DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS. 



was even a rather distinctly-marked ravine, with indications of a com- 

 mencing mountain-torrent, and dampness in its bed. I spent the time 

 here in forming a complete flora of an area a mile and a half square, 

 extending upwards from the level of our encampment; say, from the 

 elevation of 6100 feet to that of 6500. Taking care not to descend 

 below the first-named limit, the following thirty-seven species of plants 

 were the only ones met with: gen. SUeiwid (No. 3), rare; DodonaM, 

 with lanceolate leaves, and large capsules; (jen. Pdarcjoiiioid (No. 1), 

 not abundant; Pittosporam (No. 5), in sheltered spots, and somewhat 

 rare ; Edwardsia, very little changed by mountain-exposure ; Metro- 

 tiideros (bis No. 4), nowliere more than fifteen feet high, by eight inches 

 in diameter of trunk ; Metrosideros with smooth fruit, rare ; ejeii. Cojj'eac. 

 with black glutinous berries, continuing frequent ; gen. Coffeac. with 

 orange-colored berries not beaked, a shrub not in the least gnarled, but 

 maintaining its usual habit as though unaffected hy mountain-exposure; 

 gen. Compos, with the leaves decussate and stellately verticillate in 

 fives, rare ; Argyroxipliium with narrow silvery leaves, commencing 

 about a quarter of a mile above our Encampment ; Vaccinium, only in 

 flower now, while lower down it occurred in fruit; gen. Epacrid., con- 

 tinuing abundant ; Plantago with lanceolate leaves, growing in the 

 dry bed of the commencing mountain-torrent; Daphne; Santalum, now 

 rare ; Exocarpus, frequent, but occurring only in the form of a low 

 semi-decumbent branching shrub; Dianella, rare; Sniilax (No. 4), 

 growing in sheltered hollows; Hamelinia, the leaves seeming narrower 

 than usual, rare ; Luzida, bis, tall with hairy radical leaves, rare ; 

 Morelotia, bis Great Crater, growing in tufts a foot high, abundant ; 

 gen. Restioid, small and Iris-leaved, rare ; Carex, having something of 

 the habit of C. acuta but stouter, growing in the slight and dry 

 ravine ; Carex or gen. Carle. , growing in low tufts in the slight and dry 

 ravine ; Agrostis, bis ; and Trisetum, bis, the grasses seeming of the same 

 set as lower down on Mauna Roa, but they had become more rare ; 

 Aira, but the awns wanting or very short, rare ; L;jcopodivm somewhat 

 like L, clavatum, growing in cracks of the lava-surface, rare ; Acrosti- 

 clmrn, chaffy, with the frond lanceolate, growing in cracks of the lava- 

 surface; Polypodium having the habit of P. vulgare but larger, more 

 rare than below the Great Crater ; Polypodium with a simple lanceo- 

 late frond, growing in a cave ; Pteris resembling P. aquilina, very 

 rare; Pteris ternifolia?, rare; Asplenium having almost the habit 

 of Woodsia, growing in the slight and dry ravine, rare ; Asplenium, 



