﻿448 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Botany. 
  

  

  Cordi/Hne 
  pumUio, 
  is 
  extremely 
  rare 
  on 
  AVailieke. 
  Sapoia 
  costata 
  attains 
  its 
  

   greatest 
  dimensions 
  on 
  Kawau, 
  but 
  is 
  small 
  on 
  Wailieke 
  ; 
  wliib 
  Fittosporum 
  

   teniii/ullnin, 
  P. 
  crassifolium, 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  are 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  frequent 
  on 
  

   Wailieke 
  as 
  on 
  Kawau. 
  

  

  Waibeke 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  to 
  possess 
  a 
  moderately 
  copious 
  flora, 
  

   exliibiting 
  a 
  great 
  amount 
  of 
  luxuriance 
  and 
  vigour, 
  although 
  its 
  most 
  

   important 
  species 
  are 
  far 
  from 
  attaining 
  extreme 
  dimensions, 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   amount 
  of 
  variety 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  luxuriant 
  growth 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   deeper 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  forest, 
  or 
  in 
  sheltered 
  bays 
  by 
  the 
  sea. 
  The 
  least 
  

   amount 
  of 
  variety 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  open 
  fern 
  or 
  tea-tree 
  lands 
  on 
  the 
  higher 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  islands 
  are 
  of 
  smaller 
  size 
  than 
  Waiheke, 
  the 
  largest 
  not 
  

   comprising 
  more 
  than 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  the 
  acreage 
  of 
  that 
  island. 
  Ponui 
  

   contains 
  4,726 
  acres, 
  and 
  presents 
  similar 
  geological 
  features 
  ; 
  its 
  flora 
  is 
  

   less 
  copious 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  Waiheke, 
  its 
  most 
  noticeable 
  feature 
  being 
  the 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  Braclujglottis 
  and 
  other 
  low-growing 
  shrubs. 
  

  

  Motutapu 
  has 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  3,728 
  acres, 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  laid 
  

   down 
  in 
  excellent 
  grass, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  remainder 
  being 
  manuka 
  or 
  open 
  fern 
  

   land 
  ; 
  yet, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  unfavourable 
  conditions 
  which 
  exist 
  upon 
  

   this 
  little 
  island, 
  upwards 
  of 
  two 
  hundred 
  and 
  forty 
  sj)ecies 
  of 
  phasnogams 
  

   and 
  ferns 
  were 
  catalogued; 
  about 
  forty-five 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  natm'alized 
  plants, 
  

   chiefly 
  of 
  agricultural 
  introduction, 
  the 
  most 
  noteworthy 
  being 
  Myosotis 
  

   coliina, 
  Hoffm., 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  observed 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  colony, 
  so 
  far 
  

   as 
  I 
  am 
  aware. 
  Nothing 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  arboreal 
  vegetation 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found, 
  

   except 
  in 
  sloping 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  cliffs, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  bays, 
  -where 
  magni- 
  

   ficent 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  pohutukawa 
  are 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  seen, 
  rarely 
  associated 
  

   with 
  Sapoia 
  costata 
  and 
  Corynocarpus 
  laviyata. 
  Ferns 
  are 
  extremely 
  rare, 
  

   and 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  vegetation 
  is 
  either 
  littoral 
  or 
  ericetal 
  in 
  its 
  

   character. 
  Two 
  native 
  grasses, 
  Tvisetwn 
  antanticinn 
  and 
  Triticum 
  muliijlorum, 
  

   are 
  more 
  plentiful 
  than 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Auckland 
  district. 
  Motutapu 
  

   consists 
  of 
  sandstones 
  and 
  clays, 
  the 
  former 
  sometimes 
  so 
  regularly 
  strati- 
  

   fied 
  as 
  to 
  present 
  an 
  artificial 
  appearance. 
  

  

  Motuihi 
  contains 
  about 
  460 
  acres, 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  pastu- 
  

   rage. 
  The 
  open, 
  uncleared 
  portion 
  is 
  chiefly 
  covered 
  with 
  manuka 
  or 
  

   fern, 
  and 
  patches 
  of 
  large 
  arboreal 
  vegetation 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  slopes, 
  

   the 
  most 
  important 
  member 
  being 
  the 
  pohutukawa, 
  which 
  attains 
  large 
  

   dimensions* 
  On 
  a 
  charming 
  miniature 
  sandy 
  beach, 
  Dichelacline 
  stipoides, 
  

   Piindea 
  arcnaria, 
  Faspaliim 
  distichum, 
  and 
  Sicyoe 
  anguJatiis 
  are 
  plentiful* 
  

   The 
  last-named 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  observed 
  on 
  any 
  other 
  of 
  these 
  islands. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  vegetation 
  of 
  Little 
  Motutapu 
  (Eukino), 
  containing 
  only 
  450 
  

   acres, 
  and 
  of 
  Pakihi, 
  containing 
  280 
  acres, 
  nothing 
  is 
  known. 
  

  

  