet over the ground in many places, with the 

 short erect fronds of Lomaria alpina growing through it. Here 



