194 The Biology of the High Mountain Plants. 
There are none of the herbaceous or woody epiphytes in the mountain 
forests excepting a few ferns, but there is abundance of mosses, liverworts and * 
lichens which owe their position to their ability to tolerate desiccation and, in 
. some cases to store up water. The most interesting fern is Aymenophyllum 
Malingiı’) generally epiphytic on Zzbocedrus Bidwilli, often on dead trees or 
‚decaying parts of. living ones, but it occurs also on Dacrydium intermedium 
(PHILLIPS TURNER 1909:3) and perhaps on Podocarpus Halli. 
Four woody parasites gain the mountain belt, — 7upeia antarctica which 
occurs on Gaya ribifolia in the lower Sbakine area, Aorthalsella clavata 
which occurs on certain of the divaricating shrubs of the steppe-area, and 
Elytranthe flavida and E. tetrapetala which, as fair-sized shrubs, are abundant 
on Nothofagus. The ecology of all these species has been already briefiy 
described in. Section I, Chapter II of this part. 
: The orchid ED Cunninghamii parasitic on the roots of certain forest 
plants is the sole herbaceous parasite but it also has been dealt with. 
. A number of indigenous rusts affect some of the alpine species, but they 
“ have: ‚hardly been studied as yet; Clematis, Ranunculus, en Olearia 
Celmisia, and Senecio are some oA the genera affected. 
nr . .d. . Her and Semi Plans including aquatic ber 
