June, 1939 The Queensland Naturalist 
43 
Coomera, near O’Reilly’s. 
Three years ago an advancing beech forest was 
examined on Widgee Mountain. Young beeches ( Notho - 
feigns Moorei) were found in the open eucalyptus forest, 
and there was undoubted evidence of the relatively recent 
expansion of the beech community. The spot was not 
visited on this occasion, but it was learned that bush fires 
had swept the area last year. It is probable, therefore, 
that the advance has for the time being been checked. On 
the cliffs there were extensive patches of the pink flower- 
ing orchid, Dendrobium kingianum , and in places though 
old stems had been charred by fire within the last six 
months, new healthy growth was being produced. 
For some reason which is not apparent, lantana has 
not invaded this valley. Many other introduced plants 
flourish on the rain forest margin, amongst them passion 
fruit, tree tomato ( Cyphomandra ) and Solanum seaforth- 
ianum , while taro, originally planted by the stream, has 
become naturalised on the banks and even in the stony 
creek bed. In the pastures many of the rain forest 
pioneer trees such as Homalanthus and stinging trees are 
reasserting themselves. The two species of stinging tree, 
Laportea gigas and L. photiniphylla , commonly have their 
leaves blotched with downy patches suggestive of a para- 
sitic mould. These are actually abnormal hairs produced 
as the result of the attack of a mite. The hairs, which 
are branched, are not impregnated with silica and do not 
sting, but even the downiest of the leaves still possess 
enough siliceous stinging hairs to make them as formidable 
as healthy specimens. In the rain forest the wild ginger 
( Alpinia coerulea) was commonly marked by the black 
lesions of the fungal parasite, Phyllachora alpiniae. 
Affected leaves become brown and ragged. The horse- 
hair fungus ( Marasmius equicrinus ) was noted in several 
instances as killing seedling trees. One dead tree had a 
magnificent growth of several hundred fruits of the 
luminous fungus, Pamis conchatus. 
D. A. HERBERT. 
ETHNOLOGICAL NOTES. 
The area visited during the Easter Excursion to the 
Upper Albert River was part of the land formerly in- 
habited by the Chepara tribe, whose country extended 
from the Logan River to the southern cliffs of the Mac- 
pherson Range. 
