Buchanan. — Sketch of the Botumj of Otago. 191 



and slinibs. lu its general features it differs considerably from the busli 

 flora of the East Coast. In addition to tbe pines wliicli are distributed over 

 every part of Ncav Zealand, Metrosideros lucida, Weinmannia racemosa, Fagus 

 fusca, F. menziesii, and F. solandri are the most prominent and abundant in 

 numbers, the tAvo first being remarkable for beauty when in flower. 



In the sounds and harbours along the coast, the bush comes down to the 

 sea in some places where not so steep, having a belt of shrubs on the shore. 

 In ascending a mountain at Dusky Bay, this belt is first passed through, 

 consisting of many rare and beautiful shrubs : Olearia operina, with its star 

 fascicles of leaves centred by large white flowers (this plant is only found 

 betm^een Milford Sound and Preservation Inlet) ; Archer ia traversi, a large, 

 ornamental heath-shrub, Avith racemes of red flowers ; Senecio rotundifolia, 

 a large, ornamental shrub-tree; as also species of Veronica, Pimelea, Coriaria, 

 PJagianthus, Sophora, and Olearia. 



For the first 1,000 feet altitude the principal trees are species of Dacnj- 

 dimn, Fodocarpus, Fagus, Metrosideros, and Weinmannia, .with several of 

 the smaller shrub-trees of the western region, as also Gyatliea medullaris, 

 DicTcsonia sqiiarrosa, tree-ferns ; the latter being the furthest south tree- 

 fern in JSTew Zealand. At 2,000 feet altitude many of the trees have dis- 

 appeared, and others become stunted from the severity of the climate. At 

 2,500 feet altitude the trees cease, and a belt of stunted gnarled shrubs are 

 passed through, to the bald mountain top. This belt is sometimes found to 

 consist of Olearia colensoi only, and is very difiicult to pass through, from 

 the branches interlacing. 



The open mountain top is covered with a growth of coarse grass, tracked 

 all over by the kakapo parrot. The alpine vegetation at 3,500 feet altitude 

 consists of the following plants, many of which are only sub-alpine on 

 Mount Alta, at the "Wanaka Lake : — 



JRanunculus lyallii (abundant), Celmisia ramidosa, C. verhascifolia, O. lyallii, 

 G. laricifolia, Claytonia australasiea, Caltha novce-zealandice, Fpilohium 

 purpuratum, Acipliylla monroi, A. lyallii, Ligusticum, Coprosma pumila, 

 Brachycome sinelairi, Craspedia alpina, Senecio lyallii, S. hifistulosics, Forstera 

 sedifoUa, Wahlenhergia saxicola, Fentachondra pumila, BracopTiyllum 

 rosmarinifolia, D. menziesii, Gentiana montana, G. saxosa, Myosotis capitata, 

 Veronica Icevis, V. huxifolia, Ourisia macrophylla, O. ccespltosa, Anthericum 

 hoolceri. 



POPULAR ARRANGEMENT OF THE OTAGO FLORA. 



Many of the most prominent plants have been named by the settlers of 

 Otago from certain apparent affinities of likeness or quality of wood: this 



