210 Transactions. — Botany. 



Ptilota Caulerpa 



/ormosissima, Mont. furcifolia, J. H. and Harv. 



Fandorea Codium 



traversii, J. Ag., n. g. tomentosum, Ag. 



Griffithsia adhcerens, Ag. 



sonderiana, J. Ag., n. sp. Bryopsis 



antarctica, J. H. and Harv. ^;ro^{;^ca, J. Ag. 



gracilis, Harv. Ulva 

 Or an allied species in a sterile state. rigida, Ag. 



Ballia 



hrunonis, Harv. 

 scoparia, Harv. 



Art. XXXYIII, — litotes on the Flora of the Frovince of Wellington, with 



a List of Flants collected therein. By John Buchanan, of tlie Geological 



Survey of New Zealand, 



l^Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, \&th January, 1874.] 

 The following list of plants lias been determined from specimens chiefly 

 collected in the southern portion of the Province of Wellington. The district 

 now under notice may be defined as south of a line drawn between the 

 Wanganui River on the west and Castle Point on the east. The surface 

 features of this area will be found to present two main lines of watershed with 

 a north and south axis, the altitudes i-anging up to 5,000 feet. The relative 

 area of bush and open land are, according to Mr. J. T. Stewart, nearly equal,* 

 the bush being more confined to the westei'n range, while the great central river 

 basin and hills of the eastern range are comparatively open land, and covered 

 by a vegetation of fern, grass, and low-growing plants, little having as yet 

 been done to improve upon the primitive condition of the country, except 

 partial clearing by fire. 



The river basins of this district are well adapted for agriculture ; the 

 inorganic matter from the wear of rocks, brought down by the streams from 

 mountain ranges of a varied geology, with the added organic matter of a 

 luxuriant natural vegetation — -the accumulation of ages — present all the 

 elements of a fertile soil. The extension of pasture is the main object at 

 present in clearing land, but where bush is cleai-ed for this purjDose the rough 

 and slovenly method usually adopted does not produce a first-class pasture, 

 although bush soil is capable of growing excellent crops of either roots or 

 cereals. 



On the extensive hill lands of the eastern division of the district, however, 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. II., Art. XLVIII., "On the River System of the South 

 Portion of the Province of Wellington," by J. T. Stewart. 



