T. Kiek. — On the Flowering Plants of Stewart Island. 21? 



forest, and with the exception of Dacrydium colensoi, are of general distribu- 

 tion in the colony. Olearia nitida, 0. avicennmfolia, and Panax colensoi are 

 common by the sides of streams, or on the margin of forests. Veronica 

 salicifolia occurs by the sides of water-courses, but is far from common. 

 Schefflera digitata is abundant in damp gullies. 



The undergrowth is often extremely dense, and consists in many places 

 chiefly of Coprosma foetidissima and C. lucida. C. colensoi is common, C. 

 tenuicaulis and G. rotundifolia are local. Metrosideros hypericifolia is 

 abundant, and is the only scandenb species on the island. Myrtus peduncu- 

 lata is plentiful, and the supplejack (Rhipogonum scandens) occurs in moist 

 places, but scarcely ascends above sea-level. 



Amongst the shrubs the soil is often carpeted with a compact growth of 

 the charming liliaceous plant, Callixene parviflora, with its elegant drooping 

 flowers, mixed with numerous ferns, orchids, and mosses. The orchids 

 form a marked feature in some parts of the forest. Corysanthes oblonga, C. 

 rivularis, and others produce their attractive flowers literally by thousands ; 

 in no other locality have I seen these interesting plants in such vast pro- 

 fusion. Gastrodia cunninghamii is rare, having been observed only on the 

 small island of Ulva. Galadenia bifolia is frequent, one of its forms making 

 a close approach to G. lyallii. Ghiloglottis cornuta occurs on Ulva, the glands 

 on the labellum vary considerably in their shape and arrangement. In 

 the majority of cases there are five depressed coloured glands arranged 

 in a symmetrical manner, in a few specimens they were reduced to 

 three, and in a solitary plant numerous stalked glands were arranged in a 

 double row down the middle of the labellum exactly as in the Tasmanian 

 C. gunnii, which is probably a state of the New Zealand plant. The dwarf 

 variety of Pterostylis banksii, with abbreviated sepals, is common in open 

 places in the forest. 



In addition to the terrestrial forms, the epiphytic forms are well repre- 

 sented, with the exception of Sarcochilus, which appears to be rare, and 

 Bolhophyllum, which has not been observed on the island. 



Arborescent ferns are abundant alike on the outskirts of the forest and 

 in its deepest recesses, often occurring in large masses especially on sheltered 

 slopes, where they frequently rise above the level of the surrounding shrubs 

 and produce an effect rarely seen elsewhere in the colony. The most 

 common species are the poka [Dicksonia squarrosa) and the katote (Hemitelia 

 smithii) ; the stem and fronds of the latter are sometimes used as food for 

 cows. The mamaku {Cyathea medullaris) is local, and has not been observed 

 south of Halfmoon Bay. Lomaria discolor frequently developes an erect 

 eaudex 2-3' high. Of the numerous filmy ferns I will only mention 

 Hymenophyllum bivalve, one of the commonest ferns on the island, sometimes 



