Adams. — On the Botany of Te Aroha Mountain. 275 



Art. XXXII. — On the Botany of Te Aroha Mountain. By J. Adams, B.A. 



[Read before the Auckland Institute, 29th September, 1884.] 

 Te Aroha Mountain stands at the head of the Thames Valley on the right 

 bank of the Waihou Eiver. Its height is 3,176 feet, and thus it is the 

 highest mountain north of the Lower Waikato Eiver. 



At a distance it appears to be a continuation of the Coromandel Range ; 

 but a nearer examination shows that it is an isolated mountain, and, from a 

 botanical point of view, more closely allied to Karioi and Pirongio on the 

 west side of the Waikato Plains than to the high mountains of the Thames 

 District. 



The mountain is somewhat of a pyramidal shape. The side of the base 

 facing the river runs north-west and south-east. On this side, towards its 

 northern end, there are a number of hot springs and mineral springs, with 

 a considerable formation of stalagmite, which is constantly precipitated 

 from the waters of the springs. 



The town of Te Aroha is built close to these springs. At the southern 

 end of the same base line at a distance of three miles is situated the township 

 of Wairongomai, so called from the stream that flows from the north-east 

 along another side of this irregular pyramid. 



The mountain rises on all sides in a very steep incline ; but forms a 

 series of broad plateaux from the base to the summit. At each succeeding 

 plateau in the ascent, a change takes place in the vegetation. The travel- 

 ler's joy (Clematis indivisa), tataka (Melicope ternata), titoki (Alectryon excelsum), 

 kowhai (Sophora tetraptera), tea-tree (Leptospermum scoparium), ramarama 

 (Myrtus bullata), puketea (Laurelia novm-zealandice), mangeao {Litma cali- 

 caris), which are abundant near the base of the mountain, are gradually 

 replaced, at higher elevations, by the different species of maire (Olea cunning- 

 hamii, 0. lanceolata, 0. montana), by totara (Podocarpus totara), rimu (Dacry- 

 dium cupressinum), kauri (Agathis australis). These again are replaced at 

 higher elevations by neinei (Dracophyllum latifolium), pahautea (Libocedrus 

 bidwillii), tanekaha (Phyllocladus alpina). There are some plants, such as 

 kotukutuku (Fuchsia excorticata), kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile), and taua 

 (Bulschmudia taua), that are abundant from the base almost to the summit. 



Indeed Fuchsia excorticata appears to grow as well on the summit of the 

 mountain as on the banks of the Wairongomai Creek. 



A very remarkable change takes place in the vegetation about 700 feet 

 from the top of the mountain. 



The rimu, Ixerba, Quintinia, and tawhero are suddenly exchanged for 

 groves of neinei from fifteen to twenty feet high, and straggling trees of 

 tanekaha (Phyllocladus alpina) and of pahautea (Libocedrus bidiuillii). 



