PLATE 66.—LIGUSTICUM CARNOSULUM. 
Famity UMBELLIFER. ] [Genus LIGUSTICUM, Liny. 
Ligusticum carnosulum, Hook. /. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 96; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 219. 
On most of the higher mountains of New Zealand immense slopes of dry 
rocky debris occur, which are locally known as “shingle-slips.” In not a few 
localities these cover the sides of the mountains from base to summit, and 
present an aspect almost indescribably bare, barren, and desolate, apparently 
devoid of all vegetation. But on closer examination it is seen that they 
support a peculiar flora, composed of plants of very diverse relationships— 
buttercups, chickweeds, clove-worts, umbellifers, composites, figworts, grasses, 
and many others. Most of these are of small size and low stature, while all 
have long and often tortuous roots. Some are succulent, others are covered 
with a felted mass of hairs, and nearly all are a peculiar gray-green, closely 
matching the colour of the shingle. From this assemblage of highly specialized 
plants it would be difficult to select one more singular than the subject of this 
plate. 
Ligusticum carnosulum was first collected by Sir Julius von Haast on 
shingle-slopes on Mount Torlesse in 1861, and has been observed in the same 
locality by many other botanists. It is, however, by no means a common 
plant, and is fast becoming scarcer through the combined attacks of sheep and 
rabbits. The most northern station known to me is on the mountains flanking 
the Wairau Valley, Nelson, where I gathered it many years ago. Mr. Kirk has 
collected it on shingle-slopes on Mount Captain, in the Amuri district ; and 
during a hasty visit paid by myself to Lake Tennyson some years ago I noticed 
it in some quantity. As far back as 1864 or 1865 Mr. J. D. Enys collected it 
on the Black Range and other mountains of the Middle Waimakariri basin, 
where it has since been observed by myself and others. It was gathered by 
Mr. Armstrong in the Rangitata district, where it has also been noticed by 
Dr. Cockayne and Mr. Laing; but I know of no locality farther south, although 
I have specially searched for the plant on the mountains near Lake Tekapo, 
also in the Mount Cook district and other localities in southern Canterbury. 
Its altitudinal range appears to be from 3,000 ft. to 6,000 ft. 
The nearest ally of L. carnosulum is undoubtedly my L. diversifolium 
(Manual, p. 1139). This has the same habit and foliage, and the flowers and fruit 
are almost indistinguishable. But the latter plant differs widely in the involucral 
leaves, which are linear, entire, and much shorter than the umbel; whereas (as 
will be seen from the plate) they are ternately multifid and much longer than 
the umbel in ZL. carnosulum. It may be remarked that L. carnosulum and 
L. diversifolium differ widely from all the other Ligustica and Aciphylla@ hitherto 
found in New Zealand in the fruit, which is not at all winged, but simply 
furnished with low rounded ridges (see figs. 5, 6, and 7). When the southern 
species of Umbellifere are systematically worked up I anticipate that these two 
species will find a home in another genus. 
It has been pointed out by Diels and others that ZL. carnosulum has been 
largely modified to suit the peculiar nature of its environment. The long and 
fleshy tortuous rootstock, with its stringy roots, is plainly adapted to suit the 
never-ending combat the plant has to wage with the moving shingle. The 
leaves are finely divided, so as to present as little surface as possible to the 
