338 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1949 
west. Elsewhere the land is also mountainous with fertile plains 
between. From Dunedin one can readily reach mountains with many 
specially interesting plant formations and some forests. (See pl. 6, 
fig. 2.) Farther south are the eastward extensions of the beech forests 
of Fiordland, which so far cannot be set off by any definite line. 
Originally in the east were dicotylous-taxad forests differing from those 
farther north in their fewer species, but the forests in this area have 
suffered much from the ax of the settlers, who are still pushing steadily 
westward. The tussock grasslands at lower elevations are extensive, 
as well as the alpine formations high on the mountains. There are 
only a few endemic species in this district. Agriculture is well devel- 
oped, some of the most prosperous farms in New Zealand being in 
the vicinity of Invercargill in the south. 
The most unaltered part of New Zealand is the Stewart Island 
District, unless it may have to contest this honor with the Fiord 
District. It is for the most part heavily forested with dicotylous- 
taxed forests, which are very similar to those of southern South Island, 
just across stormy Foveaux Strait. Remarkable swamp or kahikatea 
forests occur here, dominated by Dacrydium intermedvum and distin- 
guished by very numerous huge moss and livewort cushions on the 
forest floor. There are no beech forests on Stewart Island, and several 
other trees and shrubs that one would expect to be here are wanting. 
Altogether about 500 species of plants are to be found with about 20 
endemics. Several species are found elsewhere only on the sub- 
antarctic islands to the south or are closely related to plants of that 
region. Stewart Island has an abundant rainfall, high winds, and 
moderate temperatures, frost and snow being very rare except on the 
highest mountains, none of which are over 3,000 feet high. As there 
are no roads except close about the only settlement, Oban, on Half- 
moon Bay, travel is very difficult. The interior is best reached by 
rough trails, usually called ‘‘tracks” in New Zealand, from nearby 
points on the coast to which one must go in hired fishing boats. A 
prominent feature is the characteristic coastal high-shrub formation, 
often of the composite genera Senecio and Olearia or tree-daisies, and 
treelike species of Dracophyllum (Epacridaceae), at the bases of which 
penguins nest. Alpine species are frequently found here at seal level. 
Much importance is attached to the study of the subantarctic 
islands farther south, and they have been visited a number of times by 
specialists. It is not, however, feasible to discuss them here. 
SOME PECULIARITIES OF NATIVE NEW ZEALAND PLANTS 
It is impossible in a brief survey such as this to take up even the 
most interesting plants. There are, however, a few outstanding 
characteristics or peculiarities of the plants of this flora which will 
