Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlvi. (1902), No. VI. 7 



Amongst the undergrowth, which, where undisturbed, 

 may be very dense, we may notice the common " Tutu " 

 of the New Zealanders {Coriaria ruscifolza), a plant 

 which has often proved very destructive to cattle from its 

 poisonous properties. Rhipogonuni scandens is a tall liane 

 of the natural order Smilaceae, forming festoons over the 

 trees, with handsome red berries and rope-like stems, 

 which are said to have been used by the Morioris for 

 binding corpses to the trees ; it is also common in New 

 Zealand. Miihlenbeckia australis (nat. ord. Polygoneae) is 

 another common New Zealand liane. The Chatham island 

 palm {Rhopalostylis baueri) which grows luxuriantly in the 

 shade of the forest, is quite distinct from, though allied to, 

 the common " Nikau " of the warmer parts of New Zealand ; 

 with its tall stem surmounted by a tuft of graceful 

 feathery leaves, it forms a singularly beautiful feature of 

 the vegetation. Tall tree ferns also add greatly to the 

 charm of the forest, and it is sad to see them ruthlessly cut 

 down and used for making fences, &c. As in New 

 Zealand, there is also a wealth of smaller ferns. A 

 charming little epiphytic orchid {Earina mucronatd) may 

 complete our list of the more important representatives of 

 the forest flora. 



The Moorland Vegetation consists largely of 

 the common bracken fern, whose starchy rhizomes formed 

 an important article of diet amongst the Maoris in New 

 Zealand and probably also amongst the Morioris. Two 

 Epacrids, representing the northern heaths, cover a large 

 area of ground. The one is a species of Cyathodes, probably 

 endemic, forming small bushes with a profusion of large 

 pink or white berries, and the other a Dracophyllum of 

 dwarf habit, with narrow grass-like leaves. The most 

 beautiful of the moorland plants is, however, a shrubby 



