122 The Biology of the Lowland Plants. 
F. Colensoi, F. procumbens, Olcaria virgata, O. lineata, O. Hectori, .O. odorala, 
O. fragrantissima and Senecio Hectori. 
If September, October and November be considered spring; December, 
January and February summer, and March, April and May autumn, then we 
may speak of early spring, mid-spring, late spring, early summer, late summer ; 
and autumn, as distinct divisions of the growing-season, each distinguished by 
certain species coming into bloom. According to those divisions the most 
floriferous period is late spring together with early summer or roughly speaking 
from the middle of October to the middle of January, the period opening and 
closing earlier in the N. than in the S. The following are some of the more 
 characteristic species marking the divisions as above: — ı. (Early spring.) 
Clematis indivisa, C. foetida, Drimys axillaris, D. colorata, Pittosporum 
eugenioides, Rubus australis, Melicope ternata, M. simplex, Aristotelia racemosa, 
Styphelia fasciculata, Geniostoma ligustrifoha, various species of Coprosma, 
 Olcaria Cunninghamii and Brachyglottis repanda. 2. (Mid-spring.) Agathis 
australis, various Taxaceae, Pittosporum tenuifolium, Leptospermum scopartum, 
Olea Cunninghamii and Olearia Hectori. 3. (Late spring.) Various species of 
Nothofagus, Clematis Colensoi, Beilschmiedia tawa, Ixerba brexioides, Carpodetus 
serratus, Weinmannia racemosa, Pennantia corymbosa, Discaria toumatou, Melı- 
cytus ramiflorus, Leptospermum ericoides and Nothopanax simplex. 4. (Early 
summer.) ormium tenax, Cordyline australis, Dianella intermedia, Wein- 
mannia sylvicola, Hoheria angustifolia, Gaya Lyalliü, Metrosideros lucida, 
M. robusta, Dracophyllum longifolium, Olea montana, Parsonsia heterophylla, 
Veronica salicifolia. 3._(Late summer.) Arundo conspicua, Gahmia xantho- 
carpa, Astelia Solandri, Hoheria sexstylosa, Nothopanax Edgerleyi, Schefflera 
digitata, Dracophyllum latifolium. 6. (Autumn.) Astelia Cunninghamit, Earına 
autumnale, Bulbophyllum tuberculatum, Dactylanthus Taylori, Hoheria popul- 
nea, Metrosideros florida, Meryta Sinclairüi, Pseudopanax crassifolium, Rapanea 
Urvillei. 
4. Epharmonic variation. 
The more uniform conditions of climate ruling in the lowlands than on 
the coast or in the high mountains lead to less epharmonic variation and to 
greater uniformity in the associations. Allthe same, the amount of epharmonie 
distinct appearance. Trees with long unbranched trunks may. develope in the 
open as densely leafy trees. Many juvenile trees in the dense rain-forest. 
develope a long liane-like stem branching sparsely near the apex only, but 
in the open the same stage of development would be represented by a bushy- 
shrub. A specially wet soil, or a moist atmosphere in the forest, can induce 
various morphologicäl changes. Thus certain tufted ferns may develope distinet 
trunks; Schefflera digitata, an araliad with thin digitate finely-toothed leaves, in 
the ordinary course has its juvenile leaves similar to the adult, here the | ; 
are deeply-cut and similar to those: of euer > divar- 
