ALPINE FLORA OF NEW ZEALAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19069, 15 January 1924, Page 2

ALPINE FLORA OF NEW ZEALAND.

A HOLIDAY EXCURSION AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. ROUTEBURN AND HARRIS SADDLE. BOLD PEAK, OTOMAN RANGE. No. I. By Hknuy L. Dahion. Some few weeks ago, Mr A. Hart and I received an invitation from Mr Jas, Speden, of Gore, to join him in a botanical excursion to the Lakes district, and on Thursday, December 20, we left Lawrence at 8 a.m. by motor, having arranged to meet Mr Speden at Raes Junction. Our party being then complete, no time was lost in making for Queenstown. Iho roads were quite satisfactory, and we reached the lake at 6 p.rn..' Next morning we set out in the Mountaineer for Kin loch, arriving there about neon, the journey from Kinloch to the Routeburn hut is the first stage of the now popular round trip from Kinloch to Elfiin Bay, and may be briefiy described: —Kinloch to Routeburn camp 17 miles ; next morning, via Lake Harris, over the saddle to Lake M’Kenzie, 10 miles; and then on to Lake Howdcn camp, 10 miles. Ibis completes the second day’s journey. The next and final stage is from Howden to the Greenstone, 14 miles, and thence to Elfin Bay, 10 miles, a three days’ journey in all. There is ample sleeping accommodation (Government huts) at Routeburn and .bake Howden, hut none whatever at Lake M’Kenzie, the halfway post between the two camps. The erection of a hut here, to be used in emergency, would be a great boon to tourists, as sometimes the weather proves unpropitious and one is then forced to make shift there under a rock in far from pleasant conditions. Our programme, however, did not include the round trip, as we had planned to make the Routeburn hut our headquarters. On arriving at Kinloch, we were met at the wharf by Mr Bryant, who has an accommodation house there, tie and his family are the only residents' at Kinloch, so that he is naturally a person of some local importance, acting as postmaster, school committee, returning oliiccr, etc. Kinloch is a charming little spot, widely known to tourists as such, and Mr Brvant’s cottage is let for months ahead- " Tents peep~out from amongst the trees here and there, and the residence seldom has an empty bed. We were driven in a strong vehicle straight away to the Landing, a distance of 12 miles oV so, and then our first walk began. What a delightful walk it was! Through bush the whole way, some four or five miles —a good track. tor the greater part fairly level and quite dry finishing over a suspension bridge across the Routeburn River right at the door ol the hut. To speak correctly, there are two Government huts, one for ladies and one for men. And in addition there is a privately owned and fully equipped hut belonging‘to Mr Edgar, the guide. The journey to the Routeburn is frequently made from Glenorohy or both of which are on the opposite side ot the Dart River from Kinloch, but the river at times rises so high as to make the fording risky, so that on the whole, it is perhaps wiser to begin the trip from Kinloch. The Routeburn huts arc callable of accommodating six tourists in each. They are waterproof ; the beds are comfortable; fireplaces are ample; there is abundance of firewood at the door, and a good stream —the Routeburn —a lewyards away; but there, is nothing in the nature of bedding or household utensils with the exception of a camp oven and a tin “billy.” Tourists must take everything with them., or , arrange otherwise with Mr Edgar, the. guide, who owns the private mansion. This was to be our headmiarters from Saturday, 22ud, till the following Wed- | nesday. 26th, and what a delightful place it is! Experienced tourists say that there is nothing tfi surpass it in New -Zealand, and given good" weather fine can quite believe it; but the weather when we were there was such as to prove a severe test to the most optimistic of our party. There was between four and five inches of snow at Lake Harris on Christmas Day! Our optimist said it reminded-’him of Home. During our stay at Routeburn we made several very enjoyable excursions—the most important, of course, being along the tourist track to Lake Harris. Over two miles of this walk'is through dense beech forest .and. the occasional glimpses we obtained of the snow-dad mountain-tops were alone well worth the arduous climb. After leaving the bush line an open valley is reached. This is thickly studded with alpine plants, ma - >y of them in full flower. We had noticed an occasional one at the creeks which we crossed in the bush, but when we came out into the open at the rocky point above the falls we obtained o-fir first view of the magnificent alpine flora. Celmisias, Veronicas Onrisias, Senecins. Ranunculuses, Ligusticums, etc., were all in full bloom, the queen of all being, of course, Ranunculus Lyalli, with leaves over 12 inches in diameter, and bearing large bunches of pure white flowers, each up to three inches across,, on stems sometimes three feet in length. Not far behind these mountain lilies in beauty is the Senecio Scorzoneioides, rather difficult to pronounce, perhaps, but the beauty of the plant makes up for that. Some of the flowers are pure white, and thev range through the most delightful shades of cream and salmon right to the bright yellow of Senecio Lyalli, the grassy leaved species: The flowers grow in bunches of up to 10 of 12 blooms on stiff stems 18 inches or more in height, each individual daisy-like flower being about two inches in diameter. Then there were the Celmisias, the most beautiful of which were O. Coriacoa, with its large rosette, of silvery leaves and white, daisy flowers up to four inches or more across,. C. Verbascipolia, the rather hairy leaved variety, and C. Petriei with its light-green clag‘ger-like leaves. There were great bunches of G. Lindsaye and its near neighbour C. Sinclairii growing to perfection. As we readied tlie higher slopes near the Harris Saddle we came across great masses of C. Sessiliflora, the cushion Celmista, C Walkeri, a. shrubby species, G. Hectori with its smaJl, silvery rosettes of leaves, and the very narrowleaved C. Laricifoha, while in swampy places C. Glandulosa rambled over the surface of the ground in great profusion. A few plants of G. were found growing along the edge of Lake Harr's. This species is far from abundant in this region. Of Veronicas, V. Willcoxi and V. Hectori were seen in flower, tiie former a mass of bloom. Strange it is that these two species should be so difficult to get to tiower in cultivation. V. Macrantha and V. Sub-Alpina were everywhere, but the V. Buxifolia we saw' was not the variety we usually see m gardens, being much stiffer in habit and rounder in the leaves. There were also the low' growing species V. Bidwillie and V. Lyalli in full bloom, the latter in many places growing over the track. Other plants noted were the over flowerinf Ourisias, O. Ala-trocar pa, U. Macrophylla, O. Sessiliflora, 0. Cockayniana and O. Gacspitosa, all bearing while, primulalike flowers. Another somewhat sinilar plant seen in full flower was huphrasia Nealandica. Geum Parriflonmi was abundant, but less so was G. Uuiflorum, with its large, white strawberry blossoms, found growing among the rocks on the pass above the lake, whore also is to be found that rare ranunculus, R. !Ser.copliyllus, bright with its largo yellow buttercups. Uu the rocks around the pass the Genus Aciphylla, generally known as the Spaniard, or more commonly still as speargrass, is much in evidence. A. Monrni, with its small, palm-like leaves, A. Hectori, and A, Colcnsoi, with its sluing, sharp sword-like leaves are in full flower, both male and female. The last-named species is best viewed at a distaiice. Dacrydiurn laxifoHnm, the smallest pine in the world, is plentiful enough, and among it is growing in some places that hardy" fern (i'.cicbonia Discarpa, gencially know'n as the umbrella' fern, and close by another member of the family, the deciduous fern Aspedium Cystostcgin, with its fresh, .soft, green leaves.

At Harris Saddle a very interesting ' plant, Raoulia Kacfianani, grows in abunanco. This is the popularly named “Vegetable Sheep, and derives its name from its resemblance, seen at a distance, to the mammal. A splendid specimen was collected, and it is intended to have it frozen and sent Homo to Kew. Another moss-like plant of a dark green colour is Douatia Nova Zealandia, with its small, starry flowers, forming a cushion quite firm to walk upon. Three species ot Asteha#, were collected; A. Montana and A. Petriei, with their Large, flax like leaves, and A. Linearis, a much smaller variety, found growing in open, moist situations. The female plant of Copmsma S-errulata, was covered with large, orange-coloured berries, and is a very striking print with its shining green leaves one inch to one and a-Jialf inches in diameter, hanging over tlie edge ot wet cliffs. G. Reprus was to be seen everywhere, with its large, orange coloured berries on its mat, ot green foliage, while growing right here on the track was another coprosma strange to us, perhaps a new species. Another closely related sieiuis of plants with orange coloured berries was the Nertera, of which t-hcre were more than one species. Borne spots were almost a mat of berries in appearance, like a piece of fancy bradwork. Three Dracophvllums wore seen — D. Mena’esii, a low-lying rambling bush, with its coarsc-looking uncurved, leaves mi tlie ends of the stems, D. Longefolium and D. P rostra turn. Of the heath family Pentachondra Fumila w r as collected, a iowgrowiug carpeting plant, with rather large crimson-purple berries, together with its relation Cyathoidos Pumila, a plant similar to tin previously mentioned but with a glaucous tint on the lower side of the leaf. A rather rare plant seen on the bush track was Areheria Traversh, but on the other hand the dwarf totara Podocapiia was hi great abundance. The female plant of this species has lovely succulent crimson harries, tlie seed, of an emerald green colour, behig on the upper end „f the fruit —an uncommon combination. \ host of other flowering plants—Ligusticums, Ange'.icao, Violas, etc., were noticed, and i! one had time and suitable weather It is difficult to say how many species •night be ioimd or now ones discovered. There arc probably few places in i\ew Zealand with such' a vidi flora as is ;o be found in this valley. It is not only the botanist, however, who finds interest nerc, as it is evidently the happy hunting «>rount for the naturalist and the entomologist. certified to by the signed records on the doors, tables, walls and even the bunks of ths huts. Bird life in the hush was in no way plentiful, but on the other hand abundance of ducks, both grey and paradise, were seen, and that quaint member ot the feathered tribe, the kea, the Ishmaelite of the runholder, seemed very curious to know why we were so very far from home. We returned to camp heavily laden with our collected treasures, and much impressed with the beauty ol the valley and its great botanical wealth