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Home , Casuarina glauca, Phragmites australis

threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.a Determination at: Profile and the NSW Scientific Committee Final refer to the Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest Community (EEC).For more detailed information Floodplain Forest, anEndangeredEcological authorities toidentifyremnantsofSwampOak information to assist land managers and approval These guidelinesprovidebackground Introduction Forest Swamp OakFloodplain markedly fromsitetosite.Depending on the compositionofspeciespresent willvary the communitymaybequite wet andassuch on soilswithasalineinfluence.Theof rivers andestuariesisgenerallyfound community isfoundincloseproximity to Swamp Paperbark ( tree/s SwampOak( of plantsthatisgenerallydominatedbythe Swamp OakFloodplainForest isa community Floodplain Forest? What isSwampOak Species Conservation Act risk of extinction in NSW under the ecological community listed as facing a very high An Endangered Ecological Community is an shrubs and groundcover that live there. area. They are generally recognised by the trees, living organisms that occur together in a particular species which can include flora, fauna and other An ecological community is an assemblage of Ecological Community? What isanEndangered exotic grassesinvadingtheunderstorey. restricted tosmallareas surrounded byparklandwith Many remnants ofSwampOakFloodplainForest are

Melaleuca ericifolia glauca 1995. Threatened ) and/or ). The u

Lucas McKinnon andhavebeenconvertedtograss paddockswithnooverstorey. In thepast,areas ofSwampOakFloodplainForest were cleared for sedges andreeds.See‘IdentifyingSwampOak grasses andherbsinmoresalineareasby understorey willbecomposedofsalttolerant the levelofsalinityingroundwater expose large areas ofedgetoweedinvasion Trail bikeand4WDtracksreduce speciesdiversityand grasses andexotic vines/creepers). processes (e.g. Lantana,introducedperennial as thoselistedinavarietyofkey threatening by weedytaxa,includingnoxious species,such examples ofthiscommunitywouldbeunaffected still consideredpartoftheEEC.Relativelyfew to scatteredtreesandthisdisturbedtypeis instances, mayhavereducedthiscommunity that partialclearinganddisturbance,insome remnants ofthiscommunity. Itspecificallynotes delineate betweenhigherandlowerquality of theSwampOakFloodplainForest doesnot The ScientificCommitteesfinaldetermination Floodplain Forest’ belowforfurtherassistance.

Lucas McKinnon Lucas McKinnon

Identification Guidelines for Endangered Ecological Communities Where is Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest found? Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest is associated with humic clay and sandy loam soils on waterlogged or periodically flooded areas. These soils are generally deposited during Lucas McKinnon flood events and occur on the flats and drainage lines of the Coastal Floodplain. The community is usually found below 20m in elevation although sometimes up to 50 m elevation on small floodplains or where the larger floodplains adjoin lithic (rocky) substrates or coastal sand plains. It is found in the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner bioregions as mapped below. Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest can be seen here intergrading with Coastal Saltmarsh.

species (i.e. the number of any particular species at any one site), is not a critical factor in determining the presence or absence of this community as this will vary depending on site history (grazing, clearing etc). Shrubs and Groundlayer plants The understorey of this community is characterised by frequent occurrences of vines such as: Common Silkpod (), Scrambling Lily (Geitonoplesium cymosum) and Snake Vine (Stephania japonica). There Potential occurrence of Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest may be a sparse layer of shrubs and a number of small herbs such as Indian Pennywort (Centella asiatica), Description of the community Commelina (Commelina cyanea), Slender Knotweed (Persicaria decipiens) and Viola spp.. Grasses and grass Characteristic species type plants also occur like Tussock Sedge (Carex A list of trees, shrubs and ground cover species that appressa), Tall Saw Sedge (Gahnia clarkei) and Basket characterise Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest have been Grass (Oplismenus imbecillis). On the fringes of coastal identified by the NSW Scientifc Committee (see table). where soils are more saline the groundcover The tree layer moves towards Common Reed ( australis), Sea Rush (Juncus krausii) and saltmarsh type species. The tree layer of Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest is most commonly made up of Swamp Oak (), but will also include other trees such as Lilly Pilly (Acmena smithii), Cheese Tree () How can I identify areas and Paperbarks (Melaleuca spp.). South from Bermagui, of Swamp Oak Forest? Swamp Paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia) is the only The following are ‘Key Indicators’ to look for when abundant tree in this community. The density of tree determining whether Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest exists on a site: 1. Is the site on the coastal floodplain of the NSW What is the Coastal North Coast, Sydney Basin or South East Corner Floodplain? bioregion (see map)? Floodplains are level landform patterns on which there 2. Is the site associated with humic clay or sandy may be active erosion and deposition by flooding where loams soils (refer to soil maps)? the average interval is 100 years or less. 3. Is the site subject to waterlogging and/or below the highest flood level (check with Local Government Coastal floodplains include coastal river valleys, or Catchment Management Authority to alluvial flats and drainage lines below the escarpment determine highest flood mark)? of the Great Dividing Range. While most floodplains 4. Is the site dominated by Swamp Oak or Swamp are below 20m in elevation, some may occur on Paperbark? (check with local botanist, consult localised river flats up to 250m elevation. However, reference books or see plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au) there may be local variation associated with river 5. Are any characteristic shrub and/or groundlayer channels, local depressions, natural levees and river species present (see table)? terraces. The latter are areas that rarely flood anymore If you answered yes to the above questions your site is due to the deepening or widening of streams. likely to be Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest. Characteristic Species List Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest is characterised by the species listed below. The species present at any site will be influenced by the size of the site, recent rainfall or drought conditions and by its disturbance (including fire and logging) history. Note that NOT ALL the species listed below need to be present at any one site for it to constitute Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest. Scientific Name Common Name (Range) Scientific Name Common Name (Range) Tree Canopy Species (>6m) Rushes / Grasses Alphitonia excelsa Red Ash (N-Sho) Baumea juncea Bare Twig Rush Casuarina glauca Swamp Oak + Tall Sedge + Cupaniopsis Tuckeroo (N-Sho) dactylon Sand Couch + anacardioides Crinum pedunculatum Swamp Lily (N-J-Bay) Lophostemon suaveolens Swamp Turpentine (N-Coffs) Dianella caerulea Blue Flax Lily Melaleuca ericifolia Swamp Paperbark + (S-P-Mac) Entolasia marginata Bordered Panic Melaleuca quinquenervia Broad leaved Paperbark (N-Syd) Gahnia clarkei Tall Saw-sedge Melaleuca styphelioides Prickly-leaved Tea Tree (N-Sho) Imperata cylindrica var. Blady Grass Small Trees / Shrub Species (1.5-6m) major Acmena smithii Lilly Pilly Isolepis inundata Swamp Club-sedge Callistemon salignus Sweet Willow Bottlebrush subsp. Sea Rush + Glochidion ferdinandi Cheese Tree + australiensis Glochidion sumatranum Umbrella Cheese Tree (N-Coffs) Juncus planifolius A Rush Homalanthus populifolius Bleeding Heart Juncus usitatus Common Rush Melaleuca alternifolia Narrow-leaved paperbark Lomandra longifolia Ribbon Grass (N-Gra) Maundia triglochinoides Water Ribbons (N-Gos) Myoporum acuminatum Boobialla Oplismenus imbecillis Basket Grass Groundcover Species (0-1.5m) & Vines/Scramblers Common Reed + Herbs / Ferns Vines Alternanthera Lesser Joyweed Parsonsia straminea Common Silkpod + (N-Sho) denticulata Stephania japonica var. Snake Vine Blechnum indicum Swamp Water-fern (N-J-Bay) discolor Centella asiatica Indian Pennywort + N-Illa) Flagellaria indica Whip Vine (N-Illa) Commelina cyanea Commelina + (N-Nar) + =Key indicator species; N = North of; S = South of; Enydra fluctuans An Enydra (N-Syd) Hypolepis muelleri Harsh Ground Fern Coffs = Coffs Harbour; Gos = Gosford; Gra = Grafton; Lobelia anceps (formerly Angled Lobelia Illa = Illawarra; J-Bay = Jervis Bay; Nar = Narooma; L. alata) P-Mac = Port Macquarie; Sho = Shoalhaven; Syd = Persicaria decipiens Slender Knotweed Sydney. Persicaria strigosa Prickly Smartweed For further help with identification see: Selliera radicans Swamp Weed (S-Gos) plantNET.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/search/simple.htm Viola banksii A Violet

Swamp Paperbark Swamp (Melaleuca ericifolia) Oak (Casuarina glauca)

Cheese Tree (Glochidion ferdinandi) Viola spp., small herbaceous groundcover in the Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest Illustrations © Botanic Gardens Trust 2007 Trust Illustrations © Botanic Gardens Lucas McKinnon Lucas McKinnon Lucas McKinnon

Sand Couch (Cynodon dactylon) Common Silkpod (Parsonsia straminea) Commelina (Commelina cyanea) EECs that may adjoin or 4. Tree canopy absent due to prior clearing, grazing or fire, occurrence of regrowth intergrade with Swamp of native understorey species along with Oak Floodplain Forest herbaceous and/or woody weeds; or This community occurs with or would have 5. Open sedge land with scattered immature previously occurred in association with other Swamp Oak where grazing has recently been coastal floodplain vegetation types which are also removed. listed as EECs. Collectively, these EECs cover Even where a remnant is considered to be all remaining native vegetation on the coastal heavily degraded and in poor condition, it may floodplains of NSW. These EECs are: still have conservation value for a number of 1. Coastal Saltmarsh with increasing estuarine reasons including: influence; 1. As part of a wildlife corridor that has 2. Swamp Sclerophyll Forest on Coastal connective importance at local and/or Floodplains with decreasing estuarine regional scales; influence; 2. Providing important winter feed trees for 3. River-Flat Eucalypt Forest or north of Port arboreal mammals and birds; Stephens, Sub-tropical Coastal Floodplain 3. Providing a ‘stepping stone’ for fauna in an Forest, on higher ground and where soils otherwise cleared landscape; and/or become less waterlogged; 4. Maintaining a healthy native seed bank, very 4. Freshwater on Coastal Floodplains important in highly cleared landscapes. where they adjoin more permanent standing It is important to take these factors into account water; and when determining the conservation significance 5. Lowland Rainforest on Floodplains on more of remnants. basaltic type soils north from Taree. For further details on these communities For further assistance please refer to other I.D. Guidelines or the This and other EEC guidelines are available Scientific Committee Final Determinations at: on DECC Threatened Species website threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au The references listed below also provide further Determining the information to aid in identifying EECs. conservation value of • Botanic Gardens Trust plant identification remnants assistance: rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/information_ The degree of disturbance (i.e. the site about_plants/botanical_info/plant_ condition) of any remnant of Swamp Oak identification Floodplain Forest may vary depending on past • Botanic Gardens Trust PlantNET: land use, management practices and/or natural plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/search/simple.htm disturbance and this should be considered at the • Harden, G. (ed) Flora of NSW Vols 1 – 4 time of assessment. Whilst not exhaustive, the (1990-2002). NSW University Press. following are a number of variations of Swamp • NSW Scientific Committee Determinations: Oak Floodplain Forest you may encounter: nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/ 1. Dense regrowth stand after disturbance with Final+determinations limited understorey; • Robinson, L (2003) Field guide to native plants 2. Tree canopy intact with an understorey of of Sydney revised 3rd edition. Kangaroo Press. introduced weed species and few natives due • Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest species profile: to disturbance; threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov. 3. Recolonised patches of Swamp Oak in areas au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10945 that may not have previously supported • Thackway, R, and Cresswell, I. (1995)(eds) the community due to changes in drainage ‘An interim biogeogeographic regionalisation regime; of Australia: a framework for establishing the national system of reserves.’ (Australian Nature Conservation Agency: Canberra).

Disclaimer: The Department of Environment and Climate Change has prepared this document as a guide only. The information provided is not intended to be exhaustive. It does not constitute legal advice. Users of this guide should do so at their own risk and should seek their own legal and other expert advice in identifying endangered ecological communities. The Department of Environment and Climate Change accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions in this guide or for any loss or damage arising from its use.

Department of Environment and Climate Change 1300 361 967 environment.nsw.gov.au [email protected] | December 07 ISSN 1834-9935 DECC 2007/595