Land Unit Master

Land Unit Information Sheet

Land system name: Moondah

Land unit: MH3

General description This is a complex land unit where the soils and associated vegetation show considerable variation over short distances. Both land units MH1 and MH2 are represented, but the most common soil-vegetation association is the self-mulching grey Vertosol (uniform cracking clay) with mid-high woodlands of Acacia cambagei (gidgee), and an understorey of Astrebla lappacea (curly Mitchell grass) and Bothriochloa ewartiana (desert bluegrass). Some areas have brown Sodosols (texture- contrast soils with sodic subsoils) and although the diversity of plant species may differ, gidgee remains dominant. A. argyrodendron (blackwood) appears in significant proportions in the southern portion of this land system where the clays have a high salt content in the subsoil. Regional ecosystems 10.4.5 and 10.4.8 are predominant, but significant areas of 10.4.1 and 10.5.11 are common.

Site characteristics Landform element Average slope Plain 1% Site drainage Soil permeability Poorly drained Very slowly permeable Flooding risk Inundation risk Moderate Moderate Potential recharge to groundwater Soil depth Low Very deep; 1.5 - 5.0m Present land use Grazing

Susceptibility to land degradation processes

Sheet erosion Gully erosion Wind erosion Salting Low Very low Very low High

This information has been generated from the Desert Uplands Land Resource Database. The Environmental Protection Agency accepts no liability for any decisions or actions taken on the basis of this information. State of Queensland. Environmental Protection Agency 2004.

7/12/2005 Land Unit MH3 - page 1 Representative site number: 1412

Soil classification Australian Soil Classification Principle Profile Form VE AD GS BP - G Q R X Ug 5.24 - 5/2/003

General soil description A deep, uniform cracking-clay with weakly self-mulching topsoil and a grey sodic subsoil.

Soil profile morphology

Horizon Horizon no Depth Description A11 1 0.00 - 0.05 Brown sandy clay; No mottles; common medium pebbles subrounded Quartz coarse fragments; Moderate 20-50 mm platy structure; no segregations; Dry very firm; Abrupt to; B21 2 0.05 - 0.75 Dark grey medium clay; No mottles; very few small pebbles subrounded Quartz coarse fragments; no segregations; Dry strong; Clear to; B22y 3 0.75 - 1.30 Grey light clay; Few 2-10% Medium 5-15mm faint yellow mottles; very few medium pebbles subrounded Quartz coarse fragments; Few (2 - 10 %) Medium (2 -6 mm) Gypseous Soft segregations Dry very firm; Diffuse to; B23c 4 1.30 - 2.00+ Light brownish grey medium clay; Common 10-20% Medium 5-15mm faint yellow mottles; no coarse fragments; Many (20 - 50 %) Medium (2 -6 mm) Manganiferous Nodules Dry very firm;

Soil chemical analysis P S H A D P h a G N o O S o i l H S l o u s m s r D r t u o t r o l s p i

a m a t g a z c t e d p a a r p v e r s k a o o p i i t i H t i e h r z s n c t e i n u n n t s n e o l o i i h i n i s

u t t i u r g c % n n r o e y t m m u

o n n s . t

A11 1 0.00 - 0.05 6.1 8.79 Moderate Satisfactory Low 0.07 Low Low N Y High B21 2 0.05 - 0.75 6.4 9.03 Deficient Low Low - High Very low Y Y Low

7/12/2005 Land Unit MH3 - page 2 Field sites within this land unit (see technical report for original site nos.) Site code Site type 1342 DUSLARA Tertiary 1343 DUSLARA Primary 1344 DUSLARA Tertiary 1345 DUSLARA Tertiary 1346 DUSLARA Tertiary 1412 DUSLARA Primary 1415 DUSLARA Tertiary 1416 DUSLARA Tertiary 1418 DUSLARA Primary 1420 DUSLARA Primary 1532 DUSLARA Tertiary 1533 DUSLARA Tertiary 1549 DUSLARA Primary 1550 DUSLARA Tertiary 1551 DUSLARA Tertiary 4589 Corveg

Summary of plant species within this land unit

Species Common name Acacia argyrodendron blackwood*, black gidgee* Acacia cambagei gidgee*, stinking wattle, silver gidgee Acacia excelsa ironwood*, brigalow, bunkerman, ironwood wattle Acacia farnesiana (1,5) mimosa bush*, cassie, cassie flower, mimosa, needlebush, north-west curara, prickly mimosa, prickly mimosa bush, prickly moses, sheep's briar, sponge wattle, sweet acacia, thorny acacia Acacia sutherlandii corkwood wattle Achyranthes aspera chaff flower*, chaff burr Alternanthera nodiflora joyweed,* common joyweed, native carpetweed Apophyllum anomalum broom bush*, warrier bush Aristida calycina dark wiregrass, branched wiregrass Aristida holathera erect kerosene grass, wiregrass, kerosene grass, large silver grass, tall kerosene grass Aristida jerichoensis var. jerichoensis Jericho wiregrass Aristida latifolia feathertop wiregrass*, curly wiregrass Aristida leptopoda white speargrass*, bunch speargrass, spreading wiregrass, white wiregrass Aristida pruinosa gulf wiregrass, Gulf feathertop wiregrass Aristida sciuroides - Aristida sp. three-awn speargrass*, wiregrass Astrebla lappacea curly Mitchell grass*, wheat Mitchell, white Mitchell Astrebla pectinata barley Mitchell grass*, cow Mitchell Astrebla squarrosa bull Mitchell grass* Atalaya hemiglauca whitewood*, cattle bush Bothriochloa ewartiana desert bluegrass*, desert Mitchell grass, Tableland Mitchell grass, lagoon Bothriochloa sp. - Bursaria incana hoary blackthorn*, prickly pine*, mock orange Canthium attenuatum myrtle Canthium sp. - Capparis lasiantha nipan,* nepine*, split jack *, wait-a-while

7/12/2005 Land Unit MH3 - page 3 Species Common name Capparis loranthifolia narrow-leaved bumble-tree*, narrow-leaf bumble, wild pomegranate Carissa lanceolata currant bush*, conkerberry, Australian carissa, boonum bush, burrum bush, conkleberry Cenchrus ciliaris (1,5) buffel grass*, African foxtail, black buffel grass, Rhodesian foxtail, slender buffel grass Chloris pectinata comb chloris,* comb windmill grass Chrysopogon fallax golden beardgrass*, golden-beard grass, ribbon grass Cymbopogon refractus barbed-wire grass*, kangaroo grass, turpentine grass Cyperus sp. sedge* Dactyloctenium radulans button grass*, coast button grass, eight-day grass, finger grass, small crowsfoot Denhamia oleaster - Dichanthium sericeum Queensland bluegrass*, silky bluegrass Digitaria brownii cotton panic*, cotton panic grass, woolly finger, cotton grass, silver spike grass Ehretia saligna coonta, peach bush, false cedar Einadia nutans climbing saltbush*, nodding saltbush, berry saltbush Enchylaena tomentosa ruby saltbush*, barrier saltbush*, berry cotton bush Enneapogon avenaceus bottle washers*, bottle washer grass, common bottlewashers, niggerheads, oat nine-awn, ridge bottlewashers, ridge grass Enneapogon lindleyanus canetop nineawn*, nine-awn grass*, prickly couch*, wiry nineawn, bottlewasher Enneapogon polyphyllus leafy nineawn*, limestone bottlewashers, oatgrass Enneapogon sp. bottlewashers* Enteropogon acicularis curly windmill grass*, large windmill grass, spider grass, star grass, umbrella grass Enteropogon ramosus windmill grass*, twirly windmill grass Enteropogon sp. - Eragrostis lacunaria purple lovegrass*, lovegrass, neverfail Eragrostis sp. lovegrass Eremophila deserti (Myoporum deserti) Ellangowan poison bush*, turkey bush Eremophila longifolia berrigan*, emubush, long-leaf eremophila, dogwood, emu apple, berrigan emubush, weeping emu bush Eremophila mitchellii sandalbox*, bastard sandalwood*, budda, false sandalwood, sandalwood Eremophila polyclada flowering lignum*, twiggy emubush*, desert lignum, lignum fuchsia Eucalyptus brownii Reid River box*, Brown's box* Eucalyptus camaldulensis river red gum*, creek gum, flooded gum, Murray red gum, red gum, river gum Eucalyptus coolabah coolabah*, coolibah* Eucalyptus whitei White's ironbark* Eulalia aurea silky browntop*, browntop, satintop, sugar grass, swamp grass Evolvulus alsinoides tropical speedwell*, baby blue eyes* Fimbristylis dichotoma common fringe-rush*, fimbri sedge*, eight-day grass Flindersia dissosperma leopardwood*, scrub leopardwood Flindersia maculosa leopardwood* Geijera salicifolia brush wilga*, scrub wilga, green satinheart Grevillea striata beefwood* Heteropogon contortus black speargrass*, bunch speargrass*, speargrass Hibiscus brachysiphonius low hibiscus* Hibiscus burtonii - Iseilema vaginiflorum red Flinders grass* Jasminum didymum native jasmine*

7/12/2005 Land Unit MH3 - page 4 Species Common name Lysiana subfalcata northern mistletoe Lysiphyllum carronii ebony tree*, red bauhinia*, small-leaved bauhinia*, northern bean tree, bauhinia, pegunny, Queensland ebony Marsdenia australis doubah*, bush banana, native pear Marsilea drummondii common nardoo*, nardoo* Melhania oblongifolia velvet hibiscus Muehlenbeckia florulenta lignum*, tangled lignum Ocimum tenuiflorum (1,5) - Owenia acidula emu apple*, gruie*, colane, sour plum Oxychloris scariosa winged chloris*, winged windmill grass Panicum decompositum Australian millet*, native millet*, native panic, umbrella grass, wild millet, windmill grass Panicum effusum hairy panic*, branched panic, diffuse panic, effuse panic, poison panic, two-colour panic Panicum laevinode pepper grass* Parsonsia lanceolata northern silkpod* Paspalidium caespitosum brigalow grass* Paspalidium rarum rare panic*, rare paspalidium, warrego summer grass Pittosporum angustifolium wild apricot, butterbush Polycarpaea breviflora - Polymeria longifolia polymeria*, clumped bindweed, erect bindweed, Peak Downs curse, take- all Portulaca hirsuta Invalid species name* Portulaca oleracea pigweed*, common pigweed, common purslane, munyeroo, neverdie, perennial pigweed, portulaca weed, purslane, red pigweed, purselane Portulaca pilosa hairy pigweed* Rhynchosia minima ryncho*, rhynchosia Salsola kali soft roly-poly*, buckbush, Russian thistle Santalum lanceolatum plum bush*, sandalwood*, wild plum*, cherry bush, native plumbush, northern sandalwood, plumwood, true sandalwood, bush plum Sarcostemma viminale - Scaevola spinescens prickly fan flower*, currant bush, fanbush, maroon bush, poontoo, spiny fanflower Sclerolaena anisacanthoides yellow burr*, brigalow burr, yellow copperburr Sclerolaena calcarata red burr*, dogburr, red copperburr Sclerolaena lanicuspis wooly copperburr*, spinach burr, copperburr Sclerolaena sp. copperburr Senna artemisioides butter bush*, desert cassia*, silver cassia*, silver desert cassia* Sida cardiophylla - Sida fibulifera pin sida, silver sida Sida platycalyx lifesaver burr*, hemp mallow, lifesaver bush, milo burr, noodle burr, ringburr, sida burr Sida rohlenae shrub sida Sida sp. - Sida trichopoda high sida*, narrow-leaf sida Solanum esuriale quena*, potato bush, potato weed, tomato bush, tomato weed, wild tomato Sporobolus actinocladus katoora grass*, katoora, fairy grass, ray grass, western grass, yakka grass Sporobolus australasicus Australian dropseed*, fairy grass Sporobolus caroli fairy grass*, yakka grass*, pretty sporobolus, small pepper grass Stylosanthes scabra (1,5) shrubby stylo, seca stylo

7/12/2005 Land Unit MH3 - page 5 Species Common name Themeda avenacea native oatgrass*, native oat, oat kangaroo grass, oatgrass, tall oat, tall oatgrass Themeda triandra kangaroo grass*, red oatgrass Tripogon loliiformis five minute grass*, eight-day grass, rye beettle grass Ventilago viminalis supplejack*, vine tree, thandorah

1. Introduced plant 2. Consider for protection 3. Pending registration 4. Rare plant 5. Environmental weed 6. Endangered plant 7. Vulnerable plant 8. Agricultural pest * Wildnet preferred common name; Species in brackets refer to previously known name

Special features Implications for land use Acacia cambagei (gidgee) phases out, and is replaced by During wet periods, movement by stock and vehicles is Acacia argyrodendron (blackwood), in the southern restricted across the heavy clay soils. occurrences of this land unit, where the clay soils have a The soils have a high soluble salt content below 0.7m, which high salt content and closely resemble those of the identifies a potential salinity hazard. Aberfoyle (AL) land system. The thin topsoils have a moderate level of phosphorus, but the The acacia woodlands support high abundances of remainder of the profile is deficient. particular animals, including arboreal mammals The soil profile has a high nutrient status. (particularly where the woodlands are near If the area is cleared of the native vegetation and a dense watercourses), arboreal reptiles, and woodland bird pasture sward is not maintained at all times, the risk of salinity species that prefer a dense canopy structure. problems occurring is dramatically increased, particularly in the blackwood areas. Woodlands of gidgee (RE 10.4.5) and blackwood (RE 10.4.1) on old lakebed clays have an 'Of Concern' biodiversity conservation status*. This land unit is included in Land Management Unit 12.

*See definitions at http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/biodiversity/reg ional_ecosystems/introduction_and_status.

7/12/2005 Land Unit MH3 - page 6