PLANTS OF CHATHAM ISLAND. 



57 



PLANTS OF CHATHAM ISLAND. 

 By Captain A. A. Dorrien-Smith, D.S.O. 



[Ik December 1909, Captain Dorrien-Smith visited Chatham Island 

 on a plant-hunting expedition, and secured a number of plants which 

 he hoped to be able to grow in the British Isles, since from the latitude 

 in which the Island lies (.44^ S.) it was reasonable to hope that some at 

 least of the plants native there would be hardy in the warmer parts of 

 S.W. England and Ireland, and especially in the Isles of Scilly. Many 

 of the plants collected died on the voyage home as the tropics had to be 

 passed, but some survived. 



Chatham Island is of volcanic origin and lies some distance from the 

 east coast of New Zealand. It is the largest of the group to which it 

 belongs, being about 30 miles long and having an area of about 350 

 square miles. Near it lie Pitt Island containing about 15,000 acres and 

 several rocks and islets. 



The climate is a mild one, only a degree or two of frost being 

 experienced in the winter. It is on the whole very similar to S.W. 

 Ireland. The rainfall amounts to only about 30 inches, but there are 

 many damp days, moisture falling on an average about 190 days in the 

 year. 



One part of the island, towards its southern end, rises to an eleva- 

 tion of 1,000 feet, and becomes more and more boggy towards the top. 

 There is a large lagoon cut off from the sea by stretches of blown 

 sand which occupy considerable areas on the island, and there are 

 several large fresh-water lakes, of which Lake Huro is the largest. 



The figures, which are from photographs by Captain Dorrien-Smith, 

 well depict the vegetation of the island.] 



