268 



wind-swept spot, a remarkable xerophytic scrub formed by 

 Nothopanax anomalum is to be found. The bushes are from 

 2-4 feet high and so dense that one can stand upon them and, as 

 they touch one another, a raised platform is formed of interlacing 

 rigid stems whose apical portions have almost turned into spines. 

 In places the lianes Muehleribeckia australis and Parsonsia hetero- 

 phylla are fairly abundant and help to bind the shrubs more closely 

 together. 

 The other formations are also dealt with in considerable detail. 



The flora of Kapiti consists of 218 species of flowering plants, 

 ferns and fern allies, of which 43 belong to the two latter groups. 

 It is characteristic of the central region of New Zealand being 

 allied to the flora of the southern portion of the North Island and 

 the northern portion of the South Island. The general affinities 

 of the flora and the geological history of the island are also 

 considered. 



As a plant and animal sanctuary Kapiti appears to be peculiarly 

 well suited, as, although it is of small extent, it is so much cut up 

 by deep and precipitous gullies that a great part of the Island 

 is very difficult of access. It is to be hoped that the whole of the 

 island will be acquired by the Government so that it may become 

 a safe home for the endemic fauna and flora of New Zealand, 

 and that other New Zealand plants and trees, not already on the 

 island, may also be introduced. 



Dr. Cockayne's report concludes with a list of the indigenous 

 plants with their English and Maori names together with notes 

 on their distribution on Kapiti and in and beyond New Zealand. 



In this connection of Flora and Fauna Reserves it is of interest 

 to notice that the various scientific societies of South Australia 

 are proposing to set apart 313 square miles of country at the 

 western end of Kangaroo Island lying to the south of Spencer 

 Gulf, and a short illustrated account of the island is given in 

 " The Adelaide Observer " for Februarv 1st, 1908. 



Zapupe.-In Der Tropenftanzer, No. 4, April, 1008, Dr. Endlicher 

 contributes an article on the 'Zapupe' cultivation in Mexico 

 (K.B., 1907, p. 396). From his observations it would appear that 

 the ' Zapupe ' of the Mexican littoral from Vera Cruz to Tampico 

 is not derived from any single plant, and further the article leads 

 to a conjecture that the sources of commercial 'Zapupe' as reported 

 trom the more southerly markets in the Vera Cruz tract may lie 

 partly to the south of Vera Cruz, though this is not perfectly clear. 

 In other words the term ' Zapupe,' like ' Istle,' may cover more 

 than one staple, and the fibres that come into the coast markets 

 under that title may be derived from different plants not 

 necessarily all belonging to the Agaveae. In fact, it seems likely 

 that the narrow-leaved « Zapupe ' plant, mentioned by Dr. Endlicher, 

 may be a Bromeliad, unless it should turn out to be the long- 

 sought Agave cantata, Roxb. 



J. R. D. 



