CuxEsEMAN.— On the Botany of the Pirongia Mountain. 823 
In describing the flora of any district it is quite as essential to point out 
the absence of any species of general distribution which might have been 
fairly expected to occur, as to record the presence of rare or local ones. It 
is true that to assert positively that a particular plant is absent from a 
locality is a somewhat hazardous statement, and one that should never be 
made unless founded on a careful and minute exploration—which demands 
time and leisure. At present, too little is known of Pirongia to make any 
statements of this kind, but it certainly seems desirable to draw attention 
to a few plants that were not observed by myself, in the hope that future 
explorers will do something towards ascertaining whether they are really 
absent from the mountains or not. 
Only two species of Pittosporum were noticed,—P. tenuifolium and 
P. cornifolium ; but surely P. eugenioides will be found near the base, and 
P. kirki near the summit (the first species being common elsewhere in the 
Waikato, and the last known to occur in at least one locality). Elaocarpus 
hookerianus and Pennantia corymbosa are both trees that would naturally be 
looked for, but neither was observed. No true myrtle was collected, although 
M. bullata, at least, will doubtless be found. Corokia buduleoides, so common in 
hilly and wooded districts near Auckland, was not seen. Some of the southern 
Olearias, as O. nitida and O. dentata, might have been expected. No species 
of Celmisia was noticed upon the mountain itself, although C. longifolia is 
found on the bare hills between Harapipi and Whatawhata. Gaultheria 
rupestris should be found on some of the rocky peaks. All the olives were 
absent, and only one species of Veronica and one of Pimelea were noticed. 
I did not observe any of the Fagi, but there seems to be no reason why 
F. fusca should not occur. A most remarkable peculiarity is the apparent 
absence of all the mountain species of Dacrydium and of Phyllocladus 
trichomanoides, Among ferns, Hypolepis distans, Lomaria alpina, and 
Aspidium aculeatum, are species which may be expected to occur on Pirongia, 
but which were not observed by me. 
Before concluding this paper, it seems not out of place to say a few 
words about Karioi mountain (situated on the coast, between Raglan and 
Aotea, and about thirty miles distant in a straight line from Pirongia). So far 
as can be judged from a single day’s examination, its vegetation very closely 
resembles that of Pirongia; in fact, when a few coast plants—as Vitex, 
Myoporum, Oleária albida, ete.—are excepted, the plants of the two localites 
are almost identical. All the southern species seen on the summits of 
Pirongia—as Coprosma fetidissima, Panax sinclairii and P. colensoi, Cordyline 
hookeri, Polypodium nove-zealandie, etc.—re-appeared on the top of Karioi. 
One marked difference, however, was noticed: Iwerba brexioides, which 1s pro- 
bably the commonest tree on the higher parts of Pirongia, is decidedly 
scarce on Karioi, 
