Cullen walkingtonii NT Taxonomic Authority: (F.Muell.) J.W.Grimes  Global Assessment  Regional Assessment Region: Global  Endemic to region Synonyms Common Names Psoralea walkingtonii F.Muell.

Upper Level Taxonomy Kingdom: PLANTAE Phylum: TRACHEOPHYTA Class: MAGNOLIOPSIDA Order: FABALES Family: LEGUMINOSAE Lower Level Taxonomy Rank: Infra- rank name:  Plant Hybrid Subpopulation: Authority:

General Information Distribution Cullen walkingtonii is endemic to Australia, known only from stream courses in and east of the Davenport Range in the Northern Territory.

Range Size Elevation Biogeographic Realm Area of Occupancy: Upper limit: 530  Afrotropical Extent of Occurrence: 10000 Lower limit: 250  Antarctic Map Status: Depth  Australasian Upper limit:  Neotropical Lower limit:  Oceanian Depth Zones  Palearctic  Shallow photic  Bathyl  Hadal  Indomalayan  Photic  Abyssal  Nearctic Population The largest population of C. walkingtonii is known from Elkedra River floodout swamps which is considered a site of conservation significance. Latest collection in 2003.

Total Population Size Minimum Population Size: Maximum Population Size: Habitat and Ecology Annual or biennial herb which sprout after floods and can grow up to 4m. It is known from floodplains or depressions in sandy or clayey soil (Grimes 1997). The largest population of this species is known from the Elkedra swamps which are dominated by low open woodland of gum-barked coolabahs Eucalyptus victrix with an understorey of sedges, herbs and grasses on the margins of receding flood waters. In the Davenport and Murchinson Ranges the major vegetation communities include low open eucalypt or acacia woodland with an understorey of hummock grasslands with the vegetation around waterholes dominated by river red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis and areas of Melaleuca dissitiflora and Ludwigia octovalvis. In the Frew River area the major vegetation communities include coolabah Eucalyptus microtheca low open woodland and areas of floodplain with an overstorey of melaleuca and acacia species (Harrison et al. 2009).

System Movement pattern Crop Wild Relative  Terrestrial  Freshwater  Nomadic  Congregatory/Dispersive  Is the species a wild relative of a crop?  Marine  Migratory  Altitudinally migrant

Growth From Definition Annual An annual plant, also termed a Therophyte Forb or Herb Biennial or perennial herbacaeous plant, also termed a Hemicryptophyte

Threats This species is known from the Davenport Murchison Ranges area. This bioregion is in reasonably good condition, although changed fire regimes, feral animals, weeds and livestock are causing broad-scale detriment to some biodiversity values (Australian Natural Resources Atlas 2009). In the three sites weed invasion, grazing pressure and frequency of fires are the main management issues identified. However, the full extent and nature of all threatening processes affecting the three sites of conservation significance where this species occurs cannot be defined and further surveying is required. Furthermore most of the area is under pastoral land tenure (Harrison et al. 2009).

Past Present Future 1 Habitat Loss/Degradation (human induced)  1.5 Invasive alien species (directly impacting habitat)  1.6 Change in native species dynamics (directly impacting habitat)  1.7 Fires  7 Natural disasters  7.4 Wildfire  10 Human disturbance  10.5 Fire  Conservation Measures The species is known to occur within three sites of conservation significance: Frew River and Elkedra River floodout swamps and the Davenport and Murchinson Ranges. The moderately large Davenport Range National Park and small Devil's Marbles National Park provide reasonable representation of the range environments, but do not sample the flood-out areas and valley floors, which are largely included within pastoral land use. A more comprehensive reserve system should include some representation of these more fertile lowland environments (Australian Natural Resources Atlas 2009). This species is listed as 3K (Briggs and Leigh 1996), a rare species with a geographic range more than 100 km2 not known to occur within protected areas and also listed as Near Threatened under Schedule 2 in the Northern Territory (Northern Territory Government 2007). It is recommended that the seeds of this species are banked as an ex situ conservation measure and that further research is carried out to monitor habitat status and level of threats.

In Place Needed 1 Policy-based actions  1.1 Management plans  1.1.1 Development  1.1.2 Implementation  3 Research actions  3.4 Habitat status  3.5 Threats  4 Habitat and site-based actions  4.4 Protected areas  4.4.4 Expansion  5 Species-based actions  5.7 Ex situ conservation actions  5.7.2 Genome resource bank  Countries of Occurrence

PRESENCE ORIGIN Year Breeding Non- Passage Possibly ExtinctPresence Native Introduced Re- Vagrant Origin Round Season breeding migrant extinct uncertain Introduced uncertain only season only Australia    Northern Territory   

General Habitats Score Description Major Importance 4 Grassland 2Marginal Not applicable 4.5 Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry2 Marginal Not applicable 5 Wetlands (inland)1Unset Suitable 5.1 Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes 1UnsetSuitable waterfalls) 5.2 Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular 1UnsetSuitable Rivers/Streams/Creeks 5.3 Wetlands (inland) - Shrub Dominated Wetlands1Unset Suitable 5.4 Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands1Unset Suitable 8 Desert 2Marginal Not applicable 8.2 Desert - Temperate2 Marginal Not applicable

Species Utilisation  Species is not utilised at all

Trend in the level of wild offtake/harvest in relation to total wild population numbers over the last five years: Trend in the amount of offtake/harvest produced through domestication/cultivation over the last five years: CITES status: Not listed

IUCN Red Listing Red List Assessment:(using 2001 IUCN system) Near Threatened (NT)

Red List Criteria: Date Last Seen (only for EX, EW or Possibly EX species): Is the species Possibly Extinct?  Possibly Extinct Candidate?  Rationale for the Red List Assessment C. walkingtonii is a herb known from floodplains or depressions in the Davenport Ranges in the Northern Territory. Its restricted distribution may qualify the species under criteria B1 as Vulnerable (EOO ~10,000km2) and the species is known from three locations. There are known identifiable threats however it is not yet clear how these may be affecting the species and whether it is resulting in a continuiung decline. It is therefore listed as Near Threatened. It is recommended that its seeds are banked as an ex situ conservation measure and that further research is carried out to monitor habitat status and level of threats. Reason(s) for Change in Red List Category from the Previous Assessment:  Genuine Change  Nongenuine Change  No Change  Genuine (recent)  New information  Taxonomy  Same category  Genuine (since first assessment)  Knowledge of Criteria  Criteria Revisio and criteria  Incorrect data used  Other  Same category but previously change in criteria Current Population Trend: Unknown Date of Assessment: 01/09/2010 Name(s) of the Assessor(s): Malcolm, P. Evaluator(s): Notes:

% population decline in the past: Time period over which the past decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): % population decline in the future: Time period over which the future decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): Number of Locations: 3 Severely Fragmented: Number of Mature Individuals:

Bibliography Australian Natural Resources Atlas, 2009, Biodiversity Assessment - Davenport Murchison Ranges, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, , , Canberra Grimes, J.W., 1997, A Revision of Cullen (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae), Australian Systematic Botany, 565-648, , Harrison, L., McGuire, L., Ward, S., Fisher, A., Pavey, C., Fegan, M. and Lynch, B., 2009, An inventory of sites of international and national significance for biodiversity values in the Northern Territory, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport, , , Darwin Northern Territory Government, 2007, The Classification of Wildlife of the NT – January 2007, Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport07 July 2011, , , Ward, S. and Harrison, L., 2009, Recognising sites of conservation significance for biodiversity values in the Northern Territory, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport, , , Darwin Wheeler, J.R., 1992, Flora of the Kimberley region, J.R. Wheeler, , Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth