210 BOTANY 
change in the character of the vegetation. By degrees, 
the tall rimu become rarer and finally disappear 
altogether, yielding place at about 3,000 ft. to the 
large tooth-leaved beech which now becomes the 
dominant tree. Parasitic on this is the scarlet-flowered 
mistletoe. Since the crowns of the beech trees form a 
leafy roof almost impenetrable to light the forest 
becomes more open, the scanty undergrowth being 
confined chiefly to species of coprosma and the magnifi- 
cent fern known as the Prince of Wales Feather. After 
advancing a few more miles and ascending another 
thousand feet or so, the vegetation shows a perceptible 
change. The beech trees are no longer tall, and are 
now, moreover, associated with considerable numbers 
of the curious mountain cedars: the ground, too, is 
covered with dense, soft mats of various kinds of moss, 
while here and there the stinking coprosma appears. 
Soon the tooth-leaved beech disappears and the more 
stunted mountain beech becomes the dominant tree. 
Finally, about nine miles from Ohakune, at an eleva- 
tion of about 4,000 ft., we reach the limit of the forest 
vegetation. At this point the trees are seldom over 
ten feet high, and, especially on the ridges, are remark- 
able for their weather-worn wind-swept appearance. 
At the same time, streamers of grey lichen, that hang 
from their trunks and branches, give a truly weird 
aspect to these stunted mountain beeches. Here, too, 
at the extreme upper limit of the forest, are found the 
mountain toa-toa and mountain rimu, both forms well- 
suited to withstand the blasts that sweep their lofty 
home. These, together with shrubby veronicas and 
composites, mingled with low-growing forms of the 
gnarled and stunted mountain beeches, comprise the 
almost impenetrable thicket known as the sub-alpine 
serub. 
Tree vegetation now gives way to the Alpine 
meadow, which comprises such plants as tussocky 
