Chkeseman. — On the Botany of the Pironyia Mountain. 323 



In describing the flora of any district it is quite as essential to point out 

 the absence of any species of general distribution which might have been 

 fairly expected to occur, as to record the presence of rare or local ones. It 

 is true that to assert positively that a particular plant is absent fi-'om a 

 locahty is a somewhat hazardous statement, and one that should never be 

 made unless founded on a careful and minute exploration — which demands 

 time and leisure. At present, too httle is known of Pirongia to make any 

 statements of this kind, but it certainly seems deskable to draw attention 

 to a few plants that were not observed by myself, in the hope that future 

 explorers will do something towards ascertaining whether they are really 

 absent from the mountains or not. 



Only two species of Pittosporum were noticed, — P. tenuifolium and 

 P. cornifolium ; but sm*ely P. eugenioides will be found near the base, and 

 P. kirki near the summit (the first species being common elsewhere in the 

 Waikato, and the last known to occur in at least one locahty). ElcBocarpus 

 hookerianus and Pennantia corymbosa are both trees that would naturally be 

 looked for, but neither was observed. No true myrtle was collected, although 

 M. bullata, at least, will doubtless be found. Corokia buddleoides, so common in 

 hilly and wooded districts near Auckland, was not seen. Some of the southern 

 Olearias, as O. nitida and 0. dentata, might have been expected. No species 

 of Cehnisia was noticed upon the mountain itself, although C. lonyifolia is 

 found on the bare hills between Harapipi and Whatawhata. Gaultheria 

 rupestris should be found on some of the rocky peaks. All the olives were 

 absent, and only one species of Veronica and one of Pimelea were noticed. 

 I did not observe any of the Fagi, but there seems to be no reason why 

 F. fiisca should not occur. A most remarkable peculiarity is the apparent 

 absence of all the mountain species of Dacrydium and of Phyllocladus 

 tricJiomanoides. Among ferns, Hxjpolepis distans, Lomaria alpina, and 

 Aspidium aculeatum, are species which maybe expected to occur on Pirongia, 

 but which were not observed by me. 



Before concluding this paper, it seems not out of place to say a few 

 words about Karioi mountain (situated on the coast, between Kaglan and 

 Aotea, and about thh-ty miles distant in a straight line fi'om Pirongia). So far 

 as can be judged h-om a single day's examination, its vegetation very closely 

 resembles that of Pirongia ; in fact, when a few coast plants — as Vitex, 

 Myoporum, Olearia albida, etc. — are excepted, the plants of the two locahtes 

 are almost identical. All the southern species seen on the summits of 

 Pk'ongia — as Coprosma fcetidissima, Pa7iax sinclairiisind. P. colensoi, Cordyline 

 hookeri, Polypodium novcB-zealandicB, etc. — re-appeared on the top of Karioi. 

 One marked difference, however, was noticed : Ixerba hrexioides, which is pro- 

 bably the commonest tree on the higher parts of Pirongia, is decidedly 

 scarce on Karioi. 



