BOTANY. 
147 
In this respect the Northern Island is still richer, for, in ad¬ 
dition to those already named, we there find the puriri (Vitex 
littoralis) and the pohutukaua (Metrosideros tomentosa), the 
magnificent flowers of which form a great ornament to the land¬ 
scape. 
The plains near the banks of the Eoto-iti lake, where I first 
began my examination, although of no great altitude, exhibit in 
their flora a sub-Alpine character. They are partly covered with 
grass, and, where stony, with mosses and lichens, amongst the 
latter of which several interesting genera of the tribe Lecidinae, 
belonging principally to Stereocaulon and Cladonia, are most 
abundant. In other parts of the plains, speargrass (Aciphylla 
squarrosa), growing to a large size, predominates, so as to render 
travelling unpleasant, if not difficult; but in the plains it does not 
attain the same dimensions as on the summits of the mountains. 
Several species of Gfentiana and Celmisia are also met with. 
Near the lake I found a large and beautiful species of Arundo 
(toe-toe), which I believe to be new. On the banks of the rivulets 
the handsome little fern Lomaria alpina was abundant. The shrubs 
found in the plains and at the bases of the hills belonged princi¬ 
pally to the genera Leptospermum, Veronica, and Eurybia, of which 
some few may yet be undescribed. I was at the lake during the 
flowering season of these plants, the latter part of January, and 
in some places the hill sides appeared as if covered with snow, 
the green leaves almost hidden below rich masses of white 
flowers. 
The mountain sides near Lake Eoto-iti, and of the interior 
generally, are covered with different species of Eagus, often be¬ 
coming fine trees. They range to an altitude of 4,500 to 4,700 
feet. Eor the last 300 feet they become dwarfish and covered 
with the lichen Usnea, of different forms, and generally of a light 
greenish or yellowish colour. I believe that 4,700 feet is the 
greatest altitude at which the Eagus is found, and that in this 
respect Mr. Bidwell has fallen into error in assigning to it a range 
of 7,000 feet. 
The black-birch forest is generally open, and the ground as well 
as the stems of the trees are covered deeply with mosses of the 
genera Hypnum, Hookeria, Dicranum, &c., besides many Hepaticse; 
also several handsome species of ferns of the genus Hymenophyllum 
occur. Amongst the ferns some species of Lomaria (for instance, 
Lomaria Volcanica) and some of the genera Asplenium and Poly- 
stichum range very high. Grenerally speaking, in the central part 
of the island, the birch forest is not immediately succeeded by a 
sub-Alpine vegetation, for I found that where the dwarfish and 
scrubby trees ended they were at once followed by snow-grass. 
Here, besides the Aciphylla squarrosa, often six to seven feet high, 
we meet with another spear-grass, the Aciphylla Monroi. 
Amongst the rocks many interesting species of the genera 
