NORTH OTAGO AND FIORD DISTRICTS. 191 
Petriei, Pimelea sericeo-villosa, Myosotis albosericea—as well as the 
large percentage of such adaptations throughout its flora. There are 
a considerable number of noteworthy plants confined, or almost so, 
to the district—e.g., Poa pygmaea, a grass with rigid leathery leaves 
forming small low cushions, so far found only on the summit of 
Mount Pisa; one or two buttercups; <Acaena Buchanani; two or 
three species of Carmichaeha; a forget-me-not (Myosotis albosericea), 
silvery-white with a covering of silky hairs; a dwarf koromiko with 
thick leaves bluish-green in colour (Veronica Buchanan); and three 
‘species of cress (Lepidium). 
Forest is absent; at best there are a few patches of trees in 
sheltered gullies. The depleted condition of much of the grassland 
has already been described in Chapter X; the subalpine belt, how- 
ever, frequently is covered with abundance of the broad-leaved 
snow-grass (Danthonia flavescens), supposed to be a valuable grass 
for sheep. 
In the centre of the district stone-fruits are grown with great 
success, and grapes will ripen in the open air; barley and wheat are 
also cultivated in some parts. The fat-hen (Chenopodium album) is 
an extremely common weed of ploughed land. The Californian 
stinkweed (Gilia squarrosa) and the viper’s-bugloss (Echiwm vulgare) 
are abundant on roadsides. 
The Fiord Botanical District is distinguished by a considerable 
number of species confined, or almost confined, therein. There is also 
a second class of species which extend to, and are often common in, 
the adjoining South Otago Botanical District ; in fact, where the two 
districts join it is hard to draw the line between them. 
The followmg are some of the special plants: Two buttercups 
(Ranunculus Matthewsii and R. Baughani)—-the beautiful white 
R. Buchanani, though not confined to the district, is always a most 
characteristic plant; a willow-herb (Hpilobiwm arcuatum) allied to 
EH. glabellum; the feathery-leaved Anisotome capillifolia, closely 
related to A. Haastii; one or two gentians; the fine coastal 
Veronica amabilis; Ourisia macrocarpa var. cordata ; the splendid 
tree-daisy (Olearia operina), which forms a dense coastal scrub; a 
fine celmisia (Celmisia holosericea) ; two shrubby groundsels (Senecio 
revolutus and S. bifistulosus). 
Some of the important plants common to this district and 
the South Otago Botanical District are — Ranunculus Buchanan ; 
