Ecological Botany.] SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS OF NEW ZEALAND. 19Q 



Colobanthm mmcoides, Ahrotanella rosviata, Phyllachne clavigera, Epilobium con- 

 fertifoUum, Coprosma repens, Nertera depressa, Ranunctdus acavlis, Montia fontana, 

 Callitriche antarctica, Crassida moschata. Generally speaking, the leaves are more or 

 less xerophytic. Thus they are : — 



Coriaceous and thick {Pleurophyllum speciosum. Ranunculus pinguis, R. auck- 

 landicus, Phyllachne clavigera, Bulbinella Rossii, Celmisia vernicosa, Gen- 

 tiana cerina, and the species of Stilbocarpa, Aciphylla, and Plantago) ; 

 Tomentose or strongly hairy (the species of Pleurophyllum, Myosotis capitata, 

 M. albiflora, Astdia linearis, A. subulata, Helichrysum bdlidioides, Senecio 

 antipoda, Acaena Sanguisorbae var. antarctica) ; 

 Stiff or rigid {Marsippospermum graaile, Rostkovia sphaerocarpa, Aciphylla 

 latifolia, A. antipoda, Poa litorosa, Danthonia antarctica, Oreobolus pectin- 

 atus, Colobanthus subulatus, Celmisia vernicosa) ; 

 Succulent or soft and fleshy {Crassida moschata, Myosotis capitata, M. albida, 



Epilobium confertifoUum, Cotula lanata) ; 

 Margins incurved, recurved, &c. {Poa litorosa, Oreobolus pectinatus, Danthonia 



antarctica, Cdmisia vernicosa). 

 Notwithstanding the above, the leaves of Pleurophyllum speciosum, P. crini- 

 ferum, BuUnndla Rossii, the species of Stilbocarpa, and Poa foliosa must be con- 

 sidered mesophytic, while certain of the plants {e.g., Poa ramosissima, Epilobium 

 linnaeoides) have quite thin leaves. 



**Slem. 

 The stems of the herbaceous plants are not of special interest as a whole. A 

 considerable number have creeping stems, which may be slender (as in Coprosma 

 repens and Nertera depressa), or stout and succulent {Cotula lanata, C. plumosa, and 

 C. propinqua). Some are subterranean, and may be stout {Rumex neglectus), wiry 

 (the species of Astdia), slender and delicate {Ranunculus acaulis). The two species 

 of Stilbocarpa have massive, half-buried, far-spreading, and much-branched rhizomes. 

 The species of Pleurophyllum have short but thick rootstocks. Ranunctdus pinguis 

 has a branching, subterranean, rather slender rhizome. Cdmisia vernicosa has creep- 

 ing woody stems, which turn upwards at the apex, where the rosette is formed. 



*♦♦ Root. 

 The roots of the species of Pleurophyllum and Aciphylla and Bulbindla Rossii 

 are long, numerous, thick, and fleshy. Plantago carnosa, P. aucklandica. Ranun- 

 culus pinguis, and Cardamine glacialis var. subcarnosa have deeply descending long 

 roots. The cushion plants have frequently a deeply descending tap-root, but the 

 ultimate shoots also put forth short roots into the internal peat of the plant, the 

 tap-root functioning chiefly as an anchor, but sometimes the primary tufted stems 

 creep on the ground and emit numerous long roots. 



(C.) FLOWERS. 

 Leaving out of consideration the non-endemic species, the remainder show a 

 much larger percentage of colours, other than white or yellow, than do the related 

 plants of New Zealand in general. The following are the colours of the endemic 

 species, omitting Gramineae, Cyperaceae, &c. : Pleurophyllum speciosum (disc dark 

 purple ; rays pale purple, whitish-purple) ; P. criniferum (disc brown or purplish- 



