334 Transactions. — Botany. 



Gleichenia diohotoma to a single habitat, are significant facts, but I defer 

 further remark on this head until referring to their distribution in the Taupo 

 district. It is extremely dijficult to account for the absence of all notice of 

 Nephrodium unitum, as it occurs in vast abundance in situations where it 

 could not possibly have been overlooked by the numerous travellers who have 

 visited the lake. Gleichenia dicliotoma, originally discovered in this locality 

 by Captain Gilbert Mair, although far more striking in general appearance, 

 may easily have been passed by, owing to the difficult and unlikely nature of 

 its habitat. Although this fern was first described as a native of New 

 Zealand by "Forster, it has been generally considered that he did not collect it 

 in these islands. Its discovery at Matata, on the East Coast, however, throws 

 a new light on the subject, and suggests the possibility of its having been 

 collected by him at some other isolated locality in the Bay of Plenty or in 

 Poverty Bay, although its inclusion amongst the plants used by the Maoris as 

 food is probably an error. 



Tarawera Mountain. 



The land between the eastern extremity of Tarawera Lake and the base of 

 Tarawera mountain is much broken by deep ravines with precipitous sides. 

 The majority of these are filled with Leptospermum and other common shrubs, 

 the most prominent being large-leaved forms of Pittosporum tenuifolium. 

 Much of the open portion had been burnt shortly before my visit, and in 

 many spots the surface was hidden by a young growth of common Bantlionia 

 and Agrostis quadriseta, the latter excessively rigid and scabrid. The base of 

 the mountain is strewed with masses of fallen rock, amongst which a few 

 common shrubs are growing in a more or less stunted condition. Large 

 terrestrial specimens of Metrosideros rohusta occur at the entrance to the 

 gorge separating Kuawahia from Te Wahunga. The ascent of the central 

 portion, Ruawahia, is attended with some little difficulty on account of its 

 precipitous character, and the danger arising from loose fragments of rock 

 which become detached with the slightest touch. Single aneroid observations 

 gave rather less than 2,500 feet as the height of the central peaks above the 

 lake level ; this added to the usually received altitude of the lake gives a 

 result nearly identical with that published by the Director of the Trigono- 

 metrical Survey from corrected observations, 3,609 feet. 



The vegetation on the face of the mountain is scanty and stunted, but 

 notwithstanding the arid nature of the situation diminutive specimens of 

 HymenopJiyllum bivalve and other species occurred in crevices. Astelia 

 trinervia grew in sheltered places up to 3,200 feet, with Gaultheria oppositi- 

 folia and Cyathodes acerosa, etc. A dwarf shrubby vegetation occurs in 

 sheltered places on the summit, and affords cover for a luxuriant growth of 



