62 NEW ZEALAND PLANTS. 
Amongst the trees not extending much beyond latitude 42° are 
some very common ones of the northern forests. Some of these 
are—the nikau-palm (Rhopalostylis sapida), the karaka (Coryno- 
carpus laevigata), which reaches Banks Peninsula; the tawa (Beil- 
schmiedia tawa); the kohekohe, or New Zealand cedar (Dysoxylwm 
spectabile) ; the rewarewa (Knightia excelsa); the pukatea (Laurelia 
novae-zelandiae) ; the tanekaha (Phyllocladus trichmanoides); and 
some of the New Zealand olives (Olea). Certain shrubs belong to 
the same category—eg., the rangiora (Brachyglottis repanda), the 
kanono (Coprosma grandifolia), and the wharangi (Melicope ternata). 
Each tree-association takes its name from the dominating tree. 
The best-marked associations are—the rimu (Dacrydium cupres- 
sinum) association, the totara (Podocarpus totara) association, and 
the tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa) association. It is possible that in 
many parts of the North Island the latter is the climax association 
towards which the other associations are progressing. 
On the west of the Southern Alps, going south from the Tara- 
makau River in Westland, there is a continuous mixed taxad forest, 
distinguished especially by the absence of the tarata (Pittosporwm 
eugenioides) and the presence in great abundance of the glossy 
ascarine (Ascarina lucida), a most handsome low tree with black 
bark and green, extremely glossy, oblong, toothed leaves 1 to 2 
inches long, and of the mountain-tawheowheo (Quintinia acutifolia), 
a small tree of slender habit with abundant oblong leaves, yellowish 
in colour but with green veins and midrib. In the undergrowth 
there is the evil-smelling hupiro (Coprosma foetidissima) and juvenile 
pokaka (Hlaeocarpus Hookerianus). The lianes Freycinetia Banksii 
and Metrosideros florida, and the perching-kowharawhara (Astelia 
Cunningham), are abundant, and their presence at a glance dis- 
tinguishes this Westland forest from that of Banks Peninsula, 
Dunedin, Southland, or Stewart Island. 
At an altitude of some 2,500 feet the lowland forest of Westland 
is succeeded by one in which the pauhau-tea (Libocedrus Bidwilli) 
and the mountain-totara (Podocarpus Halli) are dominant. Similar 
forest also occurs near the source of the River Rakaia, on the eastern 
side of the Dividing Range (fig. 36). At a still higher altitude 
in Westland various tree-daisies (Olearia ilicifolia, O. macrodonta, 
O. lacunosa, O. excorticata, and O. avicenniaefolia), together with 
the mountain-neinei (Dracophyllum Traversi), form the uppermost 
forest, the latter giving a remarkable appearance to the association. 
