302 The Botanical Subdivisions of New Zealand. 
into Sphagnum moor. Actual kauri association is of quite small area. There 
is no alpine association but certain southern plants appear on Mt. Pirongia 
(960 m), e. 8. — Polypodium novae-zealandiae, Cordyline indivisa, Enargea parvi- 
Flora, Weinmannia racemosa, Nothopanax Sinclairü, N. Colensoi, Coprosma tenui- 
folia and C. foetidissima‘). The number of species is more than 588; only 
Althenia Preissii is confined to the sub-district. 
5. The Volcanic Plateau district (Central province). 
This occupies the central portion of the North‘Island. Its boundaries, as 
shown on the map, are quite provisional. An important ecological feature is 
that the soil is composed largely of pumice. Much of the area lies at over 
600 m altitude, while on Mt. Ruapehu the limit of perpetual snow is reached. 
There are extensive taxad forests in which Podocarpus totara and P. Halli 
are dominant. Much of the area is occupied by Zepiospermum-heath with 
which is abundance of Dracophyllum subulatum. Gaultheria oppositifolia is 
also characteristic. Many hot springs, fumeroles &c. occur in the district and 
in their neighbourhood are special communities and species. In the subalpine 
belt there is grass-steppe, shrub-steppe and actual desert; Dracophyllum recur- 
vum is a most characteristic shrub. e flora consists of more than 702 
species of which the following are Sand to the district: — Nephrolepis 
cordifolia, Gleichenia linearis, Scirpus crassiusculus, Bagnisia Hillii and 
Veronica Hookeriana. 
6. The East Cape District (Central province). { 
This includes the East Cape peninsula and the area along the coast to a 
little to the S. of C. Kidnappers. As to the western and southern boundaries, 
as shown on the map, they are little better than a guess. In the northern 
part of the district there are extensive forests, both taxad and Nothofagus. 
In the southern part, the climate is dryer than elsewhere in the North Island, 
forest is rare, and Pieridium and Leptospermum heath probably the original 
 covering. On the coast, there is a characteristic rock-association of Verona 
macrouwra and Phormium Cookianum and, on river-banks, a fringe of trees 
with Pittosporum Ralphii, Sophora grandiflora and Hoheria sexstylosa strongly 
in evidence. On the mountains, there is a small alpine flora.. The species 
number more than Ei ie SOmaE BEE confined to the distriet: — Zemna 
gibba, Peperomi diflora, Myosotisamabilis, M. saxosa, Ver 
nıca Darwiniana, Y: Ecröiikn, V. Coke V. Anagallis, Jovellana Sinclairü, 
Utricularia nen, Coprosma Shane , Plantago viridis?), Olearia mean Be 
Sentcio perdicioides and perhaps Grmschdes Williamsü. ‚About 28 South 
Island reach ig northern Lt in this, district. 
a) Tirana Al re te Thames sub-distriet, 
ee mean A may De a ey 0f Amigo Aa 
