PLANT COMMUNITY FIELD GUIDE Introduction to Rainforest

PLANT COMMUNITY FIELD GUIDE

Introduction to

Rainforest Communities Table of Contents

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HCCREMS Mapping ...... 3

Field Data Sheet ...... 4

Which of the following descriptions best describes your site? ...... 5

Which plant community is it? ...... 9

Rainforest communities of the Lower Hunter ...... 11

Common Rainforest Species of the Lower Hunter ...... 14

A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter ...... 17

Weeding of Rainforest Remnants ...... 25

Rainforest Regeneration near Black Jacks Point ...... 27

Protection of Rainforest Remnants in the Lower Hunter & the Re-establishment of Diverse, Indigenous Plant Communities ... 28

Guidelines for a rainforest remnant planting program ...... 31

Threatened Species ...... 36

References ...... 43

Acknowledgements...... 43

Image Credits ...... 43

Useful People ...... 43

2 HCCREMS Extant Vegetation Mapping

Vegetation communities in this guide have been classified and mapped according to Hunter Central Coast Regional Environment Management Strat- egy (HCCREMS) Vegetation Survey, using Mapping Units (MU). For more comprehensive and up-to-date information on this survey please contact HCCREMS. http://www.hccrems.com.au

When you are starting out in regenerating a bushland site, it may be that you don't know a lot of native species, but if you can provide a council vegetation officer, community support officer or local native plant nursery with some of the information from the Field Data sheet, it is likely that they would be able to identify the broader vegetation community.

The Site Orientation Booklet in this series has a useful contact list including: Coastcare Officers Landcare and Community Support Officers National Parks Officers

Land Managers

3 Field Data Sheet

Habitat Type: please circle

River bank Wetland Floodplain Drainage line

Disturbed / Grazed Open Forest Closed Forest Rainforest (Livestock)

Shrub(2-4m) Heath (< 2m) Grassland Other:

Position on Slope :please circle Altitude in metres

Watercourse Flat Lower Slope Upper Slope Crest Dune

Geology Aspect: please circle N NE E SE S SW W NW

Soil Description

Colour Type pH Sand

Clay Loam

Vegetation Description

Vegetation community, association, type Weed Invasion: please circle High Medium Low

Dominant upper storey species Species diversity: please circle High Medium Low

Dominant middle storey species Species diversity: please circle High Medium Low

Dominant lower storey/groundcover species Species diversity: please circle High Medium Low

4 Which of the following descriptions best describes your site?

A Bushland that is mostly undisturbed with a good mix of tree ages, with natural regeneration occurring on site, where the understorey is comprised of native grasses and herbs or native shrubs, and which contains a range of habitats for native fauna (such as logs, shrubs, tree hollows and leaf litter), or

B Moderately disturbed bushland with some regeneration of trees and shrubs, where there may be a regrowth area with trees of even age, where native shrubs and grasses are present in the understorey even though there may be some weed invasion, or

C Highly disturbed bushland where the native understorey has been removed, where there may be significant weed invasion and where dead and dying trees are present, where there is no natural regeneration of trees or shrubs, but where the land is still capable of being rehabilitated.

D This category includes parks, sportsgrounds, native gardens, extremely degraded sites e.g. Wyee Tyre Dump, quarry sites, SQID sites and some school grounds.

The above Site Classifications are important in determining which regeneration strategy/strategies are appropriate to your site. If your site, or zones within your site, would best fit into either an A or B category, then usually a Weeding Program would be all that is necessary, as the site resilience would be sufficient for native plants to re-establish themselves from the seedbank without a Planting Program. This is also true of mulching. Introduced mulch to bushland reserves can bring the problem of inadvertently bringing weed seed and inappropriate native plant seed.

Mulch is also often promoted as a means of inhibiting weed regrowth, which is true, but mulch also inhibits native plant regrowth if there is an existing seedbank on your site.

5 For A and B sites, mulching and planting should be restricted to edge zones, or degraded zones within the site where there is no site resilience. Monitoring of a site for 6 to 12 months after a weeding program should give a good indication of whether native plants will regenerate from the seedbank or not.

6 If your site fits into a C or D category, then it is likely that you will have to adopt an Assisted Regeneration Strategy incorporating both a Weeding and a Planting Program. The focus should still be on any remnant native species, and any Planting Program should attempt to reconstruct the original native plant community except where site conditions are so changed that replanting of the original species is im- practical.

7 Good examples of C and D class sites in the urban context are the many narrow reserves around what would originally have been ephemeral creek lines in Open Forest communities. Usually such reserves are surrounded by housing on the upslope, the gully floor has a high level of disturbance

because that's where the sewer Sandpaper Fig, Ficus coronata main has been constructed, and the creek carries more water and nutri- In highly disturbed sites like this, you are ents than it did in the past. limited by the sort of indigenous species that will tolerate the changed conditions: it is likely that you would have to plant more mesic species like Creek Lillipilly, Sandpaper Fig and Cheese Tree to displace the weed species. This may upset some purists, but it is better to have a reconstructed indigenous (if not original) plant community than a weed-infested reserve.

Cheese Tree , Glochidion ferdinandi

Regeneration a b c d

Tree decline

8 Which plant community is it?

Let's use a hypothetical example: you have a site somewhere in the Port Stephens, Newcastle, or Lake Macquarie Local Gov- ernment Area. It's on a ridgeline with an open aspect. There are tall trees so you think it's probably an Open Forest, and there is a clay soil. You don't know the botanical names of native plants, but you know the big trees are Spotted Gums and Ironbarks. If you take this information to one of your friendly support officers, they should be able to tell you that it is likely to be LHCCREMS Map Unit 15 (MU15) Coastal Foothills Spotted Gum- Ironbark For- est, and provide you with a Species List from the Map Unit Profiles. This will give you a generic list of canopy, mid-storey and groundcover species, and possible Rare/Endangered Species. This is a good starting point until you can get a site-specific species list completed.

9 Corymbia maculata Spotted Gum has a very distinctive spotty looking bark.

Syncarpia glomulifera Turpentine is often found in this plant community as well. It has a very distinctive fruit.

Ironbarks have dark , hard and deeply fis- sured bark that forms long stiff ridges along the trunk.

10 Rainforest communities of the Lower Hunter

The remnant rainforest communities of the Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and Port Stephens Local Government Ar- eas tend to exist as relatively small and isolated pockets of rainforest species amongst a broader landscape of Open Forest reserves and coastal development. Other than those protected within the NPWS estate, only one is protected by a SEPP 26 listing- one of the rainforest pockets within Green Point Foreshore Reserve. One of the Green Point Many of the other rainforest pockets, Rainforest though extremely important in terms pocket of the ―links‖ that they provide in the ―chain‖ of rainforest remnants along the east coast, are not as strongly protected. Unless there is a team of enthusiastic volunteers to undertake weed con- trol within the rainforests and advo- cate for their protection, or unless they occur on private land where the land- owners realize their importance, they tend to be mismanaged and/ or weed-infested.

Littoral Rainforest?

There is also a degree of uncertainty over the classification of some of these rainforest remnants- whether they are littoral rainforests or gully rainforests or Gully whether it matters. Rainforest? Either way, these remnants would qualify as Endangered Ecological Communities, as either EEC- Littoral Rainforest or EEC- Lowland Rainforest.

The species diversity in many of these remnants is certainly greater than the LHCCREMS classification, Map Unit 4 Littoral Rainforest, and is more in line with Map Unit 1a Coastal Warm Tem-

perate- Subtropical Rainforest. 2007 Pritchard S. North of Catherine Hill Bay, rainforest species occur in a number of vegetation communities within coastal Lake Mac- quarie.  In the new Wallarah National Park, Coastal Banksia and Creek rainforest plants form part of the Lillypilly palm gully forest remnants mapped Side by side in the littoral rain- as MU39 Apple- Palm Gully Forest forest at Illawong Park (though the species diversity is greater than the LHCCREMS pro- file lists).

 Littoral rainforest remnants occur 2007 Pritchard S. also at Cams Wharf, Swansea Heads (Illawong Park and Little Beach), Salts Bay, Pelican (though not as a distinct community), Black Jacks Point, Green Point (SEPP 26), and Floraville (on private land with a Voluntary Conservation Smilax glyciphylla Agreement in place, and at Floraville Native Sarsaparilla Ridge), as well as within Glenrock SCA and the adjoining mutual management lands. It is arguable whether the remnants at Black Jacks Point, Green Point and Floraville are gully rainforest remnants rather than littoral rainforest. There are similar small remnants on private land at Warners Bay, disconnected remnants on Munibung Hill, and a rea- sonably large gully remnant within Ban- galay Reserve.

S. Pritchard 2007 Pritchard S.

Livistona australis Cabbage Tree Palm Dwarfed by wind shear in the littoral rainforest at Illawong Park

Rainforest communities of the Lower Hunter

In western Lake Macquarie, there are remnants of LHCCREMS MU1 Coastal Wet Gully Forest and MU1a Coastal Warm Temperate- Subtropical Rainforest in creek gullies from the Watagans and Sugarloaf Range, some in National Park estate and some in private lands. Remnants with a different species composition occur from Blue Gum Creek at Stock- rington with MU5 Alluvial Tall Moist Forest, and around Cedar Hill extending into ‗islands‘ of higher ground within Hexham Swamp and the Wetlands Centre (though this remnant has been compromised by ―out-of-zone‖ plantings). The rainforest remnants on Ash Island have a similar species composition, variously cate- gorized as dry rainforest and lowland riverine rainforest. The website http:// www.hcr.cma.nsw.gov.au/kooragang/ has lots of good information.

Within Port Stephens LGA rainforest remnants ex- Closer to Newcastle, rainforest spe- ist within Tomaree NP, as isolate copses or cies can be found growing as a mid- paddock trees in rural lands around Fullerton storey in vegetation community rem- Cove (probably a remnant of a larger riverine nants resembling MU5 Alluvial Tall rainforest that would have included the Ash Moist Forest in the upper reaches of Island remnant), around Fern Bay as rainforest Ironbark Creek and Styx Creek, species within MU37 Swamp Mahogany- Pa- though the ―rainforest‖ within Blackbutt perbark Forest, and as littoral rainforest rem- Reserve has also been compro- nants at Snapper Island Nature Reserve, Tay- mised by ―out-of-zone‖ plantings. lors Beach and Green Play Point.

Glenrock SRA: Bitou Bush amongst the Littoral Rainfor- est. Strong native plant regeneration is occurring within this edge zone such as; Tuckaroo, Cassine, Acmena smithii, and Stephania

13 Common Rainforest Species of the Lower Hunter

Scientific name Common Name

Tallest Acmena smithii Creek Lillipilly

Alphitonia excelsa Red Ash

Cassine australis Red Olive Berry

Cryptocarya spp Native Laurels

Diploglottis australis Native Tamarind

Dysoxylum fraserianum Rosewood

Elaeocarpus obovatus Hard Quandong, Ash

Elaeocarpus reticulatus Blueberry Ash

Endiandra spp Native Laurels

Euroschinus falcata Ribbonwood

Ficus coronata Creek Sandpaper Fig

Ficus fraseri Sandpaper Fig

Ficus rubiginosa Port Jackson Fig

Glochidion ferdinandi Cheesetree

Guioa semiglauca Guioa

Melicope micrococca White Euodia

Podocarpus elatus Plum Pine

Pouteria (Planchonella) australis Black Apple

Scolopia braunii Flintwood

Synoum glandulosum Scentless Rosewood

Magenta Lillipilly Syzygium paniculatum (Threatened Species)

Toona ciliata Red Cedar

Palms Archontophoenix cunninghamiana Bangalow Palm

Livistona australis Cabbage Tree Palm

14 Common Rainforest Species of the Lower Hunter

Scientific name Common Name

Mid storey Breynia oblongifolia Coffee Bush

Clerodendrum tomentosum Hairy Clerodendrum

Claoxylon australe Brittlewood

Eupomatia laurina Bolwarra

Duboisia myoporoides Corkwood

Notelaea sp Native Olive

Omalanthus nutans Bleeding Heart

Pittosporum undulatum Sweet Pittosporum

Pittosporum revolutum Rough-fruited Pittosporum

Polyscias sambucifolia Native Elderberry

Rapanea variabilis Muttonwood

Wilkea hugeliana Wilkea

Lowest storey Adiantum spp Maidenhair Ferns

Scurvy Weed, Commelina cyanea Creeping Christian

Dianella caerulea Paroo Lily

Gahnia spp Saw Sedges

Geranium sp- Native Geranium

Gymnostachys anceps Settlers Flax

Hydrocotyl sp Native Pennywort

Lomandra longifolia Mat Rush

Oplismenis spp Basket Grasses

Viola hederacea Native Violet

15 Common Rainforest Species of the Lower Hunter

Scientific name Common Name

Vines

Cissus antarctica Native Grape, Kangaroo Grape

Cissus hypoglauca Native Grape, Water Vine

Clematis aristata Old Man‘s Beard

Dioscorea transversa Native Yam

Eustrephus latifolius Wombat Berry

Geitenoplesium cymosum Scrambling Lily

Glycine clandestina Love Creeper

Hibbertia dentata Twining Guinea Flower

Hibbertia scandens Guinea Flower

Marsdenia rostrata Common Milk Vine

Morinda jasminoides Jasmine Morinda

Pandorea pandorana Wonga Wonga Vine

Parsonsia straminea Monkey Rope, Common Silkpod

Rubus parvifolius Native Raspberry

Sarcopetalum harveyanum Pearl vine

Smilax glyciphylla Native Sarsaparilla

Stephania japonica Snake Vine

Threatened Species within Rainforest Remnants of the Lower Hunter

Plants Cynanchum elegans White Wax Flower, White Cynanchum

Senna acclinis Native Cassia

Syzygium paniculatum Magenta Lillipilly

Typhonium eliosurum Typhonium, an aroid

Animals Ninox strenua Powerful Owl

Pteropus poliocephalus Grey-headed Flying-fox

16 A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter

Tallest trees

Acmena smithii Alphitonia excelsa Creek Lillipilly Red Ash

Glochidion ferdinandi Cheese Tree

Cassine australis Red Olive Berry Synoum glandulosum

Scentless Rose- wood

17 A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter

Tallest trees

Endiandra spp Native Laurels Dysoxylum fraserianum Rosewood

Livistona australis Cabbage Tree Palm

Elaeocarpus reticulatus Ficus Blueberry Ash coronata Creek Sandpaper Fig Ficus fraseri Sand- paper Fig

18 A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter Mid Storey as jeuvenilles

Acmena smithii Alphitonia excelsa Creek Lillipilly Red Ash

Glochidion ferdinandi Cheese Tree

Cassine australis Red Olive Berry Synoum glandulosum

Scentless Rosewood

19 A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter

Mid Storey

Omalanthus nutans Bleeding Heart

Notelaea sp Native Olive

Pittosporum Polyscias sambucifolia undulatum Native Sweet Elderberry Pittosporum

Wilkea hugeliana Pittosporum Wilkea revolutum Rough-fruited Rapanea Pittosporum variabilis Muttonwood

20 A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter

Lowest Storey Adiantum formosum Giant maidenhair

Commelina cyanea Creeping Christian

Gahnia clarkei Lomandra longifolia Saw Sedge Mat Rush

Gymnostachys anceps Settlers Flax

21 A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter Lowest Storey

Viola hederacea Native Violet Dianella caerulea Flax Lily

Oplismenis

spp 2007 Pritchard S. Basket

S. S. Pritchard2007 Grasses

22 A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter Vines

Cissus Antarctica Native Grape

Smilax australis

Dioscorea transversa Yam

Glycine clandestine Love Creeper

Eustrephus latifolius Wombat Berry

23 A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter Vines

Hibbertia dentata Twining Guinea Flower

Pandorea pandorana Wonga Wonga Vine

Clematis aristata Old Man‘s Beard E.Fisher E.Fisher 2007

Parsonsia straminea Monkey Rope, Common Silk- pod

24 Weeding of Rainforest Remnants

Weeding within remnant rainforest requires a high level of discrimination between native and weed species. Many of the rainforest species look ―weedy‖ probably because many of our introduced weeds are ―rainforest‖ species from overseas- Privets, Camphor Laurel, Bamboos, Monstera, Loquat, Moth Vine, Madiera Vine, Elephants Ear/Taros, etc. Most volunteer groups would benefit from professional bush regeneration input at least in the initial stages of a project. TIN‘s experience locally has shown that by having professional regenerators working alongside community volunteers for an extended period, enough knowledge and expertise can be acquired by the volunteers to allow them to continue or to maintain sites after the professional regenerators have left.

Native weed

Maclura cochinchinensis Cockspur Thorn

Ligustrum sinense Small-leafed Privet

Endiandra spp Native Laurel

Cinnamomum camphora Camphor Laurel

The following species have a history of being confused:

You can tell the Native Weed difference by...

Maclura cochinchinensis The thorns on the Ligustrum sinense Cockspur Thorn Cockspur Thorn Small-leafed Privet

Flagellaria indica Whip Vine is more vine- Bambusa spp – Bamboo Whip Vine like and less upright. Arundo donax- Giant Reed

Cryptocarya spp Ligustrum lucidum Native Laurel Large-leafed Privet The smell of the Camphor Laurel leaves . Endiandra spp Cinnamomum camphora Native Laurel Camphor Laurel

Neolitsea spp The smell of the Cinnamomum camphora Native Laurel Camphor Laurel leaves . Camphor Laurel

Typhonium eliosurum The white flower on the Zantedeschia aethiopica Native Aroid Arum Lily Arum Lily

Senna spp These really need to be Senna spp Native Cassias keyed out Exotic Cassias

Cynanchum elegans Araujia hortorum All of these species have White Cynanchum Moth Vine milky sap, and again really need to be keyed Marsdenia spp Araujia hortorum out Milk Vine Moth Vine

Ann Loughran‘s book is a handy field guide for those tricky look alike plants.

26 Rainforest Regeneration near Black Jacks Point. By Graham Couper

There is a beautiful little remnant of littoral rainforest at the southern end of Green Point Foreshore Reserve. It contains tall rainforest trees, thick vines, diverse shrubs and soft ferns. It also contains the threatened species Syzygium paniculatum Magenta Lilly Pilly and Cynanchum elegans White-flowered Wax Plant. But parts of the rainforest had been disturbed by logging or mining, and the site had been invaded by exotic weeds.

Rehabilitation of the rainforest began in March 2005. The on- ground work was done by volunteers from Green Point Action Com- mittee Landcare, contract bush regenerators from Trees in Newcas- tle (supported by Envirofund and funds from the former Green Point January 2005 Action Committee Inc), and the Site Supervisor from Green Point Foreshore Reserve. Altogether, 25 people worked on the project. Those who worked often were David Tully, Stephen Sheldon, Win Warner, Don Baird, and Graham Couper (GPAC Landcare); Jason Harvey, Tom Clarke, Carl Fulton, and Janelle Lewis (TIN); and Robin Hewitt (Site Supervisor).

We worked one day a week for 40 weeks. The work consisted al- most entirely of removing exotic weeds. Most of the weeds were removed manually. On steep slopes and near creek lines, we cut and poisoned. We placed the weeds in small piles. We left a barrier of weeds around the margins of the site, to slow the incursion of (worse) weeds into the area, and to discourage people from enter- ing the regenerating site. July 2005

It was a tough site! The weeds were dense, the slopes were steep, we worked in boiling heat and pouring rain, and the site was infested with ticks. Tom held the record, with 28 ticks in one day! But people stuck at it, with good-humoured patience. At the end of the 40 weeks, after more than 1400 hours work, we had worked through substantially more than the Envirofund grant area.

The site should regenerate naturally. We identified over 120 species of native plants on the site; there should be a good seed bank, and so no need for planting. Already, seedlings of pioneer rainforest species (Omalanthus, Trema, Acacia) and some mature rainforest species (Daphnandra, Acmena, Guioa) are appearing.

The bush regenerators from Trees in Newcastle have completed January 2005 their contract. We couldn‘t have tackled this project without them! The Landcare volunteers and Robin are doing follow-up weeding and vine pruning – and watching … and waiting!

October2005

27 Protection of Rainforest Remnants in the Lower Hunter & the Re-establishment of Diverse, Indigenous Plant Communities

In areas of remnant rainforest where a diverse canopy of native plants already exists, it would be unnec- essary to plant except perhaps to close down an edge, but in areas of poor resilience where there is no overhead seed source and little chance of natural recruitment, a planting program will need to occur. At all sites the initial focus should be on Canopy threatening removal of the threatening processes. For example vines at Salts Bay  Black Jack‘s remnant- a weed eradication program  Rafferty‘s/Cam‘s remnant and Nesca Park remnant- a change in inappropriate maintenance practices), and then a system of site monitoring for at least six months to determine site resilience and whether a Natural Regeneration scheme or an Assisted Regeneration scheme should be adopted. The degree of site disturbance, frag- mentation and weed infestation at some sites will necessitate the adoption of Assisted Regeneration schemes, and the following rec- ommendations are an attempt to standardise Landcare regeneration activities across the Lower Hunter Local Government Areas, and to facilitate future site monitoring and evaluation procedures .

Morning Glory cut from trees with vines pulled from ground around base of trunk

28 A difficulty with site specific propagation of rainforest species in the short term is that many of the rainforest trees only flower and fruit sporadically (e.g. Dy- soxylum fraserianum Rosewood tends to fruit well on a five to seven year cycle within each rainforest Dysoxylum fraserianum pocket) and many seeds are slow to germinate (e.g. Rosewood Elaeocarpus obovatus -Hard Quandong seed may An infrequesnt fruiter take up to two years to produce seedlings in a nursery situation). A way to overcome this difficulty is to source propagules from other remnants, but this raises the complex question of genetic integrity and genetic diversity. This becomes an impotant issue when the sites contain Threatened Species, such as Syzygium paniculatum -Magenta Lillipilly as in most Eastern Lake Macquarie remnants, Cy- nanchum elegans -White Cynanchum at Black Jack‘s Point, Green Point and Ash Island, and Ty- phonium eliosurum a seasonally deciduous aroid at Green Point, Bangalay Reserve and the Green- ing Centre. Also whilst there is a common basis of species across the sites, there are also significant differences (e.g. Sarcomelicope simplicifolia - Sarcomelicope / Yellow Lillipilly occurs at Nesca Park but not at nearby Salts Bay, Dip- loglottis australis - Native Tamarind occurs at Green Point but not at Cam‘s Wharf or Salts Bay). Syzygium paniculatum Magenta Lillipilly A threatened species.

The question here is whether Landcarers should be planting all Lower Hunter rainforest species at all sites in order to ensure their survival locally? The answer ...is probably not, because the individual differences between these sites are as significant as their common species. A better solution might be to establish an off-site arboretum in which all species could be represented.

29 Protection of Rainforest Remnants in the Lower Hunter& the Re-establishment of Diverse, In- digenous Plant Communities cont.

The two main factors to consider when sourcing plant material (seed or cut- tings) are that 1. collection takes place within an evolutionary connected unit (difficult to determine unless you are a geneticist) and 2. that the natural methods of seed dispersal are taken into account. For example, rainforest pockets in Eastern Lake Macquarie occur at Cam‘s Wharf, Nesca Park, within the newly created Wallarah National Park, Salts Bay, Green Point Foreshore Reserve, Floraville, Bangalay Reserve, Warners Bay and Glenrock State Conservation Area (and adjoining LMCC reserves). Is it reasonable to assume that these remnants are an evolutionary connected unit?

Consideration needs to be given to the frugivores ob-

S.Pritchard 2007 S.Pritchard served in these remnants during siteworks over many years. Green Point Action Committee has observational evi- dence dating back to 1995. The frugivores, the bird and bat species, would be the natural vectors of much rainforest seed dispersal. In works over approximately ten years the following animals have all been noted on various sites at different times Lopholaimus of the year coinciding with the ripening of various rainforest antarcticus fruits. Topknot Pigeon  Grey-headed Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus),  White-headed Fruit Pigeon (Columba norfolciensis),

 Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus),  Southern Figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti),  Regent Bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus) and

S.Pritchard2007  Satin Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)  Topknot Pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus), and in flocks of up to twenty for a three week period in Au- gust/ September, 2001, feeding on Cabbage Tree Palm (Livistona australis) fruit at Salts Bay).

The abundant fruit of a Cabbage Tree Palm

For seed collection, propagation and planting in Lower Hunter remnants, Trees in Newcastle is trialing a program based on a similar program developed by the Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group (1999) in consultation with the plant geneticist, Dr Julia Playford (University of Queensland) and designed to overcome similar problems of connec- tivity of remnants.

Guidelines for a rainforest remnant planting program are as follows:  Seed should be collected from at least ten maternal trees at different sites in the same evolutionary significant unit. (It is assumed that the Eastern Lake Macquarie rainforest remnants mentioned earlier comprise such a unit, the Blue Gum Creek, Cedar Hill, Hexham Swamp and Ash Island remnants another unit, and perhaps the Port Stephens coastal remnants another unit.)  Seed from each late secondary and mature phase species from each lo- cality should be propagated separately and labelled as to its species, lo- cality, date of sowing propagation trays and date of pricking out e.g. En- diandra sieberi Nesca Park 04/06/01 15/12/01 + number pricked out en- tered on the propagation sheet.  The planting model adopted should facilitate natural recruitment.

What‘s a Planting model? At Salts Bay, TIN used both the Kooyman clump model (in parts of the remnant where large areas of weed species were removed and replaced by rainforest plantings) and the random distribution model (alongside the Black Ned‘s Bay walking trail and various edge plantings). The Kooyman clump model has patches of secondary or mature phase species connected by plantings of pioneer species. For example, a clump of Elaeocarpus obovatus Hard Quandong and Dysoxylum fraserianum Rosewood could be connected by the planting of pioneers Omalanthus nutans Bleeding Heart and Trema aspera Poison Peach. Fortunately, in some remnant rehabilitation pro- jects, natural regeneration of pioneer species after weed removal means that clump planting of secondary and mature phase species need only take place. This has been the case at the Green Point SEPP 26 remnant, the Black Jacks Point remnant and some zones at the Salts Bay Linear Littoral Rainforest remnant. The degree of resilience will of course vary across sites according to the amount of disturbance and the number and variety of species left in the remnants, and monitoring of site resilience should be integral to planting program decisions. The random distribution model has mature phase, secondary and pioneer species distributed throughout the planting, and is suitable for sites where space is the major factor, such as edge plantings or trackside as at Ash Island or creekline plantings where any planting zone is by necessity long and narrow.

Guidelines for a rainforest remnant planting program cont.

 Frugivore attractant species and habi-

tat values should be incorporated into Ficus coronata Sandpaper Fig the planting e.g. Ficus species, Elaeocarpus obovatus Hard Quan- dong, Acronychia oblongifolia Ac- ronychia, Diploglottis australis Native Tamarind, Livistona australis Cabbage Tree Palm and many other species attract fruit-eating birds and bats at various times of the year. Vines and scramblers such as Cissus antarctica and Maclura cochinchinensis provide both fruit and dense nesting sites, and can effectively close down a rainforest remnant edge. Weed tree Acronychia oblongifolia species such as Cinnamomum cam- Acronychia phora Camphor Laurel and La- gunaria patersonii Norfolk Island Hi- biscus should be frilled and painted, or stem-injected with Roundup B and left in situ as perch trees, and monitored for reshooting.  Planting of mature and late secondary species should incorporate three to five trees grown from seed sourced from different maternal trees. This should lessen the chance of inbreed- Maclura cochinchinensis ing depression within the remnant. Cockspur Thorn  To facilitate cross pollination, the spacing between trees of the same species should not exceed 100 metres, and should preferably be between 5 metres and 50 metres

Cissus antarctica Kangaroo Grape

32 Guidelines for a rainforest remnant planting program cont.

 Expansion of rainforest remnants is often difficult in a local context because of the proximity of suburban development: the viability of remnant rainforest increases with the size of the site- the larger the remnant core the more viable the remnant. Also, the ecotonal forest that often borders rainforest affording it protection from sun and wind, in many places (e.g. Black Jack‘s Point, Salts Bay, Floraville, and Green Play Point) has been displaced by housing.  Species with small populations within the remnant should not be ―swamped‖ by planting large numbers of the same species particularly if they are propagated from the few remaining species. Although some species have mechanisms to avoid self fertilization, essentially by planting large numbers of one or two species propagated from one or two maternal trees, overall species diversity and genetic diversity is less- ened. This could be the case with Pouteria (Planchonella) australis -Black Apple and Eupomatia laurina -Bolwarra at Salts Bay, for example.

Glenrock SRA: Urban encroachment surrounds many of our reserves leaving limited opportunity for recruitment outside of the immediate area.

33 Guidelines for a rainforest remnant planting program cont.

 Threatened Species should only be planted after consultation with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. This has been instigated locally with a let- ter dated 26th March, 2001 re. site management at Salts Bay for the vulnerable plant species Syzy- gium paniculatum Magenta Lillipilly, which is listed on Schedule 2 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. “The NPWS considers that translocation may be useful in specific conservation programs (e.g. species recovery planning), but only as a last resort, and only when all in situ conservation measures have been exhausted and failed. As such, the NPWS generally encour- ages site management measures to focus on improving the conditions for natural recruitment from existing in situ populations of threatened plants.” (Robert Humphries Manager, Threatened Spe- cies Unit Central Directorate) Salts Bay ‗Livistona edge‘  For plantings away from remnants, species rehabilitation , remove the weeds that occur in the closest remnants could be in- and let nature do the rest! cluded to facilitate gene flow (for example, ripar- ian project planting at the Allambee Gardens site, Valentine and the Bunya Park site, Warners Bay/ Eleebana has included Green Point remnant species, while planting programs for Dudley sites have included species recommenda- tions based on the Species List for the South Dudley Beach remnant in Glenrock State Con- servation Area). Also, institutions such as schools, and private landholders could be en- couraged to plant local species as in the TIN Topic 4 article A Local Rainforest Bushfood Garden and TIN Topic 10 A Tropical Garden using Local Native Plants.

Rainforest rehabilitation on private land at Floraville with TIN bush-regenerators

34 Guidelines for a rainforest remnant planting program cont.

 Planting to achieve an appropriate rainforest re-establishment will neces- sarily take several years with enrichment planting of slow to propagate species, and species not available in the first stages of the planting program and with possible culling of pioneer species to accelerate the cycle towards the development of a mature phase canopy. The planting program should be appropriately documented (e.g. species, numbers, date of planting, mapping, etc.), and plantings should be tar- geted towards replication of natural plant associations.

Green Play at Port Stephens Bush regen team working an area of mature Lantana and Senna

Green Play at Port Stephens Same area after the weeds were removed

Green Play at Port Stephens Same area showing the dense native regeneration occurring. Mother Nature Rules!

35 Threatened Species The National Parks and Wildlife Service Atlas has a site that allows you to search for all the plants and animals in your Local Government Area. It will also tell you what the Threatened Species are in your area, the site is http://wildlifeatlas.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/wildlifeatlas/watlas.jsp Many of the species also have information sheets that go with them including pic- tures and detailed information which are associated with the Threatened Species site http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/index.aspx

Endangered, vulnerable or extinct? Schedule 1 of the Threatened Species Conservation( TSC) Act lists threatened species, populations and ecological communities and species that are endangered or presumed extinct. Schedule 2 lists vulnerable species and Schedule 3 lists key threatening processes.

 The TSC Act defines 'endangered' as a species, population or ecological community that is likely to become extinct or is in immediate dan- ger of extinction.  A species that is 'presumed extinct' has not been located in nature during the preced- ing fifty years despite the searching of known and likely habitats.  A 'vulnerable' species is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances and factors threatening its survival or evolutionary development cease to operate.

V -- Vulnerable (Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995) E1 - Endangered (Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995) E2 - Endangered (Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995) E4 - Presumed Extinct (Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995) P - Protected (National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974) P13 - Protected Plants (National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974) U – Unprotected

36 Port Stephens Threatened Species Common Name Scientific Name Status AMPHIBIANS Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea E1 Wallum Froglet Crinia tinnula V BIRDS Speckled Warbler Pyrrholaemus sagittatus V Osprey Pandion haliaetus V Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis V Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa V Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata V Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus V Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis V Bush Stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius E1 Gang-gang Cockatoo Callocephalon fimbriatum V Glossy Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami V Greater Sand-plover Charadrius leschenaultii V Lesser Sand-plover Charadrius mongolus V Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus E1 Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus V Ptilinopus magnificus Wompoo Fruit-Dove V Superb Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus superbus V Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus V Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris V Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea V Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia E1 Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis temporalis V (eastern subspecies) Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor E1 Turquoise Parrot Neophema pulchella V Painted Snipe (Australian subspecies) Rostratula benghalensis australis E1

Barking Owl Ninox connivens V Grass Owl Tyto capensis V Powerful Owl Ninox strenua V Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae V REPTILES Loggerhead Turtle Caretta caretta E1 Green Turtle Chelonia mydas V

Port Stephens Threatened Species MAMMALS Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis V Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae V Eastern Pygmy-possum Cercartetus nanus V Spotted-tailed Quoll Dasyurus maculatus V Brush-tailed Phascogale Phascogale tapoatafa V Dugong Dugong dugon E1 Yellow-bellied Sheathtail-bat Saccolaimus flaviventris V

Eastern Freetail-bat Mormopterus norfolkensis V Diuris arenaria New Zealand Fur-seal Arctocephalus forsteri V Sand Doubletail Yellow-bellied Glider Petaurus australis V Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis V Koala Phascolarctos cinereus V Long-nosed Potoroo Potorous tridactylus V Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus V Large-eared Pied Bat Chalinolobus dwyeri V Eastern False Pipistrelle Falsistrellus tasmaniensis V Golden-tipped Bat Kerivoula papuensis V Little Bentwing-bat Miniopterus australis V Eastern Bentwing-bat Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis V

Large-footed Myotis Myotis adversus V Pandion haliaetus Greater Broad-nosed Bat Scoteanax rueppellii V Osprey

PLANTS Common name Scientific Name Status Black-eyed Susan Tetratheca juncea V Sand Spurge Chamaesyce psammogeton E1 Villous Mint-bush Prostanthera densa V Charmhaven Apple Angophora inopina V Netted Bottle Brush Callistemon linearifolius V Heart-leaved Stringybark Eucalyptus camfieldii V Slaty Red Gum Eucalyptus glaucina V Eucalyptus parramattensis subsp. decadens V

Grove's Paperbark Melaleuca groveana V Leafless Tongue Orchid Cryptostylis hunteriana V Sand Doubletail Diuris arenaria E1 Rough Double Tail Diuris praecox V Small-flower Grevillea Grevillea parviflora subsp. parviflora V

Dwarf Kerrawang Rulingia prostrata E1

38 Newcastle Threatened Species Common name Scientific name Status AMPHIBIANS Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea E1 Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura V BIRDS Osprey Pandion haliaetus V Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis V Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa V Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata V Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus V Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis V Bush Stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius E1 Gang-gang Cockatoo Callocephalon fimbriatum V Greater Sand-plover Charadrius leschenaultii V Lesser Sand-plover Charadrius mongolus V Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus E1 Wompoo Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus magnificus V Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus regina V Superb Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus superbus V Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans E1 Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus V Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris V Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea V Little Tern Sterna albifrons E1 Black-chinned Honeyeater Melithreptus gularis gularis V (eastern subspecies) Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia E1 Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus E1 Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor E1 Turquoise Parrot Neophema pulchella V Painted Snipe (Australian subspecies) Rostratula benghalensis australis E1

Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris V Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus V Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa V Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus V Barking Owl Ninox connivens V Powerful Owl Ninox strenua V Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae V

Newcastle Threatened Species

MARINE MAMMALS

Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae V

Dugong Dugong dugon E1

MAMMALS

Yellow-bellied Sheathtail-bat Saccolaimus flaviventris V

Eastern Freetail-bat Mormopterus norfolkensis V

Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis V Koala Phascolarctos cinereus V Ninox Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus V strenua Little Bentwing-bat Miniopterus australis V Powerful Owl Miniopterus schreibersii Eastern Bentwing-bat V oceanensis

Large-footed Myotis Myotis adversus V

Greater Broad-nosed Bat Scoteanax rueppellii V

PLANTS

Common Name Scientific Name Status

Heath Wrinklewort Rutidosis heterogama V

Black-eyed Susan Tetratheca juncea V

Netted Bottle Brush Callistemon linearifolius V

Magenta Lilly Pilly Syzygium paniculatum V

Rough Double Tail Orchid Diuris praecox V Diuris praecox Rough Double Tail

Zannichellia palustris E1

Diggins 2006 A. A.

Syzygium paniculatum Tetratheca juncea Magenta Lillipilly Black-eyed Susan

40 Lake Macquarie Threatened Species

Common Name Scientific Name Status

AMPHIBIANS Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea E1 Green-thighed Frog Litoria brevipalmata V Littlejohn's Tree Frog Litoria littlejohni V Wallum Froglet Crinia tinnula V Stuttering Frog Mixophyes balbus E1 Giant Barred Frog Mixophyes iteratus E1 Red-crowned Toadlet Pseudophryne australis V BIRDS Speckled Warbler Pyrrholaemus sagittatus V Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura V Osprey Pandion haliaetus V Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis V Gang-gang Cockatoo Callocephalon fimbriatum V Glossy Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami V Greater Sand-plover Charadrius leschenaultii V Lesser Sand-plover Charadrius mongolus V Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus E1 Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus V Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus regina V Superb Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus superbus V

Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans E1 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris V Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus V Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris V Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea V Little Tern Sterna albifrons E1 Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata V Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia E1 Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata V Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor E1 Turquoise Parrot Neophema pulchella V Painted Snipe (Australian subspecies) Rostratula benghalensis australis E1

Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris V Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus V Barking Owl Ninox connivens V Powerful Owl Ninox strenua V Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae V Sooty Owl Tyto tenebricosa V 41 Lake Macquarie Threatened Species

MARINE MAMMALS Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis V Dugong Dugong dugon E1 MAMMALS Spotted-tailed Quoll Dasyurus maculatus V Yellow-bellied Sheathtail-bat Saccolaimus flaviventris V

Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillata E1 Eastern Freetail-bat Mormopterus norfolkensis V Yellow-bellied Glider Petaurus australis V Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis V Koala Phascolarctos cinereus V Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus V Large-eared Pied Bat Chalinolobus dwyeri V Eastern False Pipistrelle Falsistrellus tasmaniensis V Little Bentwing-bat Miniopterus australis V Eastern Bentwing-bat Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis V Large-footed Myotis Myotis adversus V Greater Broad-nosed Bat Scoteanax rueppellii V Eastern Cave Bat Vespadelus troughtoni V REPTILES Loggerhead Turtle Caretta caretta E1 Green Turtle Chelonia mydas V Stephens' Banded Snake Hoplocephalus stephensii V Rosenberg's Goanna Varanus rosenbergi V PLANTS Common name Scientific Name Status White-flowered Wax Plant Cynanchum elegans E1

Tetratheca glandulosa V Black-eyed Susan Tetratheca juncea V Epacris purpurascens var. purpurascens V Sand Spurge Chamaesyce psammogeton E1 Coast Headland Pea Pultenaea maritima V Bynoe's Wattle Acacia bynoeana E1 Charmhaven Apple Angophora inopina V Netted Bottle Brush Callistemon linearifolius V Heart-leaved Stringybark Eucalyptus camfieldii V

Biconvex Paperbark Melaleuca biconvexa V Magenta Lilly Pilly Syzygium paniculatum V Leafless Tongue Orchid Cryptostylis hunteriana V Rough Double Tail Diuris praecox V Small-flower Grevillea Grevillea parviflora subsp. parviflora V 42 References Hunter Councils Inc (2003) Lower Hunter and Central Coast Regional Environmental Strategy http://www.lhccrems.nsw.gov.au/biodiversity/ mu15_17.html#mu15 (Accessed 07.06.07) Threatened Species lists -Department of Environment and Climate Change (2005) Threatened Species, Populations & Ecological communities of NSW http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/ tsprofile/home_species.aspx (Accessed 12.05.07)

Acknowledgements Carl Fulton for sharing his vast botanical knowledge and understanding of the site orientation and bush regeneration processes by compiling the information contained in this document. Suzanne Pritchard for the layout and desktop publishing All the TIN team, staff and volunteers, who over the years have found new and interesting ways to do things and for sharing their extensive botanical knowledge and being dedicated to empowering through knowledge sharing. Lake Macquarie City Council- Landcare Resource Office for printing the publi- cations Hunter Central Rivers CMA and Natural Heritage Trust for providing the funding through the Environmental Education grants program. (http:// www.hcr.cma.nsw.gov.au)

Image credits All plant photographs unless otherwise stated are by Peter Saunderson, TIN volunteer. Bush Regeneration photos are from the TIN collection unless otherwise stated. Cover – Botanical Clip Art -Down Under Collection Deluxe CD–New Horizons Educational Software .www.nh.com.au Page3—Mulching should be avoided from poster ―Natural Regeneration-Do you even need to plant? – AABR http://www.aabr.org.au/images/stories/ resources/posters/NaturalRegeneration060612.pdf (accessed 1/8/07) Page 12 and 33- Google Earth Images of Green Point Lake Mac- quarie , Coastline including Glenrock SRA (accessed 29/7/07) Page 31- Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group Logo http:// www.bigscrubrainforest.org.au/index.html (accessed 27/08/07) Page 27 Book cover image Ann Loughran (2006) Native plant or Weed-Pick the Difference. Dept Primary Industry ISBN 0 7313 0598 1

Useful people The Site Orientation Booklet in this series has a useful contact list including Coastcare Officers

43 Landcare and Community Support Officers National Parks Officers Land Managers

44 252 Parry Street Newcastle West, 2302 Ph 4969 1500 Fax 4927 6821 [email protected] www.treesinnewcastle.org.au