186 NEW ZEALAND PLANTS. 
Senecio compactus, S. Greyi, and Coprosma Buchanan, three locally 
endemic species, are coastal plants, but they are so rare that to see 
them all in their habitats would mean a considerable journey. 
With regard to the vegetation of the district, there are both 
taxad and southern-beech forests. The latter occurs in places. 
at almost sea-level. Cook Strait notwithstanding, the forest at 
Day’s Bay, Wellington, and that near the Picton waterworks in 
the South Island are almost identical. Semi-coastal forest with the: 
kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile) (fig. 24) dominant is a feature 
of many areas. The Cook Strait koromiko (Veronica salicifolia var. 
Atkinsoniz) is characteristic of coastal rocks, and it extends inland 
for some miles, where it rapidly takes possession of rock-cuttings and 
stony banks. The phormium coastal-cliff association differs from 
that of the East Cape Botanical District. The indigenous induced 
tauhinu (Cassinia leptophylla) association is common. 
Dairy-farming and grazing are the chief agricultural pursuits. 
There are permanent pastures of rye-grass on fertile soil—quite an 
uncommon occurrence elsewhere in New Zealand. There are im- 
portant areas of indigenous induced New Zealand flax (Phormium 
tenax).* Maize as a forage crop has its southern limit at Cook Strait. 
The foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a bad pasture weed in the Marl- 
borough Sounds part of the district. Danthonia pasture replacing 
artificial meadow of European grasses is a common occurrence. 
It is far easier to fix natural boundaries for the South Island 
botanical districts than for those of the North Island. This arises. 
principally through the position of the Southern Alps with regard 
to the westerly winds, charged with moisture, as already explained 
in Chapter VI. This leads to a natural division into dry and wet 
districts. In the south of the South Island the south-westerly rains 
make themselves felt, so that a wet area extends from sea to sea 
across the island to the south of the dry North Otago Botanical 
District, where the dry climate reaches it maximum. 
There are also local climates to be considered, notably those 
arising from easterly rains. These bring in, where the ranges are 
sufficiently high, a local forest-climate along a good deal of the east 
coast extending from the Seaward Kaikoura Mountains to Banks 
Peninsula. There are also local forest-climates in gullies and shady 
places in the eastern ranges. Then there is the Canterbury Plaim 
itself, with conditions generally hostile to forest. 
2 in eel 
