vv 
THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 9 
green leaves fall, and in Jess than a fortnight after the leaves. 
have fallen, the leaf-buds commence to expand and the whole 
tree is a beautiful sight of new leaves in about a month after 
the old ones: have fallen. 
Some shrubs of our so-called “Native Laurel” or “Mock 
Orange” (Pittosporum undulatum) were examined on July 9th, 
when it was found that the leaf-buds were at this early ate 
commencing to expand, and when examined a month later, ' 
namely, August 6th, the young leaves were unfolded and new 
growth of stem up to an inch in length had actually been made, 
during the interval of a month. A few shrubs in sheltered 
positions in the neighbourhood of Croydon of rather old or 
fully matured plants had actually produced young flower-buds 
quite visible to the naked eye. 
We may look upon Pittosporum undulatum as probably 
the earliest of our native plants to produce its new leaves and 
flowers .among those cultivated as ornamental plants. The 
latter is an evergreen shrub and although the young leaves and 
flowers are very noticeable during July and August, I have not 
yet noticed the period in which the plants become defoliated as 
in the two species of Ficus previously mentioned. ‘ 
In the Southern parts of Great Britain, the catkin of a 
species of Salix growing along the sides of running streams, 
together with the cultivated or “Common Larch,” trees (Larix 
europea), are among the earliest plants to show that Spring 
weather is approaching. It is interesting to note that in our 
Sydney Botanic Gardens the “Virginian Swamp Cypress” 
(Taxodium -distichum) is one of the earliest harbingers of 
Spring in this part of the Southern hemisphere. There are 
quite a number of plants in addition to the above that are well 
worthy of special study on similar lines. 
KEPHIR GRAINS. 
By Epwin CHEEL. 
At the September meeting, specimens of “Kephir Grains” 
were exhibited, which were received from Miss Evans, of Cano- 
windra, under the name of “Milk Plant.’ In general appear- 
ance they somewhat resemble the “Ginger Beer Plant,” which 
was shown at the July (1920) meeting of this Society, but 
differ in certain respects, as it has been found that whilst the 
“Ginger Beer Plant,” belonging to a class of symbiotic fer- 
ments in which a yeast and a bacterium live together, and which 
excites fermentation in sweet solutions, setting free carbonie 
