130 i The Plant Formations. 
Generally the roof is fairly open. Metrosideros robusta is common and conspic- 
uous through its most irregular trunk full of hollows filled with humus supporting 
‚so many bryophytes, filmy ferns, herbaceous ferns and shrubs that its brownish, 
furrowed bark is hidden by the wealth of greenery'). Frequently, the trunk 
leans out of the perpendicular in which case it will support a dense growth of 
immense asteliads right to the forks of its great twisted branches in the forest- 
roof. Other common trees are: — Podocarpus totara, P. ferrugineus, Dacry- 
dium cupressinum, Phyllocladus trichomanoides, Knightia excelsa, Dysoxylum 
spectabile, Beilschmiedia tawa and Weinmannia sylvicola. Much rarer, and not 
in all localities, are: — Libocedrus Doniana, Dacrydium Kirkü, D. Colensoi 
and Phyllocladus glaucus. 
The undergrowth, in many places, is not dense, but it varies greatly in 
this regard according to the intensity of the light. In many parts, it consists 
of a more or less thick growth of the following young. forest-trees, low trees, 
shrubs and tree-ferns: — Anightia, Dysoxylum, Beilschmiedia tarairi (these 
three with long, straight main-stem and few lateral branches), Drimys axıllaris, 
‚ Pittosporum tenuifolium, Melicytus macrophyllus, Myrtus bullata, Nothopanax 
arboreum, Pseudopanax crassifolium, Rapanea Urvilei, R. salicina, Geniostoma 
role, Coprosma grandifolia, C. arborca (in dry ground), Alseuosmia 
macrophylla, Olearia Cunninghamit, Cyathea medullaris, and C. dealbata. n 
other parts, there is a thicket of tussocks of Gahnia EN, @. setifolia, 
and Aszelia trinervia mixed with ee a stems of Khipogonum ee iR 
Freycinetia Banksii. 
| The palm, Rhopalostylis sapida is often abundant, its growth-form rendering 
it specially conspieuous. Tree-trunks are draped thickly by climbing speci 
of Metrosideros or the fern Blechnum filiforme;, shrubs and slender trees are 
festooned and bound together by the twining leaf-spindles of Lygodium arti 
key culatum; on. horizontal branches are masses of Astelia Solandri and long t: 
£ ” Keen Billardieri swing | in the air. ee er d. se 
m 
“ 
2. Open e Be | forest-foor are aeg is mals of ee | 
mens demissum, F: reych ’elia, akssor Blechnum Aliforme Ber 
