Cheeseman. — On the Flora of the North Cape District. 365 



point of fact the vegetation cannot compare in richness and 

 luxuriance with that of many districts far to the south. 



A few remarks on the composition of the flora may not be 

 out of place. As stated above, the total number of species 

 catalogued is 416 ; but there should be added to the list a few 

 plants observed on the Three Kings Islands, which must be 

 regarded as a part of the district. These number ten, five of 

 which — Pittosporum fairchildi, Goprosma macrocarpa, Ve- 

 ronica insularis, Paratrophis smithil, and Davallia tasmani — 

 are endemic. The five remaining species, which, although 

 found elsewhere in New Zealand, have not yet been observed 

 within the limits of the North Cape penmsula, are Angelica 

 roscefolia, Meryta sinclairii, Myosotis spathulata, Pisonia 

 umbellifera, and Lomaria acuminata. We have therefore to 

 deal with a flora of 426 species, distributed in 78 natural orders, 

 The largest orders are Filices, with 46 species ; Cyperacece, 41 ; 

 ConipositcB, 28 ; Graminece, 23 ; BubiacecB, 17 ; Orchidece, 15. 

 The largest genera are Goprosma, with 13 species ; Garex, 9 ; 

 Pittosporum and Epilohium, 8 each ; Scirp)us and Gladium, 

 with 6 each. The following species (including some plants of 

 wide range beyond New Zealand) are either confined to the 

 district or occur only in small quantity in other portions of 

 the colony : Pittosporum fairchildi, Hibiscus diversifolius, 

 Haloragis cartilaginea, Meryta sinclairii, Coprosvia macro- 

 carpa, G. kirkii, G. n. sjj., Olearia angulata, Gassinia amoena, 

 Golensoa physaloides, Ipomoea palmata, Veronica insularis, 

 Gassytha paniculata, Paratrophis smithii, Kyllinga mono- 

 cephala, Davallia tasmani, Lomaria acuminata, Todea bar- 

 bara, Lycopodizim drummondii. 



If the question should be asked as to whether a tropical 

 element shows itself in the flora, the answer must be that 

 such is barely discernible. The proof, such as it is, would lie 

 almost altogether in the presence of the five following species : 

 Hibiscus diversifolius, Ipiomoea palmata, Gassytha p)aniculata, 

 Nephrodium ^mitum, and Todea barbara. A trace of Poly- 

 nesian affinity may possibly be indicated by such species as 

 Meryta sinclairii, Golensoa physaloides, Paratrophis smithii, 

 and a few others. It is a curious anomaly that tropical 

 species, or endemic species of tropical genera, should exist in 

 some numbers in both Norfolk Island and Lord Howe's 

 Island and yet have been unable to reach the northern 

 extremity of New Zealand, or, with but few exceptions, even 

 the Kermadec Islands. 



A comparison of the flora of the North Cape district with 

 that of other portions of the North Island would unduly 

 extend the limits of this paper. It would also involve a 

 reconsideration of the whole question of the distribution 

 within the colony of the species of the New Zealand flora, a 



