August; 1932 The Queensland Naturalist 
39 
Some of the more interesting Coniferous trees are found 
at this level, e.g., Phyllocladus rhomb oidalis (Celery Top 
Fine), Arthrotaxis selaginoides (King Billy Pine) and A. 
cupressoides (Pencil Cedar). Of shrubs, some of the more 
characteristic are Gaultheria hispida (Snow Berry), Bauera 
rubioidcs , Coprosma niitida , and various Epacrids such as 
Trochocarpa, Lissanthe , Gyathodes, etc. 
At the 4,000ft. level, trees more or less disappear and 
shrubs growing in rock clefts or rock pockets are the 
characteristic plants. As in most countries it is at the 
higher altitudes that the greatest degree of endemism 
occurs. This extends in some cases, e.g., Microcachrys 
(Creeping Fine), BcUendena (Proteace’ae), etc., to genera. 
Among the dominant shrubby genera in Tasmania may be 
noted Bacckea, Leptospermum , 0 rites, Telopea, Pimelea, 
Gyanihodes, Richea , Jleliclirysum, etc. Some of the herb- 
aceous plants such as Gcntiana saxosa, Euprhasia Brownii, 
Gclmisio Jongi folia, Brachycome scapiformis, Sececio p co- 
Una Us, etc., are striking by reason of their beauty. 
The rain-forest finds its greatest development on the west 
coast, but where conditions are suitable extends consider- 
ably eastward, being fully developed in the National Park, 
where the slopes of the Mount Field Range from a little 
above sea level to about 3,000ft. are clothed with a com- 
paratively heavy temperate rain-forest. At the lower levels 
a. dense sclerophvllous woodland may be developed in which 
Eucalyptus obliqua (messmate or Stringybark) and Acacia 
mclanoxglon (Blackwood) are the dominant trees, with an 
undergrowth of Z ieria, Prosthanthcra, Aristotelia, etc. 
This gradually merges into typical rain-forest. In the 
wetter parts Eucalyptus regnans (Swamp Gum) becomes 
the dominant large tree, with Atherosperma (Sassafrass), 
Eucryphia (Leatherwood) , An odo pet alum (Horizontal) , 
Noth ofagus Citnninghamii (Myrtle) and Phyllocladus 
(Celery Top Pine) as associated trees. Smaller trees very 
abundant in this zone are Anopterus (Laurel) and Telopea 
(Waratah) with an abundance of Tree-ferns ( Dicksonia ) 
everywhere. It may here be noted that at the time of my 
visit (February), the Waratah at the lower levels had long 
finished flowering, but in the mountains just below stand- 
ing snow they were in full blossom. 
As higher levels (2, 500-3, 000ft.) are reached E ucalylpus 
regnans gives place to the more typical mountain species 
E. Gunii (Cider Gum), E. urnigera (Urn Gum) and E. 
coccifera (Mountain Peppermint) , with Phyllocladus 
(Celery Top Pine) and Nothofa.gus (Myrtle) are still quite 
abundant. Here the rain-forest gradually dwindles, these 
outlying species, however, persisting but becoming more 
and more dwarfed as the higher altitudes are reached. 
