Cockayne. — On Subaljrine Scrub of Mount Fyffe. 369 



probably comes true from seed. For it I propose the name 

 " canescens," which would either be a variety of C. albida, if 

 that be considered a species, or form canescens of C. vauvilliersii. 

 Whatever view be taken matters little so long as so distinct a 

 plant has a name. When growing amongst the scrub Cassinia 

 albida is a shrub of slightly straggling habit, having many 

 branches prostrate towards the base and then ascending, but 

 quite naked except towards their apices. Here are given off 

 from the main axis numerous close, short, erect shoots, +13 cm. 

 in length, their lower halves unbranched and densely leafy, but 

 above furnished with many short lateral shoots, given off from 

 the stem at an acute angle, the length of the basal and largest 

 shoots being ±2-7 cm. Such shoots are also all densely leafy, 

 and the whole erect dense head of foliage may be about 22 cm. 

 long bv 20 cm. broad. The leaves are closely imbricating in 

 the bud, but when fully developed are patent, the lamina being 

 bent at right angles to the short petiole. In size they measure 

 about 1-1 cm. to 1*4 cm. in length by about 4 mm. in breadth, 

 which is larger than the measurements given by Kirk and 

 Hooker for C. vauvilliersii. The var. canescens, at least in my 

 specimens, has rather longer leaves still — 1-6 cm. The margins 

 are sometimes faintly recurved. On the under surface of the 

 leaf is a dense tomentum of matted, fine hairs. The shoot-axes 

 are also densely tomentose. The young leaves are extremely 

 glutinous, and give off a somewhat aromatic odour, which is 

 quite evident as one passes through the scrub. 



Cassinia albida is not only found in the subalpine scrub, 

 but descends to the river-flats on the Kaikoura Plain, where it 

 would probably be more common but for the close growth of 

 Leptospermum scoparium, with which in that situation it can 

 ill compete. This is also shown on the mountain, where if 

 a portion of the forest or scrub be burnt a Leptospermum heath 

 takes possession, and becomes so strong a feature of the land- 

 scape that one might easily take it for a primitive formation. 

 C. albida grows readily from seed, and in some parts of Mount 

 Fyffe the montane meadow contains colonies of this plant. 

 In such places are other forms of Cassinia — referrable perhaps 

 to C. fulvida or to C. vauvilliersii — which form a bewildering 

 mixture ; or it may be that C. vauvilliersii is in a state of muta- 

 tion, and that new forms are coming into being at the present 

 time. 



Olearia coriacea, of which only two adult and one juvenile 

 specimen were noted, is a plant of considerable interest. During 

 my former visit to Mount Fyffe I had not noticed it, but Kirk had 

 found it there and also in the Awatere district. Notwithstand- 

 ing that he had no flowering specimens, he described it in the 



