(a.) Vegetation Of The Upper Subalpine Rocks.

The rock-plants of the lower belts have already been dealt with. There remains the distinctive vegetation of the rocks of the highest peaks. The great masses of jagged rocks at the summit of Big Mount Peel at about 1700 m. have in the crevices exposed to the most rigorous conditions of wind and sun ‘the following species of common occurrence: Danthonia setifolia, Agrostis subulata, Poa Colensoi, Colo-banthus acicularis, Exocarpus Bidwillii, Dracophyllum rosmarinifolium, Hebe Cheesemanii, Raoulia eximia, Leucogenes grandiceps, Celmisia incana var. Less common are Trisetum subspicatum, Wahlenbergia albo-marginata (with thick succulent leaves), Hebe amplexicaulis, Coprosma sp. aff. propinqua, Pimelea Traversii.

The large fissured blocks at the bases of the rocks are characterized by dense rounded masses of Dracophyllum uniflorum, cushions of Hymenanthera dentata var. alpina, and occasional Aciphylla Colensoi. The damper, more shaded, and less exposed crevices contain more soil and have Polypodium pumilum, Poa imbecilla var., Marsippospermum gracile, Cardamine depressa, Ranunculus Monroi formadentatus