List of Indigenous/Low Water Use Species

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

List of Indigenous/Low Water Use Species

Shrubs Tristaniopsis laurina Eucalyptus heamastoma Eucalyptus saligna Eucalyptus resinifera Eucalyptus racemosa Eucalyptus piperita Eucalyptus pilularis Eucalyptus paniculata Eucalyptus luehmanniana Elaeocarpus reticulatus Corymbia gummifera Callicoma serratifolia Backhousia myrtifolia Angophora floribunda Angophora costata Allocasuarina torulosa Trees Botanical Name KU-RING-GAI CITYCOUNCIL List ofindigenous/lowwaterusespecies Water Gum Scribbly Gum Sydney BlueGum Red Mahogany Snappy Gum Sydney Peppermint Blackbutt Grey Ironbark Yellow TopAsh Blueberry Ash Red Bloodwood Black Wattle Grey Myrtle Rough BarkedApple Smooth BarkedApple Forest Oak Common Name * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sandstone * * * * * Clay Soil Type Ku-ring-gai * Page 1 * * Riparian * Coastal & estuarine * Tertiary Alluvium Landscape Use * * * Shade tolerant * * * * Screening * * * * * * * * * * * * Bird attracting * * * * * * Showy flowers Plant Characteristics * * * * * Interesting fruit/seed pods * * * * Rare/uncommon 3-10 15-30 10-25 15-25 15-30 15-30 6-25 8-20 3-15 8-20 3-5 4-8 3-5 3-4 5-8 15 Height - metres 3-5 5-12 4-10 5-10 8-12 8-10 8-15 3-10 3-10 4-10 3-4 2-4 2-3 2-3 Width - metres Ku-ring-gai Allocasuarina distyla * * * * 2-3 2-3 Banksia ericifolia Heath Leaved Banksia * * * * 2-3 2.5 Banksia serrata Old Man Banksia * * * * 4-16 2-5 Callistemon citrinus Crimson Bottlebrush * * * * * 2-3 1-2 Ceratopetalum gummiferum NSW Christmas Bush * * * 2-4 1-3 Clerodendrum tomentosum Hairy Clerodendrum * * * * * * * 2 1.5 Kunzea ambigua Tick Bush * 2-4 2 Persoonia linearis Narrow Leaved Geebung * * * * * * * 3-5 1 Ground Covers / Scramblers Clematis aristata Old Man's Beard * * * * Dichondra repens Kidney Weed * * * * 0.1 x Pandorea Pandorana Wonga Wonga Vine * * * * * Pratia purpurascens * * * * * 0.1 x Ferns Adiantum aethiopicum Madenhair Fern * * * * 0.3 x Grasses / Tufted Plants Dianella caerulea s. lat Blue Flax Lily * * * * * 0.5 0.5 Dianella revoluta Mauve Flax Lily * * * * * * 0.5 0.5 Juncus usitatus Common Rush * * * * * 0.6 0.5 Lomandra longifolia Spiny Mat Rush * * * * * 1 1.5 Lomandra multiflora ssp. multiflora * * * 0.3 0.2 Oplismenus aemulus Basket Grass * * * 0.3 0.1 Pseuderanthamum variabile Pastel Flower * * * * * 0.1 0.3 Themeda australis Kangaroo Grass * * * * 0.5 0.5 Xanthorrhoea arborea Broad Leaf Grass Tree * * * * * 1 1 Xanthorrhoea media Forest Grass Tree * * * * * 1 1 Page 2.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

The Native Vegetation of the Nattai and Bargo Reserves
The Native Vegetation of the Nattai and Bargo Reserves Project funded under the Central Directorate Parks and Wildlife Division Biodiversity Data Priorities Program Conservation Assessment and Data Unit Conservation Programs and Planning Branch, Metropolitan Environmental Protection and Regulation Division Department of Environment and Conservation ACKNOWLEDGMENTS CADU (Central) Manager Special thanks to: Julie Ravallion Nattai NP Area staff for providing general assistance as well as their knowledge of the CADU (Central) Bioregional Data Group area, especially: Raf Pedroza and Adrian Coordinator Johnstone. Daniel Connolly Citation CADU (Central) Flora Project Officer DEC (2004) The Native Vegetation of the Nattai Nathan Kearnes and Bargo Reserves. Unpublished Report. Department of Environment and Conservation, CADU (Central) GIS, Data Management and Hurstville. Database Coordinator This report was funded by the Central Peter Ewin Directorate Parks and Wildlife Division, Biodiversity Survey Priorities Program. Logistics and Survey Planning All photographs are held by DEC. To obtain a Nathan Kearnes copy please contact the Bioregional Data Group Coordinator, DEC Hurstville Field Surveyors David Thomas Cover Photos Teresa James Nathan Kearnes Feature Photo (Daniel Connolly) Daniel Connolly White-striped Freetail-bat (Michael Todd), Rock Peter Ewin Plate-Heath Mallee (DEC) Black Crevice-skink (David O’Connor) Aerial Photo Interpretation Tall Moist Blue Gum Forest (DEC) Ian Roberts (Nattai and Bargo, this report; Rainforest (DEC) Woronora, 2003; Western Sydney, 1999) Short-beaked Echidna (D. O’Connor) Bob Wilson (Warragamba, 2003) Grey Gum (Daniel Connolly) Pintech (Pty Ltd) Red-crowned Toadlet (Dave Hunter) Data Analysis ISBN 07313 6851 7 Nathan Kearnes Daniel Connolly Report Writing and Map Production Nathan Kearnes Daniel Connolly EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report describes the distribution and composition of the native vegetation within and immediately surrounding Nattai National Park, Nattai State Conservation Area and Bargo State Conservation Area.
[Show full text]
Sistemática Y Evolución De Encyclia Hook
·>- POSGRADO EN CIENCIAS ~ BIOLÓGICAS CICY ) Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C. Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas SISTEMÁTICA Y EVOLUCIÓN DE ENCYCLIA HOOK. (ORCHIDACEAE: LAELIINAE), CON ÉNFASIS EN MEGAMÉXICO 111 Tesis que presenta CARLOS LUIS LEOPARDI VERDE En opción al título de DOCTOR EN CIENCIAS (Ciencias Biológicas: Opción Recursos Naturales) Mérida, Yucatán, México Abril 2014 ( 1 CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIÓN CIENTÍFICA DE YUCATÁN, A.C. POSGRADO EN CIENCIAS BIOLÓGICAS OSCJRA )0 f CENCIAS RECONOCIMIENTO S( JIOI ÚGIC A'- CICY Por medio de la presente, hago constar que el trabajo de tesis titulado "Sistemática y evo lución de Encyclia Hook. (Orchidaceae, Laeliinae), con énfasis en Megaméxico 111" fue realizado en los laboratorios de la Unidad de Recursos Naturales del Centro de Investiga ción Científica de Yucatán , A.C. bajo la dirección de los Drs. Germán Carnevali y Gustavo A. Romero, dentro de la opción Recursos Naturales, perteneciente al Programa de Pos grado en Ciencias Biológicas de este Centro. Atentamente, Coordinador de Docencia Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C. Mérida, Yucatán, México; a 26 de marzo de 2014 DECLARACIÓN DE PROPIEDAD Declaro que la información contenida en la sección de Materiales y Métodos Experimentales, los Resultados y Discusión de este documento, proviene de las actividades de experimen tación realizadas durante el período que se me asignó para desarrollar mi trabajo de tesis, en las Unidades y Laboratorios del Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., y que a razón de lo anterior y en contraprestación de los servicios educativos o de apoyo que me fueron brindados, dicha información, en términos de la Ley Federal del Derecho de Autor y la Ley de la Propiedad Industrial, le pertenece patrimonialmente a dicho Centro de Investigación.
[Show full text]
Native Plants of Sydney Harbour National Park: Historical Records and Species Lists, and Their Value for Conservation Monitoring
Native plants of Sydney Harbour National Park: historical records and species lists, and their value for conservation monitoring Doug Benson National Herbarium of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs Macquaries Rd, Sydney 2000 AUSTRALIA [email protected] Abstract: Sydney Harbour National Park (lat 33° 53’S; long 151° 13’E), protects significant vegetation on the harbour foreshores close to Sydney City CBD; its floristic abundance and landscape beauty has been acknowledged since the writings of the First Fleet in 1788. Surprisingly, although historical plant collections were made as early as1802, and localised surveys have listed species for parts of the Park since the 1960s, a detailed survey of the flora of whole Park is still needed. This paper provides the first definitive list of the c.400 native flora species for Sydney Harbour National Park (total area 390 ha) showing occurrence on the seven terrestrial sub-regions or precincts (North Head, South Head, Dobroyd Head, Middle Head, Chowder Head, Bradleys Head and Nielsen Park). The list is based on historical species lists, records from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (formerly Dept of Environment, Climate Change and Water) Atlas, National Herbarium of New South Wales specimen details, and some additional fieldwork. 131 species have only been recorded from a single precinct site and many are not substantiated with a recent herbarium specimen (though there are historical specimens from the general area for many). Species reported in the sources but for which no current or historic specimen exists are listed separately as being of questionable/non-local status.
[Show full text]
Networks in a Large-Scale Phylogenetic Analysis: Reconstructing Evolutionary History of Asparagales (Lilianae) Based on Four Plastid Genes
Networks in a Large-Scale Phylogenetic Analysis: Reconstructing Evolutionary History of Asparagales (Lilianae) Based on Four Plastid Genes Shichao Chen1., Dong-Kap Kim2., Mark W. Chase3, Joo-Hwan Kim4* 1 College of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China, 2 Division of Forest Resource Conservation, Korea National Arboretum, Pocheon, Gyeonggi- do, Korea, 3 Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom, 4 Department of Life Science, Gachon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea Abstract Phylogenetic analysis aims to produce a bifurcating tree, which disregards conflicting signals and displays only those that are present in a large proportion of the data. However, any character (or tree) conflict in a dataset allows the exploration of support for various evolutionary hypotheses. Although data-display network approaches exist, biologists cannot easily and routinely use them to compute rooted phylogenetic networks on real datasets containing hundreds of taxa. Here, we constructed an original neighbour-net for a large dataset of Asparagales to highlight the aspects of the resulting network that will be important for interpreting phylogeny. The analyses were largely conducted with new data collected for the same loci as in previous studies, but from different species accessions and greater sampling in many cases than in published analyses. The network tree summarised the majority data pattern in the characters of plastid sequences before tree building, which largely confirmed the currently recognised phylogenetic relationships. Most conflicting signals are at the base of each group along the Asparagales backbone, which helps us to establish the expectancy and advance our understanding of some difficult taxa relationships and their phylogeny.
[Show full text]
Ecology of Pyrmont Peninsula 1788 - 2008
Transformations: Ecology of Pyrmont peninsula 1788 - 2008 John Broadbent Transformations: Ecology of Pyrmont peninsula 1788 - 2008 John Broadbent Sydney, 2010. Ecology of Pyrmont peninsula iii Executive summary City Council’s ‘Sustainable Sydney 2030’ initiative ‘is a vision for the sustainable development of the City for the next 20 years and beyond’. It has a largely anthropocentric basis, that is ‘viewing and interpreting everything in terms of human experience and values’(Macquarie Dictionary, 2005). The perspective taken here is that Council’s initiative, vital though it is, should be underpinned by an ecocentric ethic to succeed. This latter was defined by Aldo Leopold in 1949, 60 years ago, as ‘a philosophy that recognizes[sic] that the ecosphere, rather than any individual organism[notably humans] is the source and support of all life and as such advises a holistic and eco-centric approach to government, industry, and individual’(http://dictionary.babylon.com). Some relevant considerations are set out in Part 1: General Introduction. In this report, Pyrmont peninsula - that is the communities of Pyrmont and Ultimo – is considered as a microcosm of the City of Sydney, indeed of urban areas globally. An extensive series of early views of the peninsula are presented to help the reader better visualise this place as it was early in European settlement (Part 2: Early views of Pyrmont peninsula). The physical geography of Pyrmont peninsula has been transformed since European settlement, and Part 3: Physical geography of Pyrmont peninsula describes the geology, soils, topography, shoreline and drainage as they would most likely have appeared to the first Europeans to set foot there.
[Show full text]
Relationship Between Leaf Traits, Insect Communities and Resource Availability
Relationship between Leaf Traits, Insect Communities and Resource Availability Emma Laxton BSc (Hons), BA (Hons), MIntS Department of Biological Sciences Division of Environment and Life Sciences Macquarie University North Ryde, NSW 2109 Australia Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy November 2005 The work described in this thesis is original and has not been submitted in any form for a higher degree at any other university or institution. All of the work presented in this thesis is my own and was undertaken during my PhD candidature: February 2002 to November 2005. November 2005 Emma Laxton 2 Abstract This project used the resource availability hypothesis (Coley et al., 1985) as a framework for investigating the relationship between resource availability (as defined by soil nutrients), leaf traits, insect herbivore damage and insect community structure. According to the hypothesis, plants from low resource environments should be better-defended, have longer leaf lifespans and slower growth rates than plants from higher resource environments. Higher resource plant species are expected to suffer higher levels of herbivory and recover faster from herbivory than low resource plant species (Coley et al. 1985). A corollary to this hypothesis is that plants from higher resource sites should support greater densities of insect herbivores than low resource species. The study was performed in Sydney, Australia, providing a temperate, southern hemisphere complement to most previous studies on herbivory conducted in the tropics and the northern hemisphere. The project had five components. Comparisons between high and low resource sites were made in terms of: (i) leaf traits of mature and immature leaves; (ii) phenology of leaf maturation; (iii) herbivore damage in the field and laboratory; (iv) diversity and abundance of herbivorous insect fauna; and (v) ability to recover from herbivory.
[Show full text]
Drought-Tolerant Enoggera Species for More Information Visit Or
BRAIN Brisbane Rainforest Action and Information Network JOINT BRAIN/ SOWN NATIONAL TREE DAY PLANTING 30 JULY 2006 Drought-tolerant Enoggera Species For more information visit www.saveourwaterwaysnow.com.au… or www.brisrain.webcentral.com.au ! Acacia complanata (Flat Stemmed Wattle) ! Eucalyptus melliodora (Yellow Box) ! Acacia disparimma (Hickory Wattle) ! Eucalyptus moluccana (Gum Topped Box) ! Acacia fimbriata (Brisbane Wattle) ! Eucalyptus propinqua (Small Fruited Grey Gum) ! Acacia penninervis (Mountain Hickory) ! Eucalyptus propinqua var. major (Grey Gum) ! Acacia podalyriifolia (Qld Silver Wattle) ! Goodenia rotundifolia (Star Goodenia) ! Acrotriche aggregata (Ground Berry) ! Grevillea robusta (Silky Oak) ! Alectryon subdentatus (Hard Alectryon) ! Grewia latifolia (Dog's Balls) ! Allocasuarina littoralis (Black She Oak) ! Hibbertia scandens (Climbing Guinea Flower or ! Alyxia ruscifolia (Chain Fruit) Snake Vine) ! Araucaria cunninghamii (Hoop Pine) ! Hovea acutifolia (Pointed Leaf Hovea) ! Archontophoenix cunninghamiana ! Hymenosporum flavum (Native Frangipani) (Bangalow/Piccabeen Palm) ! Indigofera australis (Native Indigo) ! Aristida gracilipes (Slender Speargrass) ! Leptospermum polygalifolium (Tantoon/Wild May) ! Backhousia myrtifolia (Grey Myrtle / Carrol) ! Maytenus silvestris (Narrowleaved Orange Bark) ! Banksia spinulosa (Golden Candlesticks) ! Melaleuca bracteata (Black Tea Tree) ! Brachychiton discolor (Lace Bark) ! Melia azedarach (White Cedar) ! Brachychiton populneus (Kurrajong) ! Morinda jasminoides (Sweet Morinda)
[Show full text]
Seedling Establishment in a Pyrogenic Flowering Species: the Role of Time-Since-Fire, Litter and Post- Dispersal Seed Predation
University of Wollongong Thesis Collections University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Year Seedling establishment in an pyrogenic flowering species: the role of time-since-fire, litter and post-dispersal seed predation Andrew J. Denham University of Wollongong Denham, Andrew J., Seedling establishment in a pyrogenic flowering species: the role of time-since-fire, litter and postdispersal seed predation, M.Sc.-Res. thesis, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, 2007. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/681 This paper is posted at Research Online. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/681 Seedling establishment in a pyrogenic flowering species: the role of time-since-fire, litter and post- dispersal seed predation A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree MASTER OF SCIENCE (RESEARCH) from UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG by Andrew J. Denham BSc University of Sydney SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2007 Certification I, Andrew John Denham, declare that this thesis, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the award of Master of Science (Research), in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, is entirely my own work except where otherwise acknowledged, and has not been submitted for qualifications to any other university or institution. Andrew Denham Part of the life-cycle of a plant, as illustrated by Timothy, age 6. If only it were that simple…. Table of Contents List of figures .............................................................................................vii
[Show full text]
Create a Native Garden
Native Plant Suppliers Ku-ring-gai Council Nursery: 430 Mona Vale Rd, St. Ives. (02)9424 0825 AREA 3 State Forests Nursery: 95 Castle Hill Rd, West Pennant Hills. 1300 655 687 Sydney Wildflower Nursery: 327 Mona Vale Rd, Terrey Hills. (02) 9450 1555 Tharwa Native Nursery: 21 Myoora Rd, Terrey Hills. (02) 9450 1967 Wirreanda Nursery: 169 Wirreanda rd, Ingleside. (02) 9450 1400 Beecroft Village Nursery: 83 Beecroft Rd, Beecroft. (02) 9484 5100 Hargraves Nurseryland: 630 Old Northern Rd, Dural(02)9651 1833 Plant Bug Garden Centre: 525 Pacific Highway, Mt Colah (02)9477 1222 Swanes Nursery: 490 Galston Rd, Dural (02)96511322 Harvest Seeds and Native Plants: 325 McCarrs Creek Rd, Terrey Hills (02)9450 2699 Greenshades Nursery: 353 Galston Rd, Galston (02) 9653 2200 Toolijooa Nursery(by appointment only): Lot 57 Wattle Rd, Ingleside (02)9970 8709 Westleigh Native Plants: 47 Eucalyptus Dr. Westleigh (02) 9484 3672 Create a Native Garden Contacts at Council Hornsby Shire Council Bushland and Biodiversity Team: (02) 9847 6832 Information on choosing the best native Noxious Weeds Officer: (02) 9847 6976 Council Web site: www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au plants for gardens in The Bushland Shire’s Further Reading and Information Northern Suburbs The Nest Box Book (1997) The Gould League of Victoria Phone (03) 95320909 Email: [email protected] Asquith Flora for Fauna web site: www.floraforfauna.com.au Berowra State Forests Information Centre: 95 Castle Hill Rd, West Pennant Hills Berowra Heights Phone:1300 655 687 Web site: www.forest.nsw.gov.au Brooklyn Australian Native Gardens, Putting Visions into Practice Cowan (1992) D.
[Show full text]
Response to Disturbance and Land Management Practices
RREESSPPOONNSSEE TTOO Brigalow Belt South DDIISSTTUURRBBAANNCCEE AANNDD LLAANNDD MMAANNAAGGEEMMEENNTT PPRRAACCTTIICCEESS NSW WESTERN REGIONAL ASSESSMENTS OCTOBER 2002 RESPONSE TO DISTURBANCE AND LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES Martin Predavec Biosis Research Pty Ltd A project undertaken for the Resource and Conservation Assessment Council NSW Western Regional Assessments project number WRA 31 For more information and for information on access to data contact the: Resource and Conservation Division, PlanningNSW GPO Box 3927 SYDNEY NSW 2001 Phone: (02) 9228 3166 Fax: (02) 9228 4967 © Crown copyright June 2002 New South Wales Government ISBN 1 74029 187 5 This project has been funded and managed by the Resource and Conservation Division, PlanningNSW Acknowledgments Brian Weavers - PlanningNSW Eleni Taylor-Wood - Biosis Research Terri English - Biosis Research Selga Harrington - Biosis Research Stephen Mueck - Biosis Research Charles Meredith - Biosis Research Susan Rhind – NPWS Angela McCaughley – NPWS Michael Pennay – NPWS Frank Lemckert – State Forests Doug Binns – State Forests Carl Gosper – NPWS Matt White – Arthur Rylah Institute Geoff Carr – Ecology Australia Biosis Research Pty. Ltd. ABN 65 006 175 097 10 Bartley Street, Chippendale, NSW 2008. Phone (02) 9690 2777 Facsimile (02) 9690 2577 email: [email protected] Disclaimer While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that this document is correct at the time of printing, the State of New South Wales, its agents and employees, do not assume any responsibility and shall have no liability, consequential or otherwise, of any kind, arising from the use of or reliance on any of the information contained in this document. CONTENTS 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Project Background 1 1.2 Objectives 1 1.3 Brigalow Belt South Bioregion Overview 2 2.
[Show full text]
Fat-Tailed Dunnart Sminthopsis Crassicaudata (Mammalia: Dasyuridae)
Husbandry Guidelines Fat-Tailed Dunnart Sminthopsis crassicaudata (Mammalia: Dasyuridae) Compiler: Krystyna Walker Date of Preparation: June 2012 Western Sydney Institute of TAFE, Richmond Captive Animals Certificate III 18913 Lecturers: Graeme Phipps, Jacki Salkeld, Brad Walker DISCLAIMER These husbandry guidelines were produced by the compiler/author at TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute, Richmond College, N.S.W. Australia as part assessment for completion of Certificate III in Captive Animals, Course number 1068, RUV30204. Since the husbandry guidelines are the result of student project work, care should be taken in the interpretation of information therein, - in effect, all care taken but no responsibility is assumed for any loss or damage that may result from the use of these guidelines. It is offered to the ASZK Husbandry Manuals Register for the benefit of animal welfare and care. Husbandry Guidelines are utility documents and are ‘works in progress’, so enhancements to these guidelines are invited. WORK, HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS (WHS Risks) Working with Fat-tailed Dunnarts, Sminthopsis crassicaudata doesn’t pose any fatality issues for humans, but with all animals, they can bite and scratch. They can also transmit several Zoonotic diseases. WHS doesn’t only just apply to situations from Dunnart to human, but vice versa and also Dunnart to Dunnart. Dunnarts would prefer to run and hide rather than confrontation. However in captivity they get used to keepers going in and out of their exhibit daily, so they can become somewhat desensitised and more “friendly”. On several occasions I have had them crawl onto my boot and ‘investigate’. The OHS risk from Dunnart to human is that they can bite, and due to their incredibly sharp teeth it does hurt and draw blood (McCray 2011) Basic first aid will be required to avoid contamination of the wound.
[Show full text]
Flora of Australia, Volume 46, Iridaceae to Dioscoreaceae
FLORA OF AUSTRALIA Volume 46 Iridaceae to Dioscoreaceae This volume was published before the Commonwealth Government moved to Creative Commons Licensing. © Commonwealth of Australia 1986. This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced or distributed by any process or stored in any retrieval system or data base without prior written permission from the copyright holder. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to: [email protected] FLORA OF AUSTRALIA The nine families in this volume of the Flora of Australia are Iridaceae, Aloeaceae, Agavaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae, Hanguan- aceae, Taccaceae, Stemonaceae, Smilacaceae and Dioscoreaceae. The Xanthorrhoeaceae has the largest representation with 10 genera and 99 species. Most are endemic with a few species of Lomandra and Romnalda extending to neighbouring islands. The family includes the spectacular blackboys and grass-trees. The Iridaceae is largely represented by naturalised species with 52 of the 78 species being introduced. Many of the introductions are ornamentals and several have become serious weeds. Patersonia is the largest genus with all 17 species endemic. Some of these are cultivated as ornamentals. The Dioscoreaccae is a family of economic significance, particularly in the old world tropics where some species are cultivated or collected for their tubers and bulbils. In Australia there are 5 species, one of which is a recent introduction. The endemic and native species, commonly known as yams, are traditionally eaten by the Aborigines.
[Show full text]