Art. LVII.—Observations on some New Zealand Halophytes. By Miss B. D. Cross, M.A. [Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 1st September, 1909.] Introductory. During the last hundred years there has been published an ever-increasing volume of literature on the so-called halophytes—that is, plants occupying situations where there is a superabundance of salt in the soil. This special group of plants has been studied from all points of view—morphologically, anatomically, physiologically, and ecologically. To some extent this order is chronological, for the first observers gave their attention to external characters only, anatomical characters being considered at a later date, while the ecological aspect has been the subject of more modern papers. The physiological section of the subject still opens up much field for research. At the very outset it is yet a debatable point whether halophytes are to be considered salt-loving or salt-enduring plants. Historical. According to Lesage (II, p. 6),* The numbers refer to the bibliography, page 574. as early as 1804 an article on maritime plants appeared in “L'Encyclopedie,” where it is noted that such plants are usually succulent, and have closely packed tissues (tissu serré). After this date, and until the publication of his own book, Lesage considers that the works of the following authors are the most noteworthy: Moquin-Tandon (1841), Willkomm (1852), Lecoq (1854), Duval-Jouve (1875), Vesque, and Prillieux; and among these he gives the first place to that of Duval-Jouve. Before the appearance of Lesage's thesis, however, came the work of Constantin “La Flore du littoral.”† Jour. de Bot., 1re année, No. 3, p. 44, 1887. M. Constantin notes more especially the external variations of maritime varieties, though he says that “It is very probable that anatomical study will reveal modifications even where the outward appearance would not lead one to suspect so.” The works which have been most consulted for the compilation of this paper, and more especially for the anatomical part of it, are those of Lesage (II) and Warming (V and VIII), though several shorter papers by American writers were found very useful for comparison (see bibliography, p. 574). Of New Zealand authors, Cheeseman (XVII) has been found invaluable for identification of species. The New Zealand halophytes, however, have been very much neglected, for, with the exception of a recent paper of Dr. Cockayne's on “The Coastal Vegetation of the South Island of New Zealand” (XIX), there has been no special work on this part of the flora. Scope of the Paper. In the present paper it is proposed to deal with certain typical halophytic formations in the neighbourhood of Christchurch, and to compare these with similar formations at Timaru.