Wetland Plants of the Namoi High Country
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Wetland Plants of the Namoi High Country The purpose of this guide is to assist stakeholders involved in monitoring activities to identify high altitude wetland species that occur 700m above sea level (ASL) within the New England Tableland Bioregion of the Namoi Catchment. Acknowledgements This document would not have been possible without the generous contribution of 30 photographers whose names appear on individual images. Funding was provided by the Namoi Catchment Management Authority as part of their Upland Wetland Program through the Commonwealth Government’s Caring for Our Country Program. John T. Hunter provided comments on the draft and organised the project through Hewlett Hunter Pty Ltd. The N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium, University of New England, is thanked for access to photographs of plant specimens. The website: http:// www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Residents/Yarra_Ranges_Plant_ Directory highlighted the images of some of the photographers contributing to this guide and NatureShare http://natureshare.org.au/species/ is thanked for the free provision of images. Ian Telford of the N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium is thanked for advice on species identifications and nomenclature. Jon Burne provided IT support with formatting and design. Cover photographs Main front: Carex appressa Insets: Schoenoplectus mucronatus, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Cyperus sphaeroideus, Geum urbanum Main back: Carex appressa Insets: Utricularia dichotoma, Hydrocotyle tripartita, Callistemon sp. Bendemeer, Persicaria hydropiper This page: Stellaria angustifolia, Hydrocotyle tripartita, Leptospermum polygalifolium, Phragmites australis Disclaimer The information contained in this guide is based on the author’s knowledge and understanding at the time of writing – July 2012. Users of this guide are reminded of the need to ensure that information on which they rely is up to date and to check the currency of the information with the appropriate officer of the Namoi Catchment Management Authority. WETLAND PLANTS OF THE NAMOI HIGH COUNTRY / NAMOI CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY Wetland Plants of the Namoi High Country Introduction Wetlands are areas that are flooded or contain water to a great depth, are waterlogged, damp or have moist soils for extended periods of time. Some wetlands are ephemeral or intermittent and retain water for anything from a few days to a few months before drying out again. Wetlands also include places at the edges of permanently flooded areas, where water is either still or flowing. They can be natural or constructed and include streams and rivers and their banks, farm dams and reservoirs, marshy or boggy areas Farm Dam and areas that become wet occasionally such as roadside drains Mahri Koch and low-lying parts of pasture, woodlands or forests. Wetlands provide habitat for a number of different animals. Tall clumps and tussocks of plants provide shelter for wallabies, nesting sites and shelter for birds while aquatic plants and their seeds are food for water birds. In deep water, aquatic plants provide habitat for fish, frogs and aquatic invertebrates, and at wetland edges, plants provide shelter for frogs and a position Creek with tea trees Darren Ryder above the water for insects such as dragonflies to hatch into their aerial life stages. Many wetland plant species are truly aquatic and for these species a degree of water depth is necessary. Aquatic species grow only in permanent or semi-permanent pools or slow-flowing deep water. These aquatic species often have distinctive growth forms such as leaves that float on the surface or grow submerged in ponds, dams or pools, leaves that are thin and flexible or highly divided; examples are Blunt Pondweed (page 40) and Ribbonweed (page 44). Other species such as Red Azolla (page 78) float on the surface of the water (free-floating). Most of the wetland species observed in the Namoi high altitude areas are however emergent plants. Emergent plants have roots in mud or sediment, grow up through the water column and emerge to flower. The largest of these are Broadleaf Cumbungi (page 43) and Common Reed (page 34); with the smallest species such as River Buttercup (page 67) and Pennywort (page 55) growing in shallow areas. WETLAND PLANTS OF THE NAMOI HIGH COUNTRY / NAMOI CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY PAGE 1 Wetland Plants of the Namoi High Country Wetland plants are mostly herbaceous (non-woody); these include grasses, grass-like and broad- leaved species but also include ferns and mosses. Woody plants usually grow at the waters edge rather than in wetlands in the Namoi high country but are still water-dependent. Examples are River Oak, Bottlebrushes and Tea Trees as well as Willows and other introduced (non-native) species. Some species observed in wetlands are opportunistic and are normally thought of as terrestrial plants. Examples are the pasture weeds Purple Top (page 73), Spear Thistle (page 47) and Blackberries. Other species can grow virtually anywhere from the edges of wetlands to forests. Examples of these are Native Geranium (page 50) and Common Buttercup (page 68). Four species, Carex sp. Bendemeer, Eryngium sp. Little Llangothlin NR, Leiocarpa sp. Uralla and Callistemon sp. Bendemeer do not have the usual scientific name but a phrase name. A phrase name is used for a species that has not yet been identified or formally described. These species use geographic localities as this was where each of the species was first collected. Wetland Communities There are three main wetland communities that have been identified in this region and are considered at threat from activities such as draining, impoundment (building a dam) and overgrazing. These communities are Carex Sedgelands, Montane Peatlands and Basaltic Lagoons, and are described further over the following pages. Carex Sedgelands or fens are listed as an Endangered Ecological Community (EEC) under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) under the title ‘Carex Sedgelands of the New England Tableland, Nandewar, Brigalow Belt South and NSW North Coast Bioregions’. Montane Peatlands (also called bogs or wet heath) are listed as an EEC under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) under the title ‘Montane Peatlands and Swamps of the New England Tableland’ NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, South East Corner, South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps Bioregions’. Basalt Plateau Lagoons (also called montane lakes) are listed as an EEC both under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) as ‘Upland Wetlands of the Drainage Divide of the New England Tableland Bioregion’ and under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth) as ‘Upland Wetlands of the New England Tablelands and the Monaro Plateau’. PAGE 2 WETLAND PLANTS OF THE NAMOI HIGH COUNTRY / NAMOI CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY Wetland Plants of the Namoi High Country Wetland Carex Sedgelands Communities Watsons Creek John T. Hunter • Swamps of broad valley floors, creek banks and drainage lines • Run-off dependent, water moving slowly through swamps or via small streams • Nutrient-rich neutral to alkaline soils, often peaty • Occur on all rock types • Dominated by tall tussocky or tufted Carex species • No shrubs, except at margins • Generally species-poor Carex Sedgelands are by far the most common of these three endangered wetland communities over the whole of the Namoi Catchment above 700m and are found on many small streams and drainage lines. They are also called fens. Bells Swamp John T. Hunter WETLAND PLANTS OF THE NAMOI HIGH COUNTRY / NAMOI CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY PAGE 3 Wetland Plants of the Namoi High Country Wetland Montane Peatlands Communities Hanging Rock State Forest Jon Burne • Shrub-dominated swamps of narrow to broad valleys • Rainfall dependent, water moves slowly through peatland and drains via small shallow streams • Nutrient-poor acidic substrate of shallow to deep peat • Various rock types but predominantly coarse granites • Usually feature Sphagnum Moss • Generally species rich Montane Peatlands, or wetlands that represent an intergrade between peatlands and Carex Sedgelands, occur in the southeast of the Catchment near Hanging Rock, at the edge of the Namoi Catchment in a small area to the north of Ben Halls Gap and in Coolah Tops National Park. They are also called bogs or wet heath. Near Bullock Creek Jon Burne PAGE 4 WETLAND PLANTS OF THE NAMOI HIGH COUNTRY / NAMOI CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY Wetland Plants of the Namoi High Country Wetland Basalt Plateau Lagoons Communities Near Hanging Rock State Forest John T. Hunter • Shallow temporary lakes on flat basaltic landscapes • Water depth when full 10cm to 2m • Water is ponded, not flowing • Nutrient-rich clay or peaty soils • Sedges, true aquatics and amphibious plants • No shrubs • Moderately species rich To date only one small Basalt Plateau Lagoon with a very shallow basin has been identified in State Forest near Hanging Rock, but other remnants of this wetland community may occur in the Llangothlin Lagoon southeast of the Namoi Catchment. They are also called montane Chris Cooper lakes. WETLAND PLANTS OF THE NAMOI HIGH COUNTRY / NAMOI CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY PAGE 5 Wetland Plants of the Namoi High Country How to use this guide This guide contains information on wetland species found in the Namoi Catchment above 700m ASL. Emphasis is given to species of Carex Sedgelands, the most common wetland type within the high altitude areas of the Namoi Catchment. Each species page provides photographs of the general look of the plant (habit), the leaves, flowers and fruit where possible and any other distinguishing features. Both common and scientific names are given but readers are warned that the same plant can have different common names in different places. The written description avoids botanical terms where possible but to help understand some of the terms used, a glossary at the end of the guide is included (page 82). Further sources of reading on these species are also listed on page 84. As an aid for identification the plant species described in this guide have been divided into growth forms (see below).