Review of Petheram RJ and Kok B Plants of the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. (original) (raw)

Update to the informal names used in 'Flora of the Kimberley Region'

Nuytsia, 1996

The “Flora of the Kimberley Region” (Wheeler et al. 1992) listed 219 taxa without formal names. These taxa, each designated by a letter, may have been undescribed, or may have represented situations where the research necessary to elucidate the correct names was beyond the scope of the publication. Those now ascribed to species or subspecies are listed below. An asterisk denotes introduced taxa. Staff members and associates of the Western Australian Herbarium have contributed to the information presented here, especially Paul Wilson, Margaret Lawrence, Barbara Rye, Gill Perry and Judy Wheeler.

Evolution and diversity of the southwestern Australian flora

The southwestern Australian flora is unique in the world, not only for its biodiversity and endemism, but also for its functional biodiversity. It also contains the world's most nutrient-impoverished soils, has a prolonged-summer period and the vegetation is extremely fire-prone. These conditions have engendered an array of survival adaptations that have evolved in these harsh conditions across a diverse range of species. It is well recognised that the southwest flora has the toughest and most spiny vegetation of the world, the greatest number of species that store their seeds in woody fruits, and the most specialised means of obtaining limited soil nutrients and water. This book focuses on the survival mechanisms, adaptations and ecology of the unique Southwest Australian flora (restricted here to flowering plants). The book begins with an examination of how the flora has evolved into the present forms. It describes further in detail the adaptive responses of the flora to the m...

Notes on the vegetation of the Bougainville Peninsula, Osborn and Institut Islands, North Kimberley District, Western Australia

Vegetatio, 1984

The Bougainville Peninsula is formed of basalt capped with mesaform remnants of a bauxitic duricrust. On the plateau so formed there is little soil and the vegetation comprises scattered stunted eucalypts with grasses and hummock grasses or an understorey of Acacia and other shrubs. Locally there are patches of woodland of Eucalyptus nesophila and E. miniata. On the basalt country below the plateau there is deciduous vine thicket in the less accessible parts, a patchy mixture of vine thicket and savanna elsewhere including communities of vine thicket with scattered emergent eucalypts. The Osborn Islands are similar except that the mesaform capping is generally of sandstone. It is concluded that fire is the principal factor regulating the balance between vine thicket and savanna. Up to 40 years ago the area was populated by aborigines and regularly burnt off but this has now ceased so that colonisation by vine thicket is in progress, in spite of the low rainfall of the area. * These authors are indebted to the Amax Exploration Company for providing helicopter transport to the localities concerned and for approval to publisl~ this paper: also to the staffof the Western Australian Herbarium, Mr M. 1. Brooker, Mr J. Macorochie and Dr V. Semeniuk for the identification of botanical specimens. ** This author is indebted to the Department of Defence (Navy Office) for permission to join a naval patrol boat. The assistance of Lieutenants J. Wells, R. Gates and the crew of H M AS Attack is gratefully acknowledged. The cooperation ofMrT. P. Farrell (CRA Services) and the Mitchell Plateau Bauxite Company for providing helicopter transport is also appreciated.

Vegetation and floristics of Warra National Park and Wattleridge, Northern Tablelands, NSW

The vegetation of Warra National Park (29° 29’S, 151° 56’E; 2041 ha in area) and Wattleridge (29°31’S, 151°54’E; 648 ha in area), located approximately 35 km southeast of Glen Innes and 5 km west of Mount Mitchell, within the Guyra and Severn Shires in the New England Tablelands Bioregion NSW, is described. Nine vegetation communities are defined, based on flexible UPGMA analysis of cover-abundance scores of all vascular plant taxa. These communities have been mapped based on analysis of quadrat data, air photo interpretation, substrate variation and ground-truthing. Communities described are: (1) Leptospermum novae-angliae (New England Tea-tree) – Bursaria spinosa (Blackthorn) Riparian Scrub & Heath, (2) Eucalyptus pauciflora (Snow Gum) – Eucalyptus nova-anglica (New England Peppermint) Woodland, (3) Haloragis heterophylla (Variable Raspwort) – Carex inversa (Sedge) Herbfield, (4) Baeckea omissa (Baeckea) – Leptospermum gregarium (Swamp Tea-tree) Closed Wet Heath, (5) Eucalyptus cameronii (Die-hard Stringybark) – Eucalyptus campanulata (New England Blackbutt) Shrubby Open Forest, (6) Eucalyptus radiata subsp. sejuncta (Narrow-leaved Peppermint) – Eucalyptus acaciiformis (Wattle-leaved Peppermint) Woodland, (7) Eucalyptus cameronii (Die-hard Stringybark) – Eucalyptus caliginosa (Broad-leaved Stringybark) Grassy Open Forest, (8) Eucalyptus nobilis (Manna Gum) – Eucalyptus obliqua (Messmate) Tall Open Forest, and (9) Eucalyptus obliqua (Messmate) – Eucalyptus nobilis (Manna Gum) Tall Open Forest, (10) Leptospermum novae-angliae – Kunzea obovata – Brachyloma saxicola Shrubby Open Scrub and Closed Heath. Of 11 communities within the area, four should be considered as threatened, while 18 taxa are considered to be of conservation significance.

Vegetation and floristics of Kwiambal National Park and surrounds, Ashford, New South Wales

The vegetation of Kwiambal National Park and surrounds, 30 km north-west of Ashford (29°07'S, 150°58'E) in the Inverell Shire on the North Western Slopes, is described. Eight plant communities are defined based on flexible UPGMA analysis of relative abundance scores of vascular plant taxa. These communities are mapped based on ground truthing, air photo interpretation and geological substrate. All communities are of woodland structure and most are dominated by Callitris glaucophylla, Eucalyptus melanophloia and Eucalyptus dealbata. Communities are: 1) Mixed Stand Woodland (Dry Rainforest), 2) Granite Woodland, 3) Metasediment Woodland, 4) Riverine, 5) Metabasalt Woodland, 6) Granite Open Woodland, 7) Limestone Woodland, and 8) Alluvial Woodland. Many of the taxa (407 species were recorded) show phytogeographic affinities with western south-east Queensland flora. This is also true of the communities defined. Five ROTAP listed species have been found in the Park: Acacia williamsiana, Astrotricha roddii, Euphorbia sarcostemmoides, Olearia gravis and Thesium australe, three of these are listed on the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995). Another ten taxa are considered to be at their geographic limit or disjunct in their distribution. 17% are exotic in origin.

Native Vegetation of the Southern Forests: South-east Highlands, Australian Alps, South-west Slopes, and SE Corner bioregions

The Southern Forests study area covers an area of about six million hectares of south-eastern New South Wales, south of Oberon and Kiama and east of Albury and Boorowa (latitude 33° 02'-37 ° 06' S; longitude 146° 56' -147° 06' E). The total area of existing vegetation mapped was three million hectares (3 120 400 hectares) or about 50% of the study area. Terrestrial, wetland and estuarine vegetation of the Southern Forests region were classified into 206 vegetation groups and mapped at a scale between 1: 25 000 and 1: 100 000. The classification was based on a cluster analysis of detailed field surveys of vascular plants, as well as field knowledge in the absence of field survey data. The primary classification was based on 3740 vegetation samples with full floristics cover abundance data. Additional classifications of full floristics presence-absence and tree canopy data were carried out to guide mapping in areas with few full floristic samples. The mapping of extant vegetation was carried out by tagging vegetation polygons with vegetation codes, guided by expert knowledge, using field survey data classified into vegetation groups, remote sensing, and other environmental spatial data. The mapping of pre-1750 vegetation involved tagging of soils mapping with vegetation codes at 1: 100 000 scale, guided by spatial modelling of vegetation groups using generalised additive statistical models (GAMS), and expert knowledge. Profiles of each of the vegetation groups on the CD-ROM* provide key indicator species, descriptions, statistics and lists of informative plant species.