THE VASCULAR FLORA OF MACQUARIE ISLAND. -CHEESEMAN. 
13 
Uncinias, and the conspicuous cushions of Azorella Selago. In the hollows of the 
hills are countless little tarns or lakes, some of considerable extent. Round the 
tops of the hills the wind has cut out wonderful terraces from a few inches to a foot 
or two in height, with completely bare rock much disintegrated by the weather 
on the top. In some of the more sheltered places or gullies stunted plants 
of Stilbocarpa and Pleurophyllum cover the ground. The Pleurophyllum was, 
unfortunately, long past flower, and so I did not get any specimens showing the 
beautiful aster-like flower, with its purple ray-florets and yellow centre. The 
majority of the plants on the island are littoral, and are to be found on the swampy 
ground near the beach. From the ship it appeared as if there were some good- 
sized bushes or shrubs growing on the lower levels; but on landing these were 
found to be huge detached rocks overgrown with mosses and large tussocks of 
Poa foliosa. On the whole island there is not a shrub or plant large enough to 
make a pen-holder. Indeed, the only plant of a ligneous genus is the small creeping 
Coprosma repens. The large Poa tussocks are the great feature of the low levels; 
while on the hill-tops Azorella is most prominent, with its bright green closely 
growing convex masses of stems and leaves. These masses are so solid and elastic 
as to bear the weight of a man without material injury. On these cushions grow 
two small but interesting plants— Coprosma repens, with its dimorphous flowers 
and scarlet berries, and a very minute variety of a fern ( Polypodium australe), the 
frond of which is about half-an-inch high. This truly alpine plant I have collected 
on the top of the Kaweka Mountain, in Hawke’s Bay. Two other ferns are found 
on the island, one Lomaria alpina, the other Aspidium aculeatum var. vestitumP 
The collection of plants made was examined by the late Mr. T. Kirk, whose 
report formed the basis of the list given in Mr. Hamilton’s paper. This I reproduce 
below, premising that I have made a few alterations in the names of some of the 
species in order to comply with modern views of botanical nomenclature :— 
Ranunculus biternatus Smith. 
Cardamine corymb os a Hook. f. 
Stellaria decipiens Hook. f. 
Stellaria media Cyr. (naturalized). 
Cerastium trim ale Link (naturalized). 
Colobantlius Billardieri Fenzl. 
Colobanthus muscoides Hook. f. 
Montia font an a Linn. 
Accena adscendens Vahl. 
Accena Sanguis orb ce Valil. 
T illce a m os chat a D.C. 
Callitriche antarctica Engl. 
Epilobium linnceoides Hook. f. 
Epilobium nummulary folium var. nerterioides A. Cunn. 
