Cheeseman. — On the Flora of the Kermadec Islands. 155 



Other trees deserving notice are Bcchmeria australis, hitherto 

 supposed to be confined to Norfolk Island ; Cordyline terminalis, 

 the common " Ti " of Polynesia; Pisonia brunoniana, a Poly- 

 nesian and Norfolk Island plant, found in a few scattered 

 localities on the coast of New Zealand ; and the littoral plants 

 karo (Pittosporum crassi folium), Coprosma pctiolata, and C. 

 baueria-na. 



The herbaceous plants may be passed over with less detail. 



In both the sandy bays, the tropical Ipomcca pes-caprea is 



plentiful. Its running stems are often quite 30 or 40 feet in 



length, and with its large fleshy two-lobed leaves give the plant 



a very odd appearance. A very different species of the same 



genus, I. palmata, occurs on the cliffs in one or two places. 



Canavalia obtusifolia, a common maritime plant in tropical 



regions, was observed on Meyer Island, a rocky islet distant 



about a mile and a half from the northern coast of Sunday 



Island. Sicyos angulatus is one of the commonest plants in the 



lower portions of the island, creeping over the ground, and 



festooning the trees to a considerable height. It is a very 



troublesome weed in the cultivations. Scavola gracilis is one of 



the few plants peculiar to the islands, and is plentiful in rocky 



places, both on the sea-cliffs and inland. It has handsome 



white fragrant flowers, and would make a good garden plant. 



Haloragis alata, Hydrocotyle moschata, Lagenophora forsteri, and 



Parietaria debilis, all well-known New Zealand plants, are of 



frequent occurrence. Three Composites — Bidens pilosa, Agera- 



tum conyzoides, and Siegesbeckia orientalis, with Solatium nigrum, 



are everywhere present in open or cultivated ground. The 



Ageratum, which has received the local name of " cherry pie " 



or "wild heliotrope," is a most troublesome weed, and has 



taken complete possession of the old cultivations in Denham 



Bay, forming a dense growth 3-4 feet high. It is possible that 



both it and the other three plants are naturalized, but there is 



no direct evidence of this, and as they are all widely distributed 



in many tropical and sub-tropical countries, and have all the 



appearance of being true natives, it seems best to consider them 



as such. 



The common bulrush {Typha angustifolia) is found in a 

 lagoon in Denham Bay, and in the crater lakes. It seems to be 

 the only true marsh plant on the island. Sedges are rare : 

 two species of Carex, which cannot be identified until better 

 specimens are obtained, are plentiful in open places in the 

 forest ; and our " cutting-grass " or toe-toe (Cyperus ustulatvs) 

 is everywhere present at low elevations, readily taking possession 

 of the abandoned cultivations. Grasses are more abundant, 

 and include several tropical species not found in New Zealand. 

 The handsome Imperata arundinacea is particularly plentiful on 

 the cliffs. 



