Studies on the vegetation of Mount Colenso New Zealand 1. The forest continuum.
Plotless methods were used to sample four forest stands situated at different altitudes on Mount Colenso, Ruahine mountain range, North Island, New Zealand. The altitudinal distributions of the main woody species are described graphically. All species have overlapping altitudinal ranges, so that no clear altitudinal 'belts' can be distinguished. The forest composition is regarded as a continuum showing gradual variation from diverse mixed (podocarp-beach) forest on the terraces of the Kawhatau river (c. 2000 ft.