Buchanan. — Flora of the Province of Wellington. 213 



required. In experiments made on the strength of timbers for the New- 

 Zealand Exhibition Commissioners, it was clearly proved that in certain 

 localities the timber of rimu was much stronger than in others, and the only- 

 reason that can be assigned for this is the difference in soil and exposure. 



But little need be said on the vegetation of the open land, which, in almost 

 every locality, is either grass or fern, with intervals of scrub. A list of the 

 plants of this division has already been given in a paper on the flora of the 

 Miramar Peninsula (Trans. IST.Z. Inst., Yol. V., p. 349). 



The indigenous grasses are sparsely spread, but improve by grazing if not 

 too often burned. They generally disappear before British grasses, not from 

 possessing a lesser vitality, but from being unduly handicapped in the struggle. 

 There is probably no instance of the native grass-seeds being collected and 

 sown, while this is frequently done with the British species, some of which 

 would, no doubt, disappear also but for being re-sown. 



The alpine region in Wellington is but little known. Those plants collected 

 prove to be chiefly South Island species, with a few Buahine Mountain species, 

 the latter having been first collected there by Mr. Colenso. Many new- 

 species may still be expected to be found in this region when more thoroughly 

 examined. 



The littoral region differs little over the entire coast of New Zealand, thus 

 proving a great uniformity in the conditions of plant-life there. A list of the 

 species peculiar to this division will be found in Trans. N.Z. Inst., Yol. Y., 

 p. 349. 



In the marine region the Algae of the southern coast of Wellington are 

 peculiarly rich in the Melanospermse, or large-sized species of the order, masses 

 of them having, no doubt, been drifted by the currents and storms of the south 

 from other islands, although the same species are also indigenous to New 

 Zealand. In proof of this, and as fixing the locality whence some may have 

 come, Ostrea virginica, a mollusc of the Chatham Islands, has been found 

 attached to one of these floating masses ; again, Acanthoccetes ovatus, a rare 

 mollusc founded by Captain Hutton on a single specimen (of unknown locality), 

 has since been found deeply imbedded in a large floated stem of Macrocystus 

 "pyrifera, from which it may be inferred that both plant and mollusc are 

 immigrants to New Zealand. 



The storm-beaten shores of Wellington, with limited shelter, are but little 

 adapted to the growth of the more delicate Rhodospermse, hence the fewness of 

 those found, except when parasitic on the larger species. 



The other orders of the Cryjjtogamia have their habitats spread over all 

 the regions of the Phauerogamia. The aljjine forms are little known, and the 

 whole, especially Fungi, still offer a rich field for further i-esearch in 

 Wellington. 



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