Growth-forms. 195 
(ilmy-fern 3), grass-mat 4; rush-mat 2 and herb-mat 58; turf-making form 17 '), 
consisting of, — grass-turf 10, rush-turf 2 and herb-turf 5; rosette-herbs 20; 
tufted-form 8 including, — tufted-grass 5, tufted-rush ı and tufted-herb 2; 
Iris-form 2, water-plants 5°) including rush-form 2, myriophylloid-form 2 and 
mat or sometimes cushion 1. 
b) Spot-bound (335). «) Herbaceous (291): — tufted-form 63 including 
tufted fern 3, tufted-grass 56; tufted-rush ı and tufted-herb 3; tussock ı8 in- 
cluding grass-tussock 16 and rush-tussock 2; rosette-form 120 of which 27 are 
erect; cushion-form 52 including grass-cushion 5 and moss-like cushion 14, 
earth-orchid form ı1; erect-branching-form 13; prostrate-straggling-form 9; 
mat-form (non-rooting) 3; /ris-form ı; Utricularia-form ı. ß) Semi-woody 
(44): — tufted-fern 2; rosette 6; Yucca-form 2; cushion-form ı5; erect-branch- 
ing ı1; erect-unbranching 4; mat 4. 
The leaves of the high-mountain semi-woody plants and herbs may be 
characterized as follows: — very large (over 20 cm long) 5; large (T10—20 cm 
long) 33; medium (s—ı0 cm long) 54; small (2.5—5 cm long) 212, very small 
(2.5 cm and less in length) 196 which with the small are 61 p.c. of the whole; 
thin (including non-coriaceous and those not distinctly thick) 185; coriaceous, 
thick or fleshy 315 (63 p. c.) of which 20 are exceedingly thick, coriaceous, 
stiff or fleshy; glabrous 360 (72 p.c.); hairy 140 of which 64 are distinctly 
tomentose on the under- surface. 
Dark-colored, brownish or even blackish leaves are a frequent feature of 
alpine herbs and indeed of New Zealand herbs in general, as in Gunnera 
Prorepens of lowland moor, but Ican give no approximate statistics. In some 
cases, I have proved the colour to be dependant at any rate in part on light- 
intensity, but in other cases this is not the case for the stain is on the basal 
Sheltered portion of the leaf as in some species of Corula. Dull reddish or 
purplish leaves belong to the same category. Glaucous leaves occur in some 
Species, e.g. — certain Gramineae, Ranunculaceae, Acaena, Umbelliferae, 
Compositae &c. 
The subantarctic character of dead vegetative parts remaining attached to 
the living plant and turning into peat is extremely common amongst New 
Zealand alpine plants and occurs in all degrees of intensity. In the case of 
Ceimisia the rotting leaf-sheaths, sopping-wet, are more bulky than the living 
Sheaths that they surround. In the peat-filled cushion-plants the water-holding 
Capacity is very great indeed and the plants are quite independent of soil- 
water. Many of the steppe-grasses have also a sheathing of dead leaf-sheaths, 
but these are usually of a drier character than those described above. Living 
leaves with channelled petioles frequently function in conducting water to the 
"005 as may be seen in certain species of Ourisia and Ranunculus. The 
a N 
t) In “turf” there are subterranean rhizomes as a rule and the growth is more even and 
 denser than in “mat” but ‘there are forms which might go into either class. i 
2) These have been already dealt with as lowland plants, where they rightly receive their 
Place as a distinet class, 
13* 
