a themselve The chief deimiing ae appears to be the winter snow-fall. 
. 280. soon be 1e re 1 for “ 
174 General Remarks on the High Mountain Vegetation. 
Hierochloe, Festuca, Uncinia (5 alpine out of 13 spp.), Phormium, Chrysobactron® 
Herpolirion, Nothofagus, Elytranthe, Muehlenbeckia, Montia, Stellaria, Drraskrds 
Carmichaelia, Geranium, Oxalis, Coriaria, BT TER Arıstotelia, Viola, 
Hymenanthera, Fehlen, Kalwrlagis Nothopanax, ale. An re 
Corokia, Griselinia, Gaultheria, Styphelia, Epacris, Archeria, Suttonia, Rubia- 
ceae, Pratia, Wahlenbergia, Lagenophora, Brachycome, ishalace. ee 
Craspedia, Microseris and Taraxacum. 
The headquarters of the New Zealand alpine flora is in the high ranges 
of the Southern botanical province, for out of the 597 alpine species no fewer 
than 422 (71 p. c.) are confined thereto. The Central province contains only 
174 species, 140 of which are more or less common in the Southern province 
while 33 are locally endemic and 2 belong to the Northern province. In this 
latter the small alpine florula of 25 species is confined to the Thames sub- 
district where on only one mountain‘) is there open land containing a mixture 
of shrubs and herbs. 
There is considerable local endemism in the different botanical districts, 
but no details are given here ‚since the facts are partly dealt with when treating 
of the formations as also in Part III, Chapter I. Also gradual changes occur 
in passing from N. to S. but the mountains are not sufficiently explored to 
warrant detailed statistical treatment. 
. 
2. Vertical Distribution ‚(The Belts’ of Vegetation). 
' Details regarding vertical distribution are not easy to supply. That most 
“ Impürkine factor, the winter snow-line, is obviously correlated with the. aspect R i 
‚of the slope, so. that alpine species descend much lower on shaded than on 
‚sunny faces, Edaphic conditions also contribute their share. Even on forest- 
clad ranges, many bare patches, containing high-mountain grass or herb vege- 
; an extend far below the forest-line. Then there is the gradual effect of 
- in latitude and the differences in distribution on “wet” or‘ “dry”?) moun- > 
as also the ı many intermediate stages between such extremes. In fach); 
each mountain supplies its own special eircumstances, and, were the details at 
my disposal far more accurate, only ‚general statements could be made. As 
it is, one has to trust, in many instances, to estimated heights, so eis the . 
details. given here, and ‚further ‚on, are essentially approximate. 
e a-level the belts of vegetation are here styled, —_ Io = 
 suba Di a subalpine and alpine. Obviously, 
for each botanical cal district and also in the districts x 
der 
in) en A Be re en 
i presence ET U ee 15 position with 
