A Guide to Threatened, Near Threatened and Data Deficient Plants in the Litchfield Shire of the Northern Territory

Jarrad Holmes, Deborah Bisa, Audrey Hill and Beth Crase © WWF-Australia. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 1 875941 85 1

Authors: Jarrad Holmes, Deborah Bisa, Audrey Hill, Beth Crase

WWF-Australia Head office Level 13, 235 Jones St Ultimo NSW 2007 Tel: +612 9281 5515 Fax: +612 9281 1060 www.wwf.org.au

First published May 2005 by WWF-Australia. Reprinted with minor edits by WWF-Australia in 2007.

Any reproduction in full or in part of this publication must mention the title and credit the above-mentioned publisher as the copyright owner.

For bibliographic purposes this report should be cited as: Holmes, J., Bisa, D., Hill, A, and Crase, B. 2005. A Guide to Threatened, Near Threatened and Data Deficient Plants in the Litchfield Shire of the Northern Territory. WWF-Australia,Sydney.

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WWF.

Editorial comments: Raelee Kerrigan, Judy Egan and Ian Cowie

Reprinted by Uniprint NT, Darwin, on FSC-certified paper.

Cover images: Landscape — Jacinda Brown, Commelina flower — NT Herbarium Ptychosperma macarthurii — S M Taylor, Byblis aquatica — Jacinda Brown.

For copies of this book please contact WWF-Australia at [email protected] or call 1800 032 551.

WWF-Australia ABN: 57 001 594 074 A Guide to Threatened, Near Threatened and Data Deficient Plants in the Litchfield Shire of the Northern Territory

Jarrad Holmes, Deborah Bisa, Audrey Hill and Beth Crase ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This publication was produced by the Threatened Species Network, a community-based program of the Australian Government and WWF-Australia. The authors would like to thank the Top End Native Plant Society for their continual interest, support and the financial contribution to help with printing costs. We would also like to thank the Northern Territory Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts Herbarium for access to plant specimens, literature and information regarding conservation status. In particular we would like to thank Raelee Kerrigan, Ian Cowie and Judy Egan for all of their help in bringing this book together.

We would like to thank Karen Cook and Charles Stevens (WWF), and our printers Uniprint NT (reprint) for assisting with the production process. Thanks also to Dr David Liddle for reading an earlier draft of this book and providing valuable input. We are also grateful for the continual interest and support from the Northern Territory Field Naturalists Club and the Environment Centre of the Northern Territory.

The descriptive information used in this book was mainly drawn from the following: Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission Threatened Species Fact Sheet Series, The Northern Territory Herbarium electronic database (Holtze), Cowie (2003), Dunlop (1995), Jones (1993), Taylor (1989) and numerous volumes of the Flora of Australia Series produced by the Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Water Resources. Texts are cited in full in the reference section.

Thank you to all of the following individuals who offered photographs and sketches of plants for this publication: Deborah Bisa, John Bolger, Kym Brennan, Jacinda Brown, Greg Calvert, Tony Camilleri, Russell Dempster, Clyde Dunlop, Lesley Elkan, Don Fortescue, Don Franklin, Bruce Gray, Laurie Jessup, David Jones, Bill Lavarack, Allen Lowrie, Barbara McKaige, Hans Nooteboom, Monica Osterkamp Madsen, Joyce Stobo, Steve Taylor and Glenn Wightman. Thank you also to the NT Herbarium, Qld Herbarium, WA Herbarium, NSW Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian National Herbarium and the journals Telopea, Nuytsia, Flora Malesiana, Austrobaileya, and the Australian Plant Society NSW for providing images, figures and assistance in general.

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i WWF-Australia CONTENTS

Acknowledgments i

Foreword iii

Introduction 1

Who this publication is for 2

The Litchfield Shire 3

Identifying plants using this book 4

Plant descriptions 5

Management issues within the Litchfield Shire 62

Land clearing for horticulture, rural and urban development 63

Mining 64

Introduction of weeds and feral animals 64

Changing fire regimes 65

Changing groundwater resources 66

Community involvement 67

How conservation status is assigned to a species 68

Collecting and preserving plant specimens 70

Glossary 73

Habitat photos 73

Botanical terms 74

Illustrations of botanical terms 78

References 81

Useful contacts 84

Field notes 86

Index of plant names 93

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WWF-Australia ii FOREWORD

The Litchfield Shire is endowed with a surprisingly rich mosaic of vegetation communities. At first glance the landscape appears cloaked in a homogenous savanna woodland of Woolybutt, Stringbark and Spear Grass. On closer inspection the variety in the country becomes apparent; from rocky outcrops and low hills through rainforest to seasonally inundated herb- fields, coastal floodplains fringed with patches of paperbarks and mangroves. Adding to this patchwork, the vegetation reflects a variety of fire histories, along with seasonal variation from the wet to dry.

For the interested observer the extreme seasonal variation means there is a continually changing parade of annual plants. On top of this seasonal cycle there are permanent changes wrought by people through expanding rural development in the Shire. Along with the obvious fragmentation of native vegetation that comes with land clearing, there are changes that are less obvious to the casual observer. The uncontrolled spread of exotic pasture grasses is producing fires hotter than would occur with fuel composed of native species. These hot fires pose a significant threat to the over-storey trees.

Situated on the coast in a region that receives the highest rainfall of the Northern Territory mainland, the Shire supports a regionally significant mosaic of rainforests that illustrate the interconnected nature of the landscape. Plant populations in these small patches are dependent upon fruit eating birds and bats to transport seeds and pollen. Conversely, the birds and bats are dependent upon the rainforests for food. The perennially moist rainforests are also dependent upon the adjacent savanna uplands. The surrounding savanna allows wet season rains to permeate the soil and replenish the groundwater supplies that feed permanent springs, which in turn support the rainforests. There are numerous connections in the landscape that can be inadvertently broken with inappropriate and often irreversible decisions about land use.

Wise land use decisions need to be underpinned by both good knowledge and a society that cares about the landscape. This book addresses both of those needs. For the first time we have a comprehensive statement of current knowledge in a convenient, well presented format that will undoubtedly inspire land owners and others to take note of these floral gems in our local landscape. The challenge for all of us now is to build on the excellent work contained herein to improve our collective knowledge and manage the landscape for today and for the future.

Dr David Liddle Ptychosperma macarthurii Recovery Team Member Former President of the Top End Native Plant Society

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iii WWF-Australia INTRODUCTION

Increasingly, people are becoming interested in learning more about the plants that occur in their local area. For a surprising number of species occurring in the Litchfield Shire there is currently little accessible information. This publication is intended to encourage, educate and help the community to contribute valuable information on the status of our lesser known and threatened plants by assisting in identifying and recording plant species.

This publication does not attempt to provide descriptions of all the plants of conservation concern found in the region, and it is not intended to replace more comprehensive guides such as those listed in the reference section of this publication.

The Northern Territory is rich in plant diversity, with 4,213 native species and 380 introduced species recorded on the NT Herbarium database as of February 2004. Of these, 1,259 species (including 128 introduced species) are recorded as occurring within the boundaries of the Litchfield Shire. Three species described in this book (Typhonium taylori, Cynanchum leibianum and Utricularia sp. red ) are believed to be endemic to the Shire, which means they are found nowhere else in the world. Two threatened species, Ptychosperma macarthurii and Cycas armstrongii, although not endemic to the Shire, have a considerable portion of their range within the Shire. A further 117 species known from the Shire are either endemic to the NT or, within Australia, do not occur outside of the NT.

There are eight plant species that are found within the Shire that are listed as Threatened under NT legislation, seven of which are described in this book (Freycinetia excelsa is not included as it is a recent addition). A further five threatened species with known populations slightly beyond the Shire’s boundaries have also been included. The habitat that these five species occupy suggests that they may occur in the Shire but to date have not been recorded there. This book also includes a selection of species that are of ‘conservation concern’, referring to plants for which limited information is available (formally listed as Data Deficient) or plants that have been formally listed as Near Threatened. There are currently 75 species considered to be Data Deficient in the Litchfield Shire of which 19 are described in this book, and Indigofera schultziana, a Data Deficient species found slightly beyond the Shire’s boundaries, has also been included (a notable species that may occur in the Shire that was delisted from Threatened to Data Deficient in 2007). There are 27 species considered to be Near Threatened found in the Shire, 18 of which are described in this book. Five species in the book are listed as Least Concern, these species all occur in the Shire and had been listed as Near Threatened in 2005 but were downgraded in 2007.

An interesting comparison:

The Greater Blue Mountains Area of NSW was inscribed onto the World Heritage List in December 2000 partly in recognition of its outstanding levels of plant diversity at different taxonomic levels. The Greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 1.03 million hectares and has approximately 1,500 plant species, 152 families and 484 genera present (information taken from the Department of Environment and Heritage website 7/12/2004).

The Litchfield Shire consists of approximately 0.31 million hectares and has 1,131 known native species, 158 families and 499 genera present. Whilst we are not suggesting that the Litchfield Shire be nominated for World Heritage listing, the comparison offers some insight into the diversity of plants within the region (figures taken from NT Herbarium Holtze database 06/2004).

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WWF-Australia 1 The species featured in this book were selected according to various criteria including their distinctive characteristics, attractiveness, the likelihood of people encountering them and the importance of the Litchfield Shire to their conservation.

The concept for this book grew as a result of the increasing pressures on the natural environment from urban expansion and associated industry within the Litchfield Shire as well as a local demand for identification resources. This book strives to illustrate the importance of the region for biodiversity conservation and the valuable input the community can make in helping to guide conservation and development decisions.

The term ‘threatened species’ is used to describe all species that are listed as either Extinct in the Wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable under International, National or State/Territory legislation.

This book describes all of the threatened plant species found within (and very near to) the Litchfield Shire, as well as a selection of Near Threatened and Data Deficient species known to occur in the Shire.

Who this publication is for

This book is intended to be both an easy-to-use identification guide and an educational resource for:

l local residents and landholders

l naturalists and other community groups

l local plant enthusiasts

l natural resource management extension officers

l local schools

l local government

l environmental organisations

l government agencies

This publication is a guide to assist the community in identifying and recording plant species of conservation concern within the Litchfield Shire. By contributing information, the public has an opportunity to assist the relevant authorities in making informed decisions relating to development, and potentially helping define and preserve areas of high conservation value within the Litchfield Shire.

This publication aims to assist the development process in an ecologically sustainable way. It is hoped that this resource will enhance cooperation between government, developers, conservationists and the community in general.

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2 WWF-Australia THE LITCHFIELD SHIRE

ABOVE: Map showing the Litchfield Shire within the Top End of the NT

LEFT: Map of the Litchfield Shire showing localities

The Litchfield Shire occupies approximately 3,100 km2. It is bordered to the east by the Adelaide River and extends south where it is bounded by the locations of Darwin River, Fly Creek, Acacia Hills and Manton. The Shire adjoins the cities of Darwin and Palmerston to its north-west, and the boundary to the north is defined by an expanse of coast. The mean annual rainfall for the region is approximately 1,600 mm.

The Shire contains a range of unique coastal and riverine features including feeding grounds for endangered turtles and dugongs, extensive saltwater and freshwater fishing grounds, mangrove forests, coral reefs, and the environmentally significant and unique Vernon Islands to the north.

As well as the savanna forests and woodlands of the Litchfield Shire, other features include spring-fed rainforest patches, vine forests, ephemeral and perennial lagoons, broad drainage channels, sand sheets, rivers and floodplains.

There are a number of rainforest patches within the Litchfield Shire and research has shown that these scattered remnants are important links in the preservation of flora and fauna biodiversity across the Top End. Despite their scattered and small nature, these patches include 13 per cent of the Northern Territory’s known plant species (Liddle et al. 1994).

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WWF-Australia 3 IDENTIFYING PLANTS USING THIS BOOK

An attempt has been made to keep the language used to describe plant species as simple as possible. However the nature of describing plants has meant that many botanical terms have been used. It is recommended that prior to reading the plant description section you familiarise yourself with the botanical terms by reading through the glossary. Further information (e.g. how conservation status is assigned to a species) can also be found following the plant description section.

Every attempt has been made to provide photographs for all species in their natural habitat. However for some species only an illustration or a photograph of a pressed specimen lodged at the NT Herbarium were available. For three species appropriate material was not available.

The plants are listed in alphabetical order according to their family. In this way, similar plants, for example those within the same genus, are readily found in the same part of the book. Descriptions of each plant are separated under the following headings:

Family: The taxonomic family to which the species belongs (capital letters top of page). Species name: The accepted scientific species name (italicised, second from top). The person or persons who first described the plant to science are also written. If a plant’s name is changed, the name of the person who first described it is written in brackets, followed by the name of the person who has re-named the plant. Category: Describes the species conservation status according to NT legislation. Where a species is also listed nationally under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, this is also noted. Common name: Provided when a common name is known. Habit: Describes the form of the plant (e.g. tree, shrub, vine). Flowers, fruit and leaves: Describes these features of the plant including months of the year in which distinctive characteristics like flowers and fruit can be observed. As descriptions are general, a plant may also flower or fruit at other times. Habitat: Indicates the type of habitat in which a plant will most likely be found and also lists some plant species with which it is known to cohabit. Refer to the glossary for photos of the habitat types used in this book. Distinguishing feature: Has also been provided where possible to assist with positive identification. Distribution: Provides information on the known distribution range of a species, predominantly within the Litchfield Shire and the Northern Territory, but also indicates other locations as well. Conservation notes: Includes current information on the conservation status and management of a species where this is available. References: Identifies where information for the description was sourced. The numbers given here refer to the reference section. If a heading has been omitted from a plant’s description, it is due to lack of information available or it is not considered important in the identification process. Only features distinguishable to the naked eye have been included in descriptions. Features that require the use of microscopes are best viewed by experienced botanists.

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4 WWF-Australia Plant Descriptions

The following section describes 49 of the Shire’s Threatened, Near Threatened and Data Deficient plant species and six additional species currently known from just beyond the Shire’s boundaries. Nineteen of these 55 species are endemic to the Northern Territory.

A complete checklist of all known plants in the Shire and their conservation status is available from the Threatened Species Network.

All species had information sourced from the NT Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts data sources, predominantly the NT Herbarium Electronic Database (Holtze).

Only ten of the 55 species featured in this book have a common name. This is because they are relatively unknown and rarely seen. To act as an incentive to the community to look for these plants, the Threatened Species Network (TSN) is proposing the following: The person who locates a plant featured in this book has the opportunity to assign a common name to a species if no common name currently exists. The TSN will record this name and publish it in future editions and publications on the proviso that the species’ identification has been confirmed by the NT Herbarium.

...... WWF-Australia 5 ARACEAE Typhonium johnsonianum A.Hay & S.Taylor

Category: Data Deficient

This species was named after L.A.S. Johnson, an Australian botanist, following his 70th birthday.

Habit: Deciduous perennial geophyte to 9 cm high; corm cream, hemispherical, 1.5 cm wide. Telopea

Leaves: Usually 5, light green, lightly leathery, more or less elliptic with a short pointed tip; blade of first leaf is small, 1 cm long, others 3.5 cm long, 1.7 cm wide; midrib not prominent except towards the base on the undersurface; 3 main lateral veins on either side of midrib, finely grooved on undersurface and raised above; petiole 4 cm long, mostly sheathing, membranous, subterranean.

Flowers: Solitary inflorescence arising from amongst leaves; spathe erect, lanceolate, c. 5 cm long, folded inwards along upper margins, light green outside, deep purple-brown inside, lower part white with © Lesley Elkan, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, vertical purple strips and a grey-purple ring above; spadix shorter than spathe c. 4 cm long, 2.5 mm wide; a) Entire plant approx. ½X actual size b) Spadix — female zone at base sterile tip of spadix 3 cm long, dark brown, wrinkled; male zone 6 mm long, flowers minute; naked zone 1.7 cm long; female zone 3 mm long with female and sterile flowers; recorded Nov - Feb. Special note on typhoniums Fruit: Unseen; likely to be a small berry. The NT Typhonium species are Habitat: Open woodland, on sandy, well-drained soils typically small herbaceous around the wet season inundation line. Associated geophytes. Geophytes are seasonally dormant plants which emerge with Acacia auriculiformis, Lophostemon lactifluus and annually from underground tubers, Melaleuca spp. bulbs or corms. In the Top End this is typically during the wet season. The Distinguishing feature: This is the only species of reproductive organs consist of this genus that has sterile flowers included in the unisexual flowers arranged in a female zone. The inflorescence emerges amongst the spike-like unbranched inflorescence new season’s leaves. called a spadix which is enclosed or subtended by a leaf-like spathe. The Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Only two localities spadix consists of distinct rows of known: the north end of Black Jungle Conservation male and female flowers, variously Reserve and the Mundogie hills in Kakadu National separated. Diagnostic characters Park. include the arrangement of flowers along the spadix and the timing of Conservation notes: There is insufficient data to emergent leaf parts relative to the assign a conservation status to this species. The emergent inflorescence. Fruit is a paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the berry, usually 1- or 2-seeded. As the species’ seasonality rather than its distribution and leaves are commonly polymorphic, abundance. Typhonium species are difficult to positively identify without reproductive References: 33 material.

...... WWF-Australia 6 ARACEAE Typhonium praetermissum A.Hay

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Deciduous perennial geophyte to 4 cm high; corm pale brown, bulbous, 2.5 cm wide.

Leaves: 1-5, appear following flowering, generally flat against the ground; blade blue-green slightly leathery, very variable from pointedly elliptic to deeply divided and pedate, margins simple or occasionally crenate; simple leaves 4.5 cm long, 3 cm wide; divided leaves to 5.5 cm wide; midrib prominent on the undersurface and indented above; 2-3 main lateral veins on either side of midrib; petiole 5.5 cm long, mostly sheathing and subterranean.

Flowers: The solitary inflorescence may appear either with or before the leaves and arises next to, rather than amongst them; spathe erect, lanceolate, 4 cm long, marginally shorter than spadix, margins irregular and folded inwards, maroon to black inside, dull grey-brown and wrinkled on outside, base tubular, subterranean part creamy speckled brick-red, unpleasant odour

before and after opening of spathe; spadix succulent, spike-like © NT Herbarium c. 4.5 cm exposed, sterile tip of spadix 3.5 cm long, blackish Cross-section through spathe to purple, wrinkled; male zone 9 mm long, 5 mm wide, brick red; show complete spadix; approx. naked zone (deep purple) c. 9 mm long, sterile zone (organs 1X actual size pale brick red) c. 3 mm long, and female zone (organs pale greenish ivory) c. 3 mm long, 6 mm wide.

Fruit: Occurring at ground level, one collector noted fruits were found partially underground; recorded in Nov and Dec.

Habitat: Open woodland; on lateritic or red-brown clay soils; will tolerate open unshaded situations.

Distinguishing feature: This species is similar to T. johnsonianum but is distinguished by the constriction of the spathe around the naked zone of the spadix where it meets the ground and the distribution of sterile organs above the female flowers. The inflorescence is apparently foul smelling before and after opening.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from four locations all within the Darwin-Litchfield Shire region being Virginia, Karama, the Palmerston escarpment and Mandorah. Edinburgh Journal of Botany Conservation notes: The known populations are precariously located and under threat from building pressure. Lack of targeted surveys and the extent of potentially suitable habitat in

the region underpin the uncertainty regarding the conservation © Lesly Elkan, status of this species. The paucity of fertile collections may be a Entire plant approx. ½ X actual reflection of the species’ seasonality rather than its distribution size and abundance.

References: 32 ...... WWF-Australia 7 ARACEAE Typhonium taylori A.Hay

Category: Endangered (also listed as Nationally Endangered)

Named after Steve Taylor, a significant collector of the NT flora who collected type material for this and other Typhonium spp.

Habit: Very small, deciduous perennial geophyte to 7 cm high; corm rounded,

b. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 1 cm diam. a.

Leaves: c. 4 together, blade very variable

from elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, 9 mm © Lesly Elkan, wide to 4.5 cm long; section of petiole above a) Schematic cross-section through spathe. The more ground 1 cm long; subterranean section or less horizontal and opposite orientations of the presumed to be sheathing as in other species spadix appendage at the top of the spathe, and the of Typhonium. twisted position of the spathe mouth are characteristic of this species; approx. ¾X Flowers: Solitary spike-like inflorescence to actual size 7.5 cm long, arises accompanied by a leaf b) Male zone with other leaves most likely occurring later; stalk entirely underground; spathe narrowly lanceolate, 6.5 cm long, lower 1.5 cm subterranean, 5 mm at widest section and 2-chambered, neck of spathe tube reflexed so that tube opening is orientated horizontally rather than vertically; spadix appendix thread-like, tapering, 5.5 cm long and 1mm diam. at its base, projects more or less horizontally from spathe tube opening; male zone 3.5 mm long; naked zone c.1 mm long, sterile zone with neuter organs c. 6 mm long; female zone 1.5 mm long; recorded in Jan.

Fruit: Unknown.

Habitat: Seasonally saturated, nutrient-poor sandy soils of grassland and sedgeland. Associated with Melaleuca viridiflora and M. nervosa.

Distinguishing feature: An inconspicuous plant; characterised by a tubular spathe separated into two basal compartments. The spathe is strongly reflexed to an almost horizontal position with the long thread-like appendix of the spadix projecting from the spathe mouth. This species is similar to Typhonium mirabile but distinguishing features include the reflexed nature of the spathe and the presence of a leaf with the emerging inflorescence in T. taylori.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded only from the edge of the Howard River floodplain.

Conservation notes: This species is recorded from two localities in the Howard Springs sand sheet area. Extensive survey over several seasons has been undertaken in the vicinity and habitat of this species during its fruiting period and no additional collections have been made. The paucity of collections appear to reflect the restricted distribution and abundance of this species. Potential threats include sandmining, clearing for subdivision and changes to hydrology.

References: 31, 70

...... WWF-Australia 8 ARECACEAE Ptychosperma macarthurii (H.Wendl. ex Veitch) H.Wendl. ex Hook.f

Category: Endangered (listed as nationally Endangered as P. bleeseri) Habit: Slender, clumping, feather-leaved palm to 7 m; stems 4-7 cm in diam.; variously covered with brown scales and matted hairs. Leaves: 8-10, curved; leaf sheath 30-60 cm; petiole 13-58 cm long, scaly; rachis 100- 200 cm; pinnae 23-28 on each side; pinnae dense and short near base; central pinnae 3.5- 5.7 cm at broadest part, 27-56 cm long.

Flowers: Branched inflorescence 25-45 cm © Steve Taylor, NT Herbarium long, 45-60 cm wide; inflorescence stalk 2.5- Typical growth habit of young Ptychosperma 6.5 cm long; each ‘branch’ (rachilla) bearing macarthurii in spring-fed rainforest understorey c. 45-80 whitish flower clusters; male flowers 6-8 mm long, 2.5-3.5 mm wide; female flowers 3-3.5 mm high and wide; recorded from May-Dec. Fruit: 1-seeded red fleshy drupe, 1.2-1.6 cm long, 8 mm diam; recorded Aug-Sept & Nov-Dec. Habitat: Dense rainforests associated with lowland springs and margins of riverine floodplains; on deep organic clay loams without humus development; within rainforest patches will tolerate a wide range of light conditions. Distinguishing feature: Currently there are no reliable characters that can adequately be used to separate P. macarthurii, P. bleeseri and P. propinquum as they clearly overlap and may be synonymous (Dixon et al. 2003). Distribution: Within the NT recorded from eight populations all within the Litchfield Shire. Also found in Qld and New Guinea. Conservation notes: There has been some debate in the past as to whether P. bleeseri and P. macarthurii are different species, however, all published evidence on P. macarthurii does not allow for adequate definition of P. bleeseri. Therefore, material from the NT will be treated as P. macarthurii in the forthcoming edition of Flora of Australia. As an outcome of this treatment, it is expected that there will be a review of the species status under the EPBC Act. Under NT legislation the listing of this species as Endangered will continue due to its restricted occurrence and ongoing threats to the NT populations. In the NT P. macarthurii is restricted to wet rainforest patches with an area of occupancy of less than 1 km2 and an extent of occurrence estimated at 200 km2. A management plan for P. bleeseri that was approved in 1998 remains relevant for P. macarthurii. Fire and feral animals have been the primary threats impinging on the populations in the 1990s. There was substantial mortality following wildfires at the Whitewood Road population in 1990 and 1993, and at Black Creek in 1992. Disturbance from feral buffalo, cattle and pigs declined in the 1990s as an indirect result of the Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign, and fencing of four of the eight populations has assisted in maintaining extant populations. However, other threats include changed fire regimes due to increased fuel loads from introduced grasses, changes in land use in the catchment that could lead to a reduction in the water supply to the springs on which the rainforests depend, and changes in surface water quantity and quality. Clearing proposals and any other action that could remove or damage individual rainforest patches that form an interconnected mosaic essential for the flow of genetic material would also affect this species. References: 8, 19, 24, 44, 45, 46, 58, 69, 77 ...... 9 ASCLEPIADACEAE Cynanchum leibianum (F.Muell.) P.I.Forst.

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Erect, slender perennial herb to 1 m high.

Leaves: Linear or narrow 4-5 cm long, 1 mm wide, gradually tapering towards base; no obvious petiole.

Flowers: Loose inflorescence of 1-5 flowers borne towards top of plant; inflorescence stalk 5-8 mm long, 1 mm diam.; flower stalks 1-1.2 cm long, 0.5 mm diam.; open flowers are circular and flattened, 2- 2.2 cm diam.; petals 5, 1-1.1 cm long, 1.5 mm wide, twisting in bud to form a cone, reddish purple to cream; collection notes record that petal tips, once opened, are thread-like and hairy; sepals broad triangles; recorded in Nov-Apr.

Fruit: Dry, cylindrical to spindle-shaped, 6 cm long, 1 cm wide, opening on one side when mature; seed 1.5 cm long, 1cm wide, light brown with tufts of hair on one end; recorded from Apr-June. © Joyce Stobbo (main and inset) Habitat: Seasonally inundated swampy areas; on Cream-red buds open spirally, the long sandy loams or black soils. Associated with Pandanus petals often twisting at the tips; approx. 2X spp., Sorghum spp. and Melaleuca spp. actual size. Inset: Open flower

Distinguishing feature: Distinctive flowers; stems without milky sap and no tuft of mucus-secreting hairs near base of leaves as is common with other species in this genus.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from three locations: Humpty Doo, Gunn Point and Palmerston.

Conservation notes: This species has been collected from several areas that have been well surveyed botanically yet very few collections have been made. As most of the areas from which it is known are subject to future development it may meet some

threatened criteria. However, the potential to overlook Austrobaileya or misidentify this species when sterile may explain the paucity of collections in the Herbarium, alternatively it may be genuinely scarce. Currently this species is considered Data Deficient.

References: 26, 27 © Laurie Jessup, Qld Herbarium, A) Growth habit B) Buds C) Open flower

...... WWF-Australia 10 ASTERACEAE Diodontium filifolium F.Muell

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Dense multi-stemmed shrub to 80 cm high; strongly aromatic.

Leaves: Clustered at base of branches, opposite; blade simple, narrow, 8 cm long, less than 1 cm wide.

Flowers: Loose flat-topped terminal cluster; flowers small, numerous, classic daisy shape, white or yellow, 7 mm diam.; sepals 5, petals 10, stamens 15; buds yellow-green; recorded in Mar, Apr and Aug.

Fruit: Dry, smooth, shiny, concave, 1-seeded, yellowish brown with broad wings when mature and 2 bristles; present in Aug.

Habitat: Varied; in open woodland, grassland associated with watercourses or in quartz, granite or sandstone country. © Jacinda Brown Distinguishing feature: Superficially similar to Glossocardia bidens except the fruit has wings and is Habit of Diodontium filifolium (pressed specimen); approx. 1/10X actual size not ribbed. The leaves of G. bidens are alternate and mainly basal rather than opposite as in Diodontium filifolium. Collectors note that this species has strong smelling flowers.

Distribution: Collected from three highly disjunct populations in the NT: Noonamah (1972), Helen Springs (1948) and Mountain Valley (1962), and one collection in WA. Type material was collected by Mueller from the Victoria River and published in 1857.

Conservation notes: Given that this species is perennial and collected with reproductive material in August, it is surprising that no other collections have been made. There is not enough information available to assign a conservation status to this species and targeted survey at appropriate times of the year is required.

References: 86 © Jacinda Brown

‘Daisy’ flowers are white or yellow (pressed specimen); plant is strongly aromatic; approx. 1X actual size

...... WWF-Australia 11 BYBLIDACEAE Byblis aquatica Lowrie & Conran

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Delicate annual herb with stems trailing or floating, 15-45 cm long; growing in shallow water to 15 cm deep.

Leaves: Scattered on main axis; blade cylindrical, 2-4 cm long, tapering towards a bulbous apex, green- maroon, covered with many sticky, insectivorous, gland-tipped hairs.

Flowers: Solitary, arising from axils, many present but few open together; pedicels 1.5-3 cm long; petals purple to violet, 5-7 mm long, 2.5-4.5 mm wide, apex irregular; recorded from Feb-May.

Fruit: Capsule oval, thicker at one end, 3-4 mm long, 2.5-4 mm wide; seeds black, 1-1.3 mm long with smooth longitudinal ridges.

Habitat: Seasonally inundated shallow depressions © Jacinda Brown around freshwater lagoons, in grassland and Solitary purple-mauve flowers arise from sedgeland; on moist sandy loams. Associated with axils; leaves sticky with gland-tipped hairs Pandanus spp., Melaleuca spp. and Grevillea pteridifolia.

Distinguishing feature: Similar to Byblis liniflora that has pinkish mauve or white flowers and smaller seeds with shallow transverse ridges. Both species are often found within the same area but with B. liniflora tending to occupy ground on higher well-drained soils, and B. aquatica favouring shallow water.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Within the Litchfield Shire recorded from Girraween Road, Noonamah, Howard River, Gunn Point and Humpty Doo. It extends from Darwin to Edith Falls and is recorded from Bathurst Island. Nuytsia Conservation notes: Compared to B. liniflora and B. filifolia the distribution of this species is quite restricted. Extensively surveyed by Lowrie and Conran. The paucity of collections reflects the restricted distribution and abundance of this species. Although on current data this species appears naturally rare and may qualify for a threatened status

it is not considered under threat. © Allen Lowrie, WA Herbarium, Growth habit of Byblis aquatica References: 47

...... WWF-Australia 12 COMMELINACEAE Commelina sp. sandstone

Category: Least Concern (formerly Near Threatened)

Habit: Weak, slightly succulent annual herb; stems lying or trailing on the ground, to 1.5 m long; pale green, sometimes rooting at nodes.

Leaves: Alternating on stem; blade variable in size and shape, lanceolate to ovate, generally 5.6-7.0 cm long, can be 1.3-8.5 cm long, 0.4-1.5 cm wide; petiole sheaths stem.

Flowers: Solitary, 2 cm diam., azure blue with 3 petals in a whorl; anthers obvious, golden yellow in the centre; spathe less than 2 cm long, encloses flower and opens on one side upon maturity, venation distinct, apex more or less acute; recorded in Mar, Apr, May and Dec.

Fruit: Capsules oval, flattened; recorded in Mar and Apr.

Habitat: Open forest or woodland, at the base of © NT Herbarium sandstone slopes or outcrops, also on sandstone Brilliant blue, 3-petalled flowers are approx. plateaus; in deep sandy or occasionally skeletal soils. 2 cm across Associated with Eucalyptus tetrodonta, E. phoenicea, Corymbia kombolgiensis, Grevillea pteridifolia, Melaleuca nervosa, Acacia difficilis, Hibiscus symonii, Fimbristylis composita and Sorghum intrans.

Distinguishing feature: Differs from the similar species Commelina ciliata which generally has slightly smaller flowers, a long-tailed spathe, smaller subcylindrical to kidney-shaped seeds and prefers cracking clay soil habitats.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from sandstone areas of Litchfield National Park, western Arnhem Land and Kakadu National Park.

Conservation notes: This species has a relatively restricted range and is known from comparatively few records, suggesting a low level of abundance. It is not considered threatened but populations may require monitoring or further survey.

References: Cowie, ID (2003) pers. comm. © Jacinda Brown

Growth habit (pressed specimen)

...... WWF-Australia 13 CONVOLVULACEAE Operculina turpethum (Linnaeus) Silva Manso

Category: Near Threatened

Common name: Onion vine

Habit: Large, robust, twinning perennial vine to 4 m; stems furrowed or angular, green to purple or reddish with 3-5 narrow wings along length, stems mostly smooth or with soft hairs at nodes, younger stems sometimes covered with hairs.

Leaves: Variable from oval, narrow to heart-shaped; leaves 5.5-15 cm long, 1-14 cm wide; margins sometimes toothed or slightly lobed; veins prominent below, especially midrib and 8-11 primary veins, secondary venation is parallel; hairy below and sometimes above.

Flowers: Solitary or a cymose inflorescence where each new flower is born on a flower stalk that has branched from under an older terminal flower; flower broadly funnel-shaped, mostly smooth, 3-4.5 cm long, white, sometimes yellowing at base; peduncle 2-18 cm long, © Jacinda Brown (main and inset) cylindrical, occasionally winged; pedicels angular, hairy, Terminal portion of twining vine; approx. 12-15(35) mm long, extending with fruit development; 1/10X actual size; (pressed specimen). calyx in fruit broadly cup-shaped with oval sepals Inset: Close-up of capsule and seeds; approx. 2X actual size elongating to 3-3.5 cm long; recorded in July.

Fruit: Capsule, 1.5 cm diam., a fleshy lid opens upon maturity to release up to 4 smooth black seeds, 6 mm diam.; recorded in July.

Habitat: Seasonally inundated areas of open forest and woodland, also in vegetation behind coastal dunes. Associated with Pandanus spp., Hibiscus tiliaceus, Melaleuca dealbata and Passiflora foetida.

Distinguishing feature: White flowers; hairs present on most parts, including outer sepals; stems are winged.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from two disjunct populations: Shoal Bay and Maria Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Also found in Qld and from East Africa to New Guinea. Flora Malesiana Conservation notes: This species is uncommon in the NT but is a widespread tropical taxa and is at the southern range of its distribution in the NT. The paucity of collections indicate a low level of abundance. It is not considered to be currently under threat. © Hans Nooteboom, a) Flowering branch References: 55, 82 b) Infructescence (cluster of fruit)

...... WWF-Australia 14 CYCADACEAE Cycas armstrongii Miq.

Category: Vulnerable Common name: Cycad, zamia palm Habit: A mostly deciduous perennial cycad with an obliquely erect to spreading crown; generally 3-4 m high at maturity, occasionally to 6 m; stem 5-20 cm diam., from which branching and suckering can occur. Leaves: Compound, 55-90 cm long, mid to dark green above, glossy at maturity, lighter green below; leaf stalk 10-25 cm long, usually thorny; opposing leaflets inset on stem at an angle, 50-110 pairs; midrib prominent above and below; cataphylls 6-9 cm long, covered with matted orange hairs. Flowers/Fruit: Separate male and female plants with reproductive structures called sporophylls. Male: microsporophylls small, numerous, wedge-shaped, borne in an orange pollen-producing cone at apex of trunk, 12-21 cm high, 8-12 cm wide; recorded in Aug. Female: megasporophylls leaf-like and terminating

with a spine, bear 2-6 ovules; mature fruits hang in a © Don Franklin. Inset: Deborah Bisa pendulous ring around the apex of the trunk; each fruit New bright green fronds produced after a dry is 4 cm long, 3 cm wide, and has a fleshy outer season fire. Inset: Developing male ‘cone’ at coating that is orange, yellow or brownish, and a thick apex of trunk inner woody coat; recorded from Mar-Nov. Habitat: Predominantly open woodlands with a grassy understorey, in a variety of soils including loamy, sandy and skeletal soils. Common in mixed eucalypt woodland in region. Distinguishing feature: In stature, C. armstrongii is one of the smallest Cycas species in the NT. Newly emerging leaves are light orange-brown tomentose, becoming green and glabrous- glabrescent. Hybrids between C. armstrongii and C. conferta, and C. armstrongii and C. maconochiei have been recorded where their ranges overlap (Hill & Osborne 2001). Individuals of C. armstrongii are often left as remnant plants on recently subdivided land. Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from Darwin to the Mary River catchment area in the east, west to the Finniss River and south to the Adelaide River; also on the Tiwi Islands and Cobourg Peninsula. Conservation notes: These living fossils are locally abundant but less than 1% of the population is included in conservation reserves. Many areas of cycad habitat with deep loamy soil have been identified for horticulture, agriculture, forestry and residential subdivisions. Therefore the species is extremely vulnerable to land clearing. Current fire regimes also appear to threaten this species. Mortality in excess of 50% of adult stems per fire event has been recorded when subject to fuel loads of 20 tonnes per hectare. The introduced gamba grass, Andropogon gayanus, can provide fuel loads up to 20 tonnes per hectare (Barrow 1995) and perennial mission grass, Pennisetum polystachyon, provides fuel loads up to 27 tonnes per hectare (Panton 1993). Preliminary investigation of the data indicates that this species, applying the precautionary principle, will experience >30% reduction in population size over a 100-year period (D. Liddle). References: 6, 18, 34, 35, 36, 43, 56, 57, 60

...... WWF-Australia 15 EUPHORBIACEAE Endospermum medullosum L.S.Sm.

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Tall tree, can exceed 30 m; trunk buttressed, smooth, light grey to yellowish cream.

Leaves: Arranged spirally; adult leaves with 1-7 prominent veins, shape variable from oval to heart- shaped, 6.5-16.5 cm long, 6-14.5 cm wide; juvenile leaves much larger, 31 cm long, 25 cm wide and with simple hairs on both surfaces; margins regular with pointed or rounded apex; petioles stellate hairy, petiole length variable, 31.5 cm long in juveniles, 15 cm in adults, 2 yellow-brown glands at petiole-lamina junction in adults; stipules deciduous.

Flowers: Mostly separate male and female flowers with occasional bisexual flowers; inflorescence arising from leaf axils, 10-19 cm long, with branches to 4 cm long; covered in stellate hairs; calyx 4-lobed, 1.5 mm long in males, 1 mm in females; petals absent; recorded in Nov and Jan. © NT Herbarium Fruit: Fleshy drupe, white, less than 1 cm diam.; Buttressed trunk base of Endospermum stigma, calyx and (in bisexual flowers) anthers persist; medullosum recorded in Oct and Nov.

Habitat: Wet rainforests; requires a permanent water supply.

Distinguishing feature: Young shoots, branchlets, petioles and undersurface of adult leaves covered with dense stellate hairs; juvenile leaves lightly hairy on both sides.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Black Jungle Conservation Reserve, Channel Point, Reynolds River and Melville Island. Also on Cape York in Qld and from New Guinea to the Solomon Islands. Only two species of this genus (12 worldwide) occur in Australia with only one of those species, Endospermum medullosum, occurring in the NT.

Conservation notes: This species is uncommon in the NT. The paucity of collections indicate a relatively low level of abundance. It is not considered to be currently under threat but is apparently naturally rare. In other parts of the world the wood of this species is

used for canoe making and young leaves are © Monica Osterkamp Madsen, NT Herbarium occasionally eaten as a vegetable. Characteristics of adult and juvenile leaves

References: 8, 22, 45, 76, 79

...... WWF-Australia 16 FABACEAE Aphyllodium stylosanthoides Pedley

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Leafy herb or subshrub, to around 1 m high; re-shoots annually from perennial rootstock; stems more or less erect, reddish, covered in 2 mm long appressed hairs.

Leaves: Compound; leaflets 3, very variable from linear through to elliptic or obovate; terminal leaflet much longer than wide, usually 1.5-3.5 cm long, 3-6 mm wide; lateral leaflets smaller; leaflets predominantly glabrous above; sparsely hairy below, densely hairy on margins and midrib; cushion-like swelling (pulvinus) at base of leaf, 1-2 mm long, densely hairy; petioles 1-1.6 cm long; stipules 1-2 cm long.

Flowers: Raceme of pea flowers to 12.5 cm long; © Jacinda Brown calyx with sparse short hooked hairs, 3.3-4 mm long; Habit of Aphyllodium stylosanthoides, stems petals white, pink or pinkish mauve; standard rounded, and inflorescence bracts red-brown, flowers 6.5 mm long, 3.3-4 mm wide; wings rectangular, 4-5.2 white, pink or pinkish mauve (pressed mm long, 0.5-1.2 mm wide; claw 1.5-2 mm long; keel specimen) ± equal to wings; recorded in June, Oct and Nov.

Fruit: Pods with 1 or usually 2 segments, each 3.5- 5 mm long, 2.5-4 mm wide; sparsely hairy at maturity; seeds 3 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide.

Habitat: Varied; in open forest and woodland, fringing swamps and at the base of sandstone outcrops; on reddish to grey sandy or skeletal soils. Associated with mixed eucalypt woodland.

Distinguishing feature: Within the Darwin region Aphyllodium stylosanthoides is differentiated from

other visually similar species by its pod that has only © Jacinda Brown 1 or 2 segments and its small pinkish flowers. Flattened disc-like seed pods; (pressed specimen) approx. 1X actual size Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Noonamah, Batchelor, Nitmiluk National Park, Wagait Aboriginal Reserve, Kakadu and Arnhem Land. Also found in north-west WA. Special note on Fabaceae family

Conservation notes: This species is uncommon in The Fabaceae flower consists of five the NT and the paucity of collections indicate a low petals; the back petal often stands level of abundance. It is not considered to be erect and is called the standard, the currently under threat but is apparently naturally two lowest petals join to form the rare. keel, and the two side petals are called the wings. Please refer to the References: 75 Glossary section to see an illustration of a typical Fabaceae flower (Fig 16, pg. 80).

...... WWF-Australia 17 FABACEAE Crotalaria quinquefolia Linnaeus

Category: Near Threatened

Common name: Annual birdflower

Habit: Erect annual herb to c. 1 m; stems longitudinally ridged; vegetative parts, excluding upper leaf surfaces, with white appressed hairs.

Leaves: Digitate; leaflets 5, narrow, unequal, 2.5- 9.5 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, upper surface with small vesicular glands; leaflets almost sessile; leaf stalk 1.5-6.5 cm long; stipules persistent, 3-5 mm long.

Flowers: Loose raceme to 28 cm long; pedicels 6- 14 mm long; large pea flowers, yellow with fine red- brown stripes; standard smooth, 1.4-1.9 cm long; lower half of keel fringed with curly white hairs, keel apex twisted; recorded in Feb and Mar.

Fruit: Pods smooth, swollen, slightly curved, 5- 6.5 cm long, 2 cm wide, straw-coloured to grey when mature; seeds numerous, heart-shaped, 4.5 mm long, © Jacinda Brown 3.5 mm wide; recorded in Feb and Mar. Flower buds and developing ‘rattlepod’; (pressed specimen); approx.1/3 X actual Habitat: Moist grassland, sedgeland and floodplains; size often in shallow water; on clay soils including black soil floodplains; thrives in wet environments. Associated with Fimbristylis spp. and Eleocharis spp.

Distinguishing feature: The ‘rattlepod’ and leaves with 5 narrow leaflets.

Distribution: Within the NT occurs at a few localities from the Finniss River to the South Alligator River; recorded from Holmes Jungle and near the Adelaide River. Also found in the Old World tropics from India to Australia (NT, Qld).

Conservation notes: This species is apparently naturally rare in the NT and the paucity of collections indicate a low level of abundance. It is not considered to be currently under threat.

References: 22, 51 © Monica Osterkamp Madsen, NT Herbarium

Compound leaf of 5 long, narrow, unequal leaflets

...... WWF-Australia 18 FABACEAE Flemingia involucrata Benth.

Category: Least Concern (formerly Near Threatened)

Habit: Erect perennial herb, sometimes twining, or subshrub to 1.3 m; covered with long white hairs, yellow glandular hairs and red bladder-like glands, the latter more dense on the underside of the leaves and calyx; aerial parts die off during the dry season.

Leaves: Digitate; leaflets 3, elliptic with a pointed tip, 4-11.5 cm long, 1.5-7.5 cm wide, slightly darker on upper surface; petiole 1.2-4.5 cm long; stipules brown, 1-1.8 cm long, 3-6 mm wide, fall off early leaving a prominent scar.

Flowers: Dense terminal cluster to 6 cm long; bracts prominent, persistent, brown, 1-1.5 cm long; calyx 1- 1.7 cm long, densely covered with coarse hairs; pea flowers mauve-pink; standard rounded, 9-12 mm long, hairy, glandular on back; wings also glandular and occasionally hairy on back; keel glabrous; recorded from Feb-July. © Jacinda Brown Fruit: Pod dark brown, inflated, 5.5 mm long, 3.5 mm Leaflets are lighter below, darker above wide, covered with a few short hairs; seed 1, black, (pressed specimen) 4 mm long, 3.5 mm wide; pods persistent, recorded from Mar-Aug.

Habitat: Depressions, drainage lines or fringing watercourses in grassland, open forest or woodland; on sandy or clay soils. Associated with Eucalyptus tetradonta, Corymbia bleeseri and C. nesophila.

Distinguishing feature: This species is distinguished by its dense flower heads subtended by bracts.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from 11 scattered records including Noonamah, Old Litchfield Road, East Arnhem Land and Melville Island. Also found in WA and Qld and in the Old World tropics from India to Australia.

Conservation notes: This species is uncommon in the NT and the paucity of collections indicate a low level of abundance. It is not considered to be currently under threat but is apparently naturally rare. Aboriginal people in central Arnhem Land are recorded as having eaten the lateral roots (Dunlop et al. 1995). © Monica Osterkamp Madsen, NT Herbarium

References: 22 Pink-purple flowers in dense clusters with prominent brown bracts; the hairy calyces give an overall ‘woolly’ appearance to the inflorescence

...... WWF-Australia 19 ...... 20 Indigofera schultziana F References: are unresolved atthetime ofpublishing. survey work, issuesregarding thet occup and/or qualityofhabit than 10locationsandainferreddecline inarea,extent be lessthan20000km as V habit from onlyonelocalityintheFinniss Riverarea. Conservation notes: there. occur intheShirebuttodateithas notbeenrecorded Distribution: species inhavingasingle,broadleaflet. conservation reserve. the speciesisnot representedonanyformof residential, horticulture andcattlegrazing.Inaddition, subdivision, clearing anddevelopmentforrural range ofthespecies liesinaregionthatisundergoing regarded asV is recommended thatthespeciescontinuetobe with probablymany thousandspresentinthatarea, it plant islocallyabundantattheW with woodland andonhillsorrockyslopes. Distinguishing feature: Habit short beak;seeds6-8. cylindrical, 2.1-4cmlong,2.5-3mmwide;apexwith Fruit: recorded from long, 5-lobed;st leaf axilsandlongerthanleaves;calyx1.5-2.3mm Flowers: the baseofleafletst swelling (pulvinus)atbaseofleaflet;densehairs 2-6 cmwide,glabrousorsp opposite; bladeovatetoorbicular p T 60 cmhigh;coveredwithtranslucenttobrown Habit: Leaves: Category: art -shaped hairspressedclosetothesurface;aerial ABACEAE s dieof ulnerable basedon1)anextent of occurrenceto Eucalyptus miniat at thatthisspeciesoccupiessuggest at: ancy estimatedtobe<20km Pods brown,withdenseappressedhairs Erect, multi-stemmedperennialsubshrubto Ecology poorlyknown;recordedinopen Compound, 1-foliolate,4-1 Inflorescence 3.5-1 f annually Dat 22, 64 Endemic totheNT ulnerable, onthe basisthattheentire Aug-Jan. a Deficient(formerlyV andard rounded,lavender-pink; alks; mainleafaxisfurrowed. . at, and2) Note:: a This t 2 , knowntoexistatnomore and Unusual among arsely hairy;cushion-like axon hasbeenclassified E. tetrodont 1.5 cmlong,arisingfrom As aresult ofrecent A . Recordedpositively , 2.5-10.3cmlong, angi Rdpopulation, restricted areaof axonomy ofthisspecies have beenraised. 2 1.5 cmlong, . Although the ulnerable) Associated a . Indigofera s thatitmay The F .Muell. some leavesarefoldedunderspecimen specimen) approx.¼Xactualsize,note inflorescence arisingfromaxil;(pressed Broadly roundedleaflet B) Developing seedpods A) Close-upofinflorescence, ¾Xactualsize A s eachwithslender These issues B WWF-Australia

© A) Jacinda Brown, B) Monica Osterkamp Madsen, NT Herbarium © Jacinda Brown LENTIBULARIACEAE Utricularia sp. red

Category: Data Deficient

Common name: All species in the genus are commonly known as ‘Bladderworts’

Habit: Extremely small, annual aquatic bladderwort, with only 1 cm of plant exposed above sand; all exposed parts of plant deep red except for new stems.

Leaves: Inconspicuous.

Traps: Inconspicuous.

Flowers: Deep red in colour; recorded in May.

Habitat: Margins of seasonal swamps, seepage areas and near streams; in wet sandy soil recently exposed by receding water levels. Associated with Eriocaulon cinereum and Centrolepis exserta.

Distinguishing feature: This entity is distinguished by its extremely small size and deep red flower colour.

Distribution: Apparently endemic to the NT. Recorded from only one location near Girraween Road in Humpty Doo.

Conservation notes: There is insufficient information to assign a conservation code to this species. This taxon was first collected in 1996. One further collection was made during an extensive Utricularia survey undertaken in 2000 and 2001 around the Howard River. It is extremely cryptic and difficult to detect.

References: 14

Note: No photographs or drawings are available for this entity.

Special note on the Lentibulariaceae family, the bladderworts

These small aquatic or terrestrial herbs are widespread and found in nearly every country in the world. They prefer wet or moist places, growing in or near water, either anchored in the substrate or free-floating. Most of the annual species in this booklet are only present for a short period during the late wet and early dry seasons. They are known as ‘plants of prey’ because they capture small insects in specialised bladder-like traps—hence their common name of bladderworts. Traps are extremely small with a trapdoor entrance, and can be located at various positions on the plants. Within this family it is often difficult to distinguish vegetative parts like stems and leaves. Roots are always absent. However, organs that resemble and function as roots (rhizoids) are usually present. Although flowers are typically small they are particularly showy, with colour ranging from white, yellow, violet, blue, red, brown, or combinations thereof. Flower structure varies widely between species but in essence, they are comprised of two lips (upper and lower), that may or may not be of equal sizes and can be variously lobed. The lower lip is always spurred and in many species, is larger than the upper lip. Flower stalks are fine and delicate and often brittle or hollow. Fruit is a capsule with tiny seeds. Calyx structure can be a useful tool in identification, particularly in species exhibiting extensive variation in their flower characteristics.

...... WWF-Australia 21 LENTIBULARIACEAE Utricularia dunstaniae F.E.Lloyd

Category: Vulnerable

Habit: Small, annual terrestrial bladderwort to 15 cm high.

Leaves: 1-2, arising from the base of the inflorescence stalk; blade 2-12 mm long with a broadly rounded apex and a single vein.

Traps: Few, 0.8-1.2 mm long, borne on very fine stolons.

Flowers: Inflorescence erect, solitary, 6-15 cm long; peduncle 0.3 mm diam.; flowers apparently always solitary, 3.5-4 mm long (excluding appendages), usually flesh-coloured but sometimes darker (e.g. yellow, orange, red or brown); lower lip 3-5-lobed with 2 antennae-like appendages, 15-40 mm long, that project upwards from lateral lobes; recorded in Mar, Apr and May.

Fruit: Not seen. © Jacinda Brown The antennae-like appendages of Habitat: Sedgeland and in depressions or swampy Utricularia dunstaniae help to narrow its areas in open woodland or shrubland; often in shallow identification to one of three (in NT) visually water to 3 cm deep; on moist sandy soils. Associated similar species with Melaleuca nervosa, Grevillea pteridifolia, Verticordia spp., Dapsilanthus spathaceus, Eriocaulon spp. and Eriachne burkittii.

Distinguishing feature: Similar to several Utricularia species with a pair of upward-pointing appendages. It has only one downward pointing lobe and two upward pointing lobes on the lower lip. The two similar species have upward pointing lobes arising from the upper lip and either 3 or 5 downward-pointing lobes arising from the lower lip. It occurs in slightly wetter micro-habitats than the two (in NT) other visually similar species of Utricularia.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from McMinns Lagoon, Howard River floodplain, Adelaide River floodplain and Kakadu National Park. Also on the Mitchell Plateau in WA.

Conservation notes: This species is currently only known from four localities despite extensive surveys in the Darwin rural area. One population is recorded to have 50 individuals. The population in the McMinns Lagoon area has not been relocated since the collection of 1965 and is apparently locally extinct. Three of the recorded localities in the NT are susceptible to disturbance from sandmining, quadbike and motorbike activity, subdivision and potential changes to hydrology.

References: 14, 71

...... WWF-Australia 22 LENTIBULARIACEAE Utricularia hamiltonii F.E.Lloyd

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Small, erect, annual aquatic bladderwort to 12 cm high; usually occurring as scattered individuals.

Leaves: 2-3, arising from the base of the inflorescence stalk and from stolon nodes; blade narrow, 5-15 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide with a pointed apex and a single vein.

Traps: 1 or 2 from base of inflorescence stalk and from each stolon node; each trap 2-3 mm long.

Flowers: Inflorescence erect, solitary, 5-12 cm long; stalk delicate, brittle, hollow, to 0.8 mm diam.; flowers apparently always solitary, 6-12 mm long, bright purple-mauve to pale blue; lower lip squarish with an orange-yellow patch at the base, fringed with dark purple streaks; upper lip with 2 pointed lobes; recorded from Feb-June.

Fruit: Not seen. © NT Herbarium Flowers can vary in colour. This individual Habitat: Sedgeland and grassland of floodplains, or in has a bluish flower colour; approx. 1X actual depressions, drainage lines and swampy areas in size, open woodland or shrubland; often in shallow water to 10 cm; predominantly on moist sandy soils but also recorded on poorly drained clayey soils.

Distinguishing feature: Similar to several other mauve-flowered Utricularia species. Utricularia hamiltonii characteristically has solitary flowers with a 4-angled lower lip; leaves with a finely pointed tip and hairless stems.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Spread widely throughout the Litchfield Shire including the Howard River floodplain, Adelaide River floodplain and McMinns Lagoon; recorded east to Kakadu and south to the Fitzmaurice River.

Conservation notes: While this species may be more common then collections indicate, it has a restricted known distribution of three quite separate areas across the Top End and occurs almost always as scattered individuals. The bulk of the collections were found in an area susceptible to sandmining. It is not

currently considered under threat but qualifies for the © Jacinda Brown status of Near Threatened. ...while this individual has a purple-mauve flower colour References: 14, 84

...... WWF-Australia 23 LENTIBULARIACEAE Utricularia holtzei F.Muell.

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Very small annual bladderwort to 6 cm high, subaquatic or terrestrial; flowers often resting on or sitting parallel to the water surface.

Leaves: Few, solitary, arising from the base of the inflorescence stalk and stolon nodes; blade 6-10 mm long (includes the long petiole) with a broadly rounded apex and a single vein.

Traps: 1-3 traps at base of inflorescence stalk and 1-2 traps from each stolon node; each trap 1-1.5 mm long.

Flowers: Inflorescence erect, solitary or 2 together or in succession, 2.5-6 cm long; peduncle delicate, pale green, 0.15-0.25 mm diam.; flowers apparently always solitary, 4-8 mm long, creamy white above (can be tinged yellowish or greenish), pale yellow-bronze below; lower lip deeply 5-lobed with a reddish orange spot at the base; upper lip erect, notched at apex; © Jacinda Brown palate hairy with raised marginal rim; recorded from Very distinctive lobed flower of Utricularia Feb-May. holtzei, usually growing in shallow water; approx. 2X actual size Fruit: Capsule narrowly elliptic, 2-3 mm long; seeds minute.

Habitat: Sedgeland and grassland of floodplains, or in depressions, drainage lines and swampy areas in open woodland or shrubland; often in shallow water to 10 cm; predominantly on moist sandy soils but also recorded on poorly drained clayey soils. Associated with Melaleuca nervosa, Grevillea pteridifolia, Banksia dentata, Lophostemon lactifluus, Verticordia spp., Utricularia spp., Eriachne spp., Sorghum intrans, sedges and sedge-like plants (e.g. Dapsilanthus spp.).

Distinguishing feature: Has white flowers with a 5-lobed lower lip. Similar to Utricularia quinquedentata but has much larger flowers. Other similar species have either 3-lobes or are pink or mauve-flowered.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from the Howard River floodplain, Adelaide River floodplain, Humpty Doo, Shoal Bay Reserve and Kakadu.

Conservation notes: While this species may be more common than collections indicate, it has a restricted known distribution of two quite separate areas across the Top End. The bulk of the collections were found in an area susceptible to sandmining. It is not currently considered under threat but qualifies for the status of Near Threatened.

References: 14, 84

...... WWF-Australia 24 LENTIBULARIACEAE Utricularia involvens Ridl.

Category: Least Concern (formerly Near Threatened)

Habit: Medium-sized terrestrial bladderwort to 60 cm, annual; often twining onto grass.

Leaves: Numerous, pressed close to the ground, arising from short rhizoids and capillary-like stolon nodes; blade pale green, 5-30 mm long and 2-5 mm wide with a rounded apex and 3 or more veins.

Traps: Few, 0.5-1.2 mm long, borne on stolons and leaves.

Flowers: Twining inflorescence to 60 cm long. Flowers 2-12, widely spaced (often 4 cm or more apart); pedicels narrowly winged, 8-20 mm long; calyx pale green; flowers 10-15 mm long, bright yellow with a deeper orange-yellow swelling on the lower lip; upper lip rounded, c. 7-10 mm wide; lower lip shallowly lobed, 10-12 mm wide; palate with a raised marginal rim fringed with fine hairs; sometimes sweet smelling; recorded from Feb-May. © NT Herbarium This species frequently twines around Fruit: Capsule oval, 3-4 mm long; seeds minute. grasses and sedges; approx. 1X actual size

Habitat: Sedgeland and grassland of floodplains and watercourses, or drainage flats and swampy areas in low open woodland; often in shallow water to 5 cm; on moist sandy soils, also on damp clayey, lateritic or gravelly soils. Associated with Corymbia latifolia, Melaleuca viridiflora, M. nervosa, Grevillea pteridifolia, Banksia dentata, Germainia spp., Dapsilanthus spp. and members of the Cyperaceae family.

Distinguishing feature: Similar to several other yellow-flowered Utricularias, it is characterised by the twining growth habit and relatively large bright yellow flowers with a more or less entire lower lip.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Darwin across to the foot of the Arnhem Land escarpment and on Melville Island. Also found in Burma, Thailand and Malaysia.

Conservation notes: Although it may be more common than collections indicate, this species is coded as Near Threatened as a reflection of its low

known abundance across the NT. © NT Herbarium Close-up of flower; approx. 2X actual size References: 14, 84

...... WWF-Australia 25 LENTIBULARIACEAE Utricularia quinquedentata F.Muell. ex P.Taylor

Category : Least Concern (formerly Near Threatened)

Habit: Extremely small, annual terrestrial bladderwort to 5 cm high.

Leaves: Moderately numerous, 2-4 arising from the base of the inflorescence stalk and stolon nodes; blade 1.5-3 mm long (includes petiole) with a broad rounded apex and a single vein.

Traps: 0.5-1 mm long, variously present on the base of the inflorescence stalk, stolon nodes/internodes and rhizoids.

Flowers: Inflorescence erect, solitary or 2 arising in succession, 3-5 cm long; inflorescence stalk to 0.08 mm thick (the thickness of human hair), pale green with a tinge of red; calyx reddish; flowers always solitary, 2 mm long, white or creamy white above with a pale yellow spot at the base of the lower lip, pale yellow below; upper lip bilobed; lower lip 5-lobed to half its length; recorded from Mar-June.

Fruit: Capsule rounded, 1 mm long; seeds minute.

Habitat: Depressions, seepage areas and swamps in open woodland and fringing watercourses; often associated with sandstone outcrops; on moist sandy or sandy loam soils. Associated with Melaleuca viridiflora, M. nervosa, Banksia dentata, Lophostemon lactifluus, Mitrasacme spp., Micraira spp., Dapsilanthus spp. and members of the Cyperaceae family.

Distinguishing feature: Although larger then Utricularia sp. red this species is smaller than all other bladderworts and is one of the smallest flowering plants in Australia. It is distinguished by the very small cream-white flower with a distinctly 5-lobed lower lip.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Humpty Doo, Koolpinyah Station, Shoal Bay, the Katherine region and in Arnhem Land. It is found over a wide geographical area from the Kimberley in WA across to Cape York and Brisbane in Qld.

Conservation notes: This species is coded as Near Threatened within the NT. Although widespread, populations are apparently very scattered with some known populations occurring in areas subject to mining. It may be more common than collections indicate.

References: 14, 84

Note: No photographs or drawings were available for this species.

...... WWF-Australia 26 LENTIBULARIACEAE Utricularia singeriana F.Muell.

Category: Vulnerable

Habit: Small to medium-sized terrestrial bladderwort to 30 cm long, probably annual.

Leaves: Few, solitary, arising from the base of the inflorescence stalk and stolon nodes; blade 1-1.5 mm wide, to 12 mm long (including petiole) with a rounded apex and a single vein.

Traps: Few, 2-3 mm long, borne on the base of the inflorescence stalk and 1-2 on stolon nodes.

Flowers: Inflorescence erect, solitary, 7-30 cm long; peduncle 1-1.5 mm diam.; pedicels flattened, grooved, to 2 cm long; flowers always solitary, 10-22 mm long, bright pink, purple, mauve or deep crimson with the outer surface sometimes glossy reddish brown; upper lip with a constriction near the base, below which the

surface is finely hairy, lip apex variously notched or © NT Herbarium blunt; lower lip rounded, 2 cm wide, with 7-9 slightly The solitary flower is pink, purple, mauve raised ridges extending from palate; palate margin or crimson; leaves are few or hairy; recorded from Feb-May. inconspicuous

Fruit: Capsule round, 4-5 mm diam.; seeds cylindrical, 0.8-1 mm long.

Habitat: Seasonally inundated grassland and low open woodland; also recorded growing near granite outcrops; often in shallow water to 2 cm deep; on moist sandy or sandy loam soils.

Distinguishing feature: Similar to several other mauve- flowered Utricularia species. Utricularia singeriana has deep purple solitary flowers, with a rounded lower lip and blunt spur, the leaves are blunt and the stems are hairless; larger flowers than most other species of Utricularia. Outer surface of flower often reddish-brown. © NT Herbarium Distribution: Within the NT it was recorded early last century A close-up of open flower; approx. from ‘4 miles north-east of Port Darwin’ and more recently from 1X actual size the Edith River area and Marrawal Plateau in Nitmiluk National Park. The habitat that this species occupies suggests that it may occur in the Shire but to date it has not been recorded there. Also found in WA.

Conservation notes: This species has only been recorded from three NT localities. The Port Darwin population is probably extinct due to industrial and commercial developments in the area. Data from Nitmiluk suggests a population estimate in the low hundreds (200 individuals counted). Utricularia singeriana was not located in recent surveys of Utricularia-rich areas near Darwin nor in a number of Utricularia-specific surveys that have been carried out in the NT by Darwin Herbarium staff and the world authority on the genus, Peter Taylor.

References: 14, 72 ...... WWF-Australia 27 LENTIBULARIACEAE Utricularia subulata Linnaeus

Category: Near Threatened (formerly Endangered) Common name: Zigzag bladderwort Habit: Small to very small, annual terrestrial bladderwort, 10-50 cm tall. Leaves: Can be numerous; blade narrow, 1 mm wide, 2 cm long, tapering to a slightly pointed apex and with a single vein. Traps: Numerous, 0.2-0.7 mm long, borne on stolons and leaves. Flowers: Inflorescence erect, solitary, 2-50 cm long, sometimes branched; peduncle slender, 0.3-0.6 mm diam., dark red; pedicels upright to 1 cm long; calyx dark red; flowers 1-25 (or more when branched), yellowish or (in cleistogamous inflorescences) white or reddish, open flowers 5-10 mm long; upper lip rounded; lower lip deeply 3-lobed with a large round

swelling extending across 2 lobes at its base; palate © NT Herbarium hairy; recorded in March and May in the NT but Pale yellow flowers with 3-lobed lower lip reported elsewhere to flower in all but the driest months. Fruit: Capsule round, 1-1.5 mm diam.; seeds minute. Habitat: Sedgeland and drainage flats, depressions and swampy areas of seasonally inundated grassland and low open woodland; on moist sandy soils. Associated with Melaleuca nervosa, Banksia dentata, Verticordia spp., Germainia spp., Xyris cheumatophila, Utricularia spp. and members of the Cyperaceae family. Distinguishing feature: Similar to several other yellow-flowered Utricularias, however U. subulata has short stems (<10 cm). Pale yellow flowers with a 3-lobed lower lip, lacks bracteoles on the stem and the bracts are free at the base. Sometimes produces cleistogamous inflorescences where the flowers do not open. Distribution: Within the NT recorded from three localities: McMinns Lagoon, Kakadu National Park and Bathurst Island. Also found in Qld and other tropical regions of the world. Conservation notes: Although this is the most widespread of all Utricularia species it is only known from three localities in the NT — Bathurst Island, McMinns Lagoon and a recently collected specimen from Kakadu National Park (2003). The McMinns Lagoon population collected in 1980 has not been successfully relocated. Extensive surveys in the Darwin rural area in 2000 and 2001, and similar surveys in Kakadu and the Tiwi Islands in recent years, indicate this species — although widespread — is extremely rare in the NT. Only three plants are recorded for the Kakadu population with greater abundances recorded for Bathurst Island localities. The McMinns Lagoon population may no longer exist due to substantial changes in land use in the area. Using a precautionary approach this species qualifies for Endangered based on an extent of occurrence <5000 km2, an area of occupancy <500 km2, and a projected decline as a result of potential sandmining and subdivision activity in the Howard Springs area. References: 14, 73

...... WWF-Australia 28 LENTIBULARIACEAE Utricularia triflora P.Taylor

Category: Least Concern (formerly Near Threatened)

Habit: Small, erect, annual terrestrial bladderwort to 14 cm long; often found with 75% of stem submerged under water.

Leaves: Few, arising from base of inflorescence stalk and singularly on stolon nodes; blade narrow, 0.3- 0.5 mm wide, 2 cm long (includes petiole) with a pointed apex and a single vein.

Traps: Few, 1-3 mm long, borne on base of inflorescence stalk and stolon nodes.

Flowers: Inflorescence erect, solitary, 6-14 cm long; inflorescence stalk firm, sometimes hollow, smoky grey, 0.5-1 mm diam.; pedicels grooved, 4-8 mm long; flowers 2-4, arising together in a terminal whorl, mauve or lilac with a creamy white or yellowish patch bordered with an irregular purple margin at the base of the lower lip; lower lip fan-shaped and occasionally

shallowly 3-lobed, 6-12 mm long; upper lip has purple © Tony Camilleri. Inset: Jacinda Brown streaks and is divided into 2 oblong lobes (often Whilst visually similar to Utricularia deeply divided), apex of lobes rounded; underside of hamiltonii, U. triflora has 2-3 flowers per flower lighter; palate hairy; spur white-yellow; inflorescence and the lower lip is rounded recorded from Mar-Aug. rather than angular. Both main and inset are U. triflora Fruit: Capsule oval, 2 mm long; seeds minute.

Habitat: Sedgeland and seasonally inundated grassland in open woodland, or in drying mud in seasonal swamps and fringing lagoons; has been found in water to 20 cm deep; on moist sand, sandy loams or heavier clay soils. Associated with Asteromyrtus symphyocarpa, Melaleuca cajuputi, M. viridiflora, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Corymbia polycarpa, Grevillea pteridifolia, Lophostemon grandiflorus, Schoenoplectus spp., Chrysopogon spp., Eulalia spp., Germainia spp. and Eriachne burkittii.

Distinguishing feature: Similar to several other species of mauve-flowered Utricularia with a white mark in the centre. U. triflora leaves have an acute apex and the stems are hairless. U. triflora has 2-3 flowers in an inflorescence and flowers have a rounded lower lip.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded near McMinns Lagoon, the Howard Springs area, Shoal Bay, Nitmiluk National Park, near Dunmarra and Arnhem Land (Central Arnhem Road, Murganella and Maningrida).

Conservation notes: Although widespread in northern NT, populations are very scattered. The species is not currently considered under any threat and the current coding of Near Threatened reflects the few, scattered populations. Surveys over the last few years have greatly extended the known range of the species and the number of known populations.

References: 14, 84

...... WWF-Australia 29 LIMNOCHARITACEAE Butomopsis latifolia (D.Don) Kunth

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Erect, annual semi-aquatic herb to 70 cm, stems exuding white sap when cut. Leaves either floating on water surface or held erect.

Leaves: Elliptic, 5-15 cm long, 1.5-6.5 cm wide, apex rounded and ending in a hard blunt tip (mucro), 5-7 main veins; petiole 6-24 cm long, sheathing at base.

Flowers: An umbel of up to 25 flowers; peduncle 5-60 cm long, 3-5 angled; pedicels triangular in cross-section, to 14 cm long; petals 3, white, 9 mm long; sepals 3, green, 4-7 mm long; bracts membranous to 1.8 cm long; recorded from Apr-June.

Fruit: Dry, 7-12 mm long, contained within calyx and opening toward apex along one side; seeds numerous, smooth, brown, 0.5 mm long; recorded from Apr-July. © NT Herbarium

Habitat: Seasonally inundated open situations, especially Prefers seasonally inundated edges of swamps and lagoons and on floodplains; often in situations such as edges of swamps, shallow water 5-15 cm deep; on sandy, clayey, gravelly or lagoons and floodplains black soils. Associated with Lophostemon grandiflorus, Ipomoea aquatica, Eleocharis spp., Oryza rufipogon and Pseudoraphis spp.

Distinguishing feature: After flowering, petals whither and disintegrate into a sticky mass. Butomopsis latifolia is the only species within this genus.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from the floodplains of the Adelaide, South Alligator and East Alligator rivers, Leaning Tree Lagoon, near Mataranka and in Arnhem Land. Also found in Qld, tropical Africa, South-East Asia and Malaysia.

Conservation notes: Although this species has been collected from a wide distribution area in the Top End, it is known from only seven collections and is considered rare in the NT. Although the habitat is likely to limit opportunistic collections, it is expected that extensive surveys of the Top End floodplains in 1990 and other floodplain work in Kakadu in the 1980s would have yielded more records if this species was more abundant. Not considered under threat, the Near Threatened status of this species highlights rarity across the Top End. © Jacinda Brown Close-up of capsules and seeds; References: 15 approx. 1X actual size (pressed specimen)

...... WWF-Australia 30 MENYANTHACEAE Nymphoides subacuta Aston

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Delicate aquatic herb, annual or possibly perennial in permanent water; leaves floating; stems several arising from base, slender and floating, simple or forked.

Leaves: Ovate to elliptic, cordate (‘heart-shaped’) with either pointed or rounded apex, 5-9.5 cm long, 3.5- 6.5 cm wide with entire margins; petioles flattened, compressed, to 70 cm long.

Flowers: A lateral or terminal inflorescence; pedicels 2-10 cm long; flowers 2-4.5 cm diam., bright golden- orange or orange-yellow, often disintegrating in afternoon; flower of usually 5 lobes, predominantly hairless, side wings of lobes distinctly fringed; plants with either short or long styles; recorded mainly from Apr-July, also Feb.

Fruit: Capsule containing 2-8 black or dark brown © Deborah Bisa warty seeds. Aquatic herb with floating leaves; flowers bright golden-orange or yellow Habitat: Freshwater swamps and lagoons in water to 50 cm deep; on a variety of saturated sandy soils, occasionally on black soils. Associated with Melaleuca spp., Maidenia spp., Utricularia spp., Nymphoides minima and N. spongiosa.

Distinguishing feature: Distinguished from other NT Nymphoides by possessing protuberances around the base of the calyx.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from the Darwin - Litchfield region and Kakadu National Park.

Conservation notes: This species is only known from eight collections, seven of which were made during or before the early 1980s. Collection notes indicate the species was often common to abundant when collected. However, many of these collections were from a general area in which sandmining has since occurred. Currently it is not considered threatened but © Monica Osterkamp Madsen, NT Herbarium is coded as Near Threatened to highlight the disjunct distribution and limited collection history of this Close-up of bud showing protuberances — species. a key distinguishing feature

References: 2, 3, 15

...... WWF-Australia 31 MIMOSACEAE Acacia oligoneura F.Muell.

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Open multi-stemmed shrub to 2 m high; branches, stems and leaves resinous; stems greenish yellow or yellow to pale brown, re-shoot from rootstock following fire.

Leaves/Phyllodes: Narrow, straight or slightly curved, 11-19 cm long, 1.2-2 cm wide, with a short hard tip (mucro); blade sparsely resinous, glabrous, pale olive green with 3 prominent yellowish veins and numerous minor veins all running lengthwise; small gland near leaf base and above cushion-like swelling (pulvinus).

Flowers: Spikes, groups of 1-3, arising from leaf axils or from the ends of branchlets, 1.8-3 cm long, 4.5-6.5 mm wide; peduncle glabrous, resinous, 5.5-8 mm long; flowers light golden or bright yellow, densely or loosely arranged, may be softly scented; recorded from Dec-May.

Fruit: Flat woody pod, brown, resinous, scaly, 5- © Jacinda Brown 8.5 cm long, 4-7.5 mm wide, with obvious oblique Flower spikes in groups of 1-3 from axils or reticulate nerves, opens elastically from the apex; ends of branchlets (pressed specimen) seeds arillate, 5-5.5 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, positioned obliquely in pod; recorded in Dec-Apr.

Habitat: Open woodland on rocky outcrops or sandstone slopes; on a variety of soils, predominantly skeletal or sandy. Associated with Eucalyptus miniata, E. tetradonta, Grevillea pteridifolia, Triodia bitextura and Sorghum spp.

Distinguishing feature: Acacia oligoneura is similar to A. praetermissa but has phyllodes that are generally wider, a short knob-like mucro, glabrous calyx lobes and elliptic smaller seeds.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Noonamah, Daly River and Litchfield National Park. Also found on the Mitchell Plateau in the Kimberley, WA. Although the literature indicates Ferdinand Mueller collected this species from Victoria River, no specimens from this region have been lodged in the NT Herbarium.

Conservation notes: The status of Near Threatened reflects the limited abundance and distribution of this

species. © Jacinda Brown Fruit pods brown, woody; seeds positioned References: 22, 50 obliquely in pod; approx. 1X actual size (pressed specimen)

...... WWF-Australia 32 MIMOSACEAE Acacia praetermissa Tindale

Category: Vulnerable (also Nationally listed as Vulnerable)

‘praetermissa’ = easily overlooked

Habit: Erect perennial shrub to 1.2 m high, though more usually to around 50 cm high; single or multi- stemmed from rootstock; bark smooth, bluish grey with white blotches; branchlets reddish brown, slightly angular, usually glabrous.

Leaves/Phyllodes: Narrow, straight or curved, 11- 15 cm long, 3-12(18) mm wide, with a short hard tip (mucro) that is sometimes hooked; blade usually glabrous, bluish, softly leathery, midrib prominent, 2-4 secondary parallel veins, minor veins that branch and intersect; small gland near leaf base and above cushion-like swelling (pulvinus).

Flowers: Inflorescence a spike arising from leaf axils, usually 2 per axil, 8-23 mm long, 4-5 mm wide; peduncle glabrous; flowers 20-27 per spike, golden © Kym Brennan yellow, loosely arranged; recorded from Jan-Sept. Usually two flower spikes per leaf axil

Fruit: More or less flat woody pod, brown, smooth, 4-9 cm long, 6-8 mm wide, with a network of nerves and a short hooked apex; pod opens by rolling back elastically from apex; seeds arillate, 6 mm long, 4 mm wide, olive green, positioned obliquely in pod; recorded from Jan-Mar and Jul-Oct.

Habitat: Open woodland on rocky slopes, ridges and hillsides; on skeletal, lateritic or sandy soils. Associated with Eucalyptus miniata, E. tetrodonta, E. alba and Corymbia dichromophloia.

Distinguishing feature: A rare species that may be easily overlooked. It can be differentiated from Acacia oligoneura by its narrower phyllodes (mostly less than 1.2 cm wide), slender mucro, calyx lobes that are fringed with fine soft hairs and its larger, more rounded seeds.

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from two general localities: near Emerald Springs and Hayes Creek. The habitat that this species occupies suggests that it may occur in the Shire but to date it has not been recorded there.

Conservation notes: Potential threats include unfavourable fire regimes. Populations adjacent to the Stuart Highway are frequently burnt but the long-term effects of frequent burning on this species have not been investigated. No seedling recruitment has been observed in the field during recent collections. This species qualifies as Vulnerable based on a restricted distribution and population size estimated to be <1000 mature individuals and area of occupancy estimated to be <20 km2.

References: 22, 25, 59, 85

...... WWF-Australia 33 Special note on the Orchidaceae family

The next 17 species described in this book are all from the family Orchidaceae. There are over 660 species of native orchids in Australia and over 70% of these are endemic to Australia (Jones 1993). Of the 17 orchid species described in this book, 6 are endemic to Australia.

Orchid flowers are renowned for their incredible diversity in terms of flower shape, colour, size and fragrance. However, orchid flowers are highly specialised and the extent of modification can make interpretation of their flower parts confusing even though they do possess a common set of floral features. For this reason, the flower parts of orchids are often given special terms.

The stamen/s (male) and the style (female) have fused forming a structure known as the column. Pollen grains are aggregated into groups called pollinia.

Orchid flowers are comprised of three sepals, and three petals. In many orchid species the sepals and petals have become highly evolved to the extent that they may look unlike the sepals and petals of most other plants. The three sepals are comprised of one dorsal sepal, which is usually the uppermost sepal, and two lateral sepals. All three sepals may be modified and often are brightly coloured, looking more like the ‘petals’ of most plants.

One of the three petals is modified to form a labellum, which, in some species, may act as a landing platform for insect pollinators.

© David Jones

This is a front and side view of the flower of one type of orchid, Cymbidium canaliculatum. Although the shapes and forms of orchid flowers vary greatly between species, this illustration serves as a general introduction into the terms used for the various parts of the orchid flower.

...... WWF-Australia 34 ORCHIDACEAE Calochilus holtzei F.Muell.

Category: Data Deficient

Common name: Ground orchid

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with a single erect leaf and a subterranean tuberoid; grows as scattered individuals or in dense clumps; leaf develops early in the wet season followed by flowering.

Leaves: 1, dark green, very thick, almost triangular in cross-section, to 55 cm long x 2 cm wide; flower stem with 2-3 bracts, closely sheathing and pointed.

Flowers: Flower stem to 90 cm tall; flowers 8-14, each c. 2.5 cm across, greenish with red or maroon markings; dorsal sepal approx. 9 x 6 mm, concave; lateral sepals green, labellum to 1.7 x 1.2 cm, central part with ‘beard-like’ bristly green or white hairs often tinged purple-red, and purple-red glands at base; recorded Nov-Mar.

Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, 1.3 cm long; © Kym Brennan recorded from Nov-Mar. Flowers 8-14, each c. 2.5 cm across, greenish with red or maroon markings; Habitat: Amongst grass and leaf litter in open forest approx. 1X actual size and tall open woodland; on sandy or sandy loam soils. Associated with Eucalyptus miniata, E. tetradonta, Corymbia nesophila, C. bleeseri and Erythrophleum chlorostachys, Chrysopogon fallax and Sorghum spp.

Distinguishing feature: The large hairy labellum is very distinctive and has given rise to the common name of ‘beardies’ for members of this genus.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Humpty Doo, the Howard River headwaters, Cobourg Peninsula, Kakadu National Park (Kapalga) and Melville Island. Also found in WA and Qld, endemic to Australia.

Conservation notes: Effectively known from seven populations in the NT. There is insufficient data to assign a conservation status to this species. The paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the

species’ seasonality rather than its distribution and © David Jones abundance. Dense green or reddish hairs at the base of the labellum give this genus the common Reference: 38, 40 name of ‘beardies’

...... WWF-Australia 35 ORCHIDACEAE Chiloschista phyllorhiza (F.Muell.) Schltr.

Category: Near Threatened

Common name: Leafless orchid

Habit: Leafless epiphytic orchid forming small clumps; roots flattened, dark green or grey-green, approx. 6 mm wide, photosynthetic; can be locally common and form colonies on suitable trees.

Flowers: Flower stem 4-15 cm long, bearing groups of short-lived fragrant flowers (up to 20 in total); flowers white, 1-1.4 cm wide; labellum approx. 5 x 2 mm, yellow, with a very small densely hairy mid-lobe and a 2.5 mm spur; recorded from Oct-Nov.

Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged; recorded in Nov.

Habitat: Riparian or spring-fed monsoon vine forest and melaleuca swamps; also reported to grow in mangroves; tolerates bright light through to fairly heavy shade. Epiphytic on Barringtonia acutangula, Maranthes corymbosa, Pouteria sericea and © Bill Lavarack Horsfieldia australiana. Associated with Drynaria The flattened green roots perform the quercifolia. functions of both attachment and photosynthesis; there are no leaves Distinguishing feature: The numerous strap-like roots and the absence of leaves.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from the Howard River, Berry Springs Wildlife Park, Black Jungle Conservation Reserve, Brian Creek Springs (Wildman River Station) and the Reynolds River. Also found in Qld. Possibly endemic to Australia.

Conservation notes: The paucity of collections reflects the restricted distribution and abundance of this species. It is expected that extensive surveys of rainforest communities since the mid-1980s would have yielded more records if this species was more abundant. Not considered under threat, the Near Threatened status of this species highlights rarity across the Top End.

References: 8, 38, 45 © John Bolger

Flower stem 4-15 cm long, bearing groups of short-lived fragrant flowers (up to 20 in total)

...... WWF-Australia 36 ORCHIDACEAE Didymoplexis pallens Griff.

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Leafless saprophytic terrestrial orchid to 12 cm tall and with a fleshy tuberoid.

Flowers: Flower stem fleshy, brittle, to 12 cm tall, white to pink or reddish; flowers 5-15, bell-shaped, glistening white or tinged with brown or pink, approx. 1 cm wide, opening one at a time up the raceme and each lasting less than one day; sepals and petals joined together for half their length; labellum to 7 x 10 mm, often with a notched or lobed apex and 2-3 rows of cream to yellow glands at the base; recorded from Nov-Dec; presumed to flower after the onset of the wet season.

Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, 1.7-2 cm long; recorded in Dec.

Habitat: Within and on the edges of monsoon vine forest, rainforest or riparian vegetation; on mounds, raised grass tussocks and in decaying leaf litter; on © Don Franklin sandy or clayey loams. Associated with Bambusa Inflorescences of Didymoplexis pallens arnhemica and Pandanus spp. arising from among leaf litter

Distinguishing feature: A distinctive species that is unlikely to be confused with any other species found in the NT.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from near the Arnhem Highway - Mary River crossing, the headwaters of the Wilton River, Arnhem Land, Douglas-Daly Experimental Farm and Melville Island. Also found in WA, Qld, Indonesia, Malaysia and India.

Conservation notes: Based on the available evidence of limited extent of occurrence and apparently small populations, a case could be made for classifying D. pallens as Vulnerable in the NT. However, plants are evident above ground for just a few weeks each year and at a time when the weather is particularly unfavourable for field surveys (access often difficult), so it may be more widespread than currently thought. On the basis of the sparsity of NT records and limited anecdotal information about its occurrence at these sites, the species is classified in the NT as Data Deficient.

References: 28, 38, 41, 45 © Glen Wightman, NT Herbarium Capsule ready to release seeds; approx. 1X actual size

...... WWF-Australia 37 ORCHIDACEAE Eulophia bicallosa (D.Don) P.F.Hunt & Summerh.

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid; subterranean rhizome fleshy, approx. 6 cm long, 2 cm wide; single leaf is produced after flowering.

Leaves: 1, dark green, pleated, 40 cm long, 2.5 cm wide; stem to 25 cm long, with 2 or 3 large sheathing bracts.

Flowers: Flower stem to 80 cm tall; flowers 6-20, pale green or yellowish with purple, deep red or brown lines and markings, approx. 2.5 cm wide; petals smaller than sepals; lateral sepals to 1.9 cm long, often with twisted tips; dorsal sepal obliquely erect; labellum to 1.2 x 1 cm, 3-lobed with prominent deep red to purple veins and mid-lobe with wavy margins; flowers while leafless; recorded in Mar, July and Aug in NT, outside the NT reported to flower from Sept- Nov.

Fruit: Capsule c. 1.5 cm long, 8 mm wide. © Russell Dempster. Inset: NT Herbarium Inflorescence of Eulophia bicallosa approx. Habitat: In the NT has been collected from seasonally ¼X actual size. Inset: Close-up of flower; inundated woodland and grassland, on fringes of approx. 1X actual size rainforest or riparian vegetation; on poorly drained sandy or clayey loams and black soils; associated with Lophostemon lactifluus, Banksia dentata, Pandanus spp. and perennial grasses. Outside the NT has been collected in habitats from open woodland through to rainforest.

Distinguishing feature: The broad mid-lobe of the labellum; purple-red blotches and stripes; sepals are longer than the petals.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from the headwaters of the Howard River, Virginia, near the junction of the Adelaide and Daly rivers, Labelle Station and Port Keats. Also found in WA, Qld and New Guinea.

Conservation notes: Although also known within Australia from northern WA and Qld, only one collection of this species has been made in the NT during the last 15 years. A further individual plant, known from a residential property in the rural area, has been recorded flowering in 1999 and 2004. The paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the species’ seasonality rather than its distribution and abundance. Currently there is insufficient data to assign a conservation status to this species. © David Jones Reference: 38 Growth habit, showing successive years’ additions to the rhizome

...... WWF-Australia 38 ORCHIDACEAE Habenaria elongata R.Br

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid arising from a small subterranean tuberoid; leaves appear at the same time as, or just after, the flower stem.

Leaves: 2-4 in a basal rosette; blade 12 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, blue-green to mid-green.

Flowers: Flower stem to 60 cm; flowers 8-20, greenish or creamy white, approx. 1.4 cm wide, faintly scented in the early evening; dorsal sepal approx. 6 x 4 mm, hooded; labellum deeply 3-lobed with long, twisted, filamentous lateral lobes to 2 cm long and a straight mid-lobe to 7 mm long; labellum spur prominent, curved, to 3.5 cm long; recorded from Jan-Apr.

Fruit: A capsule.

Habitat: Seasonally inundated open forest and

woodland, grassland fringing monsoon vine forest and © Bill Lavarack on stony outcrops; on sand, sandy loam or lateritic A ground-dwelling orchid preferring moist or soils. Also on exposed coastal bluffs and headlands seasonally inundated habitats and offshore islands. Associated with Eucalyptus spp. and Grevillea pteridifolia.

Distinguishing feature: Could be confused with Habenaria triplonema, however, the leaves in H. elongata are much larger and the flowers lack the strong daytime fragrance of H. triplonema.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Koolpinyah Station, Black Jungle Conservation Reserve, Kakadu National Park (Kapalga), Arnhem Land (Milingimbi) and Bathurst Island. Also found in WA, Qld and New Guinea.

Conservation notes: There is insufficient data to assign a conservation status to this species. The paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the species’ seasonality rather than its distribution and abundance.

References: 38, 40, 42 © Bruce Gray. Inset: David Jones

Flowers are greenish or creamy white. Inset: Labellum is deeply lobed

...... WWF-Australia 39 ORCHIDACEAE Habenaria hymenophylla Schltr.

Category: Data Deficient

Common name: Rainforest habenaria

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with a subterranean tuberoid; forms scattered colonies.

Leaves: 6-8 in a loose rosette; blade sometimes resinous below, 13 cm long, 4 cm wide; lower leaves sheathing base of stem.

Flowers: Flower stem to 40 cm tall; flowers 20-30, spirally arranged, greenish or white with green tips, approx. 5 mm wide, sometimes recorded as smelling unpleasant; dorsal sepal 6 x 6 mm, hooded; petals deeply bilobed; labellum deeply 3-lobed with lateral lobes to 4.5 mm long and mid-lobe to 6 mm; spur to 1.5 cm long; recorded from Feb-Apr, also Oct.

Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, to 1.7 cm long; recorded in Feb, Apr and June. © Bruce Gray. Inset: David Jones Habitat: Rainforest, monsoon thickets of coastal and Inflorescence to 40 cm tall with 20-30 inland regions; in leaf litter, on sand, sandy loams or flowers lateritic soils. Associated with Acacia auriculiformis and Terminalia microcarpa.

Distinguishing feature: Distinguishable from other species of Habaneria by its broader leaves in a loose, scattered rosette, its smaller flowers and its unusual habitat of monsoonal rainforest.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from near Humpty Doo, Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin region (Kulaluk), Rum Jungle, Cobourg Peninsular, Arnhem Land and Melville Island. Also found in Qld. Endemic to Australia.

Conservation notes: There is insufficient data to assign a conservation status to this species. The paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the species’ seasonality rather than its distribution and abundance. © NT Herbarium References: 8, 38, 40, 42, 45 6-8 leaves in a loose rosette; preferred habitat is rainforest or monsoon thicket

...... WWF-Australia 40 ORCHIDACEAE Habenaria rumphii (Brongn.) Lindl.

Category: Endangered

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with a cylindrical tuberoid 2.5-5 cm long, 5-10 mm diam.

Leaves: 6 or 7 in a loose rosette; blade narrow, tapering to the apex, 8-14 cm long, 1-2 cm wide.

Flowers: Flower stem thin and wiry, to 50 cm tall; flowers 30 or more, white, approx. 1 cm wide, densely arranged towards top of stem; dorsal sepal to 6 x 3 mm, broadest at base and tapering to a blunt apex; labellum deeply 3-lobed with lateral lobes to 4 mm long and mid-lobe approx. 7 mm long; all labellum lobes taper from base to a finely pointed apex with the mid-lobe channelled beneath; labellum spur to 1.3 cm, curved forward; recorded in Feb.

Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, approx. 1.1 cm long; recorded in Feb.

Habitat: In the NT has only been collected from the © Bill Lavarack edge of a spring-fed jungle. In other parts of its range, Flowers are usually white but can be slightly including Qld, it is reported to be prominent in low- pinkish lying areas subject to partial inundation during the wet season.

Distinguishing feature: The rosette of stiffly spreading leaves, a densely congested flowering stem, and the obliquely erect labellum with longer mid- lobe and short, pointed lateral lobes.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from a single location in the upper Howard River area near Humpty Doo. Also found in Qld and overseas.

Conservation notes: Habenaria rumphii has been © David Jones collected only once in the NT (in 1989). It currently Front and side view of flower falls into the IUCN Endangered category — it was previously registered as Critically Endangered but this was downgraded due to the elements of seasonality and likely data deficiency surrounding terrestrial geophytes. The one location where it has so far been collected in the NT is likely to experience a reduction in extent and quality of available habitat due to factors including sandmining, land clearing for residential expansion and subsequent altered hydrology. Other threats may include fire, weeds and pigs. Recovery actions may be necessary in the future.

References: 38, 40, 42, 62

...... WWF-Australia 41 ORCHIDACEAE Habenaria triplonema Schltr.

Category: Data Deficient Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid arising from small subterranean tuberoids at the onset of the wet season. Dies back to newly developed tuberoids at the onset of the dry season. Leaves: 2 or 3 in a basal rosette; blade 6-9 cm long, 1.3-2 cm wide. Flowers: Flower stem to 70 cm tall; flowers 8-12, densely arranged, white, pale yellow or pale green, approx. 1.3 cm wide, can be highly perfumed; dorsal sepal to 5 x 4 mm, hooded; labellum deeply 3-lobed with lateral lobes thread-like (often twisted) to 1.8 cm long and mid-lobe to 8 mm long; labellum spur curved, to 3.5 cm long; recorded from Jan-Mar. Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, to 1.2 cm; recorded in Feb. Habitat: Open forest and woodland, often with a

grassy understorey; on dark sandy or clay loams. © Greg Calvert Associated with Eucalyptus miniata, E. tetradonta, Habitat of Habenaria triplonema is usually Cycas armstrongii, Pandanus spiralis and open forest or woodland with a grassy Sorghum spp. understorey Distinguishing feature: Could be confused with Habenaria elongata, but H. triplonema has smaller leaves and flowers with a strong perfume which lasts 1cm throughout the day. Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Virginia, Manton Dam, Charles Darwin National Park, Palmerston, Dundee, Arnhem Land and Woolaning. Also found in Qld and New Guinea. Conservation notes: Known from one reserve (Charles Darwin National Park) and has been collected from a number of properties in the Virginia area. This species has a widespread distribution and grows in a common vegetation type and is likely to be more common than collections indicate. It has been observed growing amongst mission and gamba grass. The impact of increased fire intensity associated with the larger fuel loads of these exotic grasses on underground tubers is unknown. There is insufficient data to assign a conservation status to this species. The paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of

the species’ seasonality rather than its distribution and © NT Herbarium. Inset: David Jones abundance. The inflorescence may be lightly perfumed; approx. 1X actual size. Inset: Labellum References: 38, 42 deeply lobed lateral lobes often twice as long as the mid-lobe and often twisted

...... WWF-Australia 42 ORCHIDACEAE Liparis habenarina (F.Muell.) Benth.

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with an angular 3-sided stem and fleshy subterranean pseudobulbs 2- 3 x 1.5-2.5 cm.

Leaves: 2 or 3; blade 10-25 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, dark green to yellowish green with 5 prominent parallel veins.

Flowers: Flowering stem rigid, angular, 15-60 cm long; flowers 8-22, green, yellow, greenish yellow, pink or reddish, approx. 1.2 cm wide; dorsal sepal and petals recurved; labellum c. 6 x 4 mm, 2 broad ridges extend to a deeply notched apex, outer margins wavy; recorded from Jan-Feb.

Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, approx. 1.6 cm long; recorded from Jan-Feb.

Habitat: In seasonally inundated areas of open forest

and woodland, also fringing rainforest and riparian © Bill Lavarack vegetation; on sandy, peaty or clayey soils. 2-3 leaves with blades 10-25 cm long; Associated with Eucalyptus polycarpa, Melaleuca flowering stem rigid cajuputi, M. viridifolia, Banksia dentata and Pandanus spp.

Distinguishing feature: Liparis habenarina is the only Australian species with subterranean pseudobulbs.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from the ‘west side of Stuart Highway south of Livingston Rd’, Charles Darwin National Park, Gove Peninsula, Melville Island and Bathurst Island. Also found in Qld and NSW. Endemic to Australia.

Conservation notes: There is insufficient data to assign a conservation status to this species. The paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the species’ seasonality rather than its distribution and abundance. 5mm References: 38 2cm © David Jones

Growth habit showing previous season’s pseudobulb and current season’s growth

...... WWF-Australia 43 ORCHIDACEAE Luisia teretifolia Gaudich.

Category: Vulnerable Habit: Epiphytic orchid forming straggly clumps; stems slender, wiry, erect or semi-pendulous to 30 cm long; roots thick, cord-like, approx. 5 mm wide. Leaves: 2-10 per stem; cylindrical, rigid, dark green or with blackish markings, 5-15 cm long, 5 mm diam. Flowers: Inflorescence a raceme to 15 cm long bearing groups of 1-3 flowers at sporadic intervals, flowers green or yellow-green with dark red to burgundy labellum, approx. 1 cm wide; dorsal sepal hooded; lateral sepals broad and curving inwards; petals narrow and curving inwards; labellum protrudes forward, 7 x 7 mm; recorded from Nov- Dec, also in Feb. Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, 3.5-4 cm long; recorded in Nov.

Habitat: Within the NT has been collected from the margins © S.M Taylor, NT Herbarium of monsoon vine forest and rainforest; in other parts of its Epiphytic orchid with slender wiry range it is reputedly more common in coastal and near stems and thick cord-like roots; forms coastal habitats, including mangroves. Observed in straggly clumps; stems may be erect situations of relatively bright light. Associated with other or pendulous; this specimen was epiphytes (e.g. Dendrobium affine and Drynaria quercifolia); rescued from a fallen tree hosts include Sterculia quadrifida, Barringtonia acutangula and Canarium australianum. Distinguishing feature: Long cylindrical leaves that form a tangled mass, and its yellow-green and reddish flowers. Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Black Jungle Conservation Reserve, Koolpinyah Station and Melville Island. Also found in Qld, New Guinea, Indonesia and Malaysia. Conservation notes: This species does not usually grow high up on trees and is considered easy to see (D. Jones pers. comm.). The readily identifiable nature of this species and the extensive rainforest survey of the mid-1980s offer confidence that the existing collections accurately reflect the

abundance and distribution of this species. It falls into the © Bruce Gray IUCN category of Vulnerable as the population size is Close-up of flower showing dark red estimated to be fewer than 1000 mature individuals and the to burgundy labellum area of occupancy is less than 20 km2. Population sizes are difficult to assess as this species is epiphytic and grows in tangled clumps. About 11 populations are known from the NT with two of these in the Litchfield Shire (Black Jungle Conservation Reserve and Koolpinyah Station). However no individuals were seen during surveys of both these localities in 2003. Although specific threats have not been identified, orchids are often sought out by collectors. The edge-of-forest habitat seemingly preferred by this species may leave it more prone to events such as cyclones or fires. References: 8, 38, 40, 45, 65

...... WWF-Australia 44 ORCHIDACEAE Malaxis acuminata D.Don

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with a fleshy stem; new shoots are produced early in the wet season and arise from nodes with the old stem eventually rotting; grows as scattered individuals and in colonies.

Leaves: 4-6; blade dark green, thin-textured, ovate with wavy margins, to 15 cm long, 5 cm wide; sheathing the base of the stem.

Flowers: Flower stem to 30 cm tall, slender and brittle; flowers numerous, crowded, green to yellowish green, approx. 9 mm wide, unscented and lasting for several weeks; dorsal sepal to 5 x 2 mm, recurved; labellum approx. 5 x 5 mm, horseshoe-shaped with a notched apex; recorded from Jan-Feb and Apr-May.

Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, approx. 1.1 cm long; recorded in Dec and Feb.

Habitat: Spring-fed rainforest, monsoon vine forest © Bill Lavarack and semi-permanent swamps; on sandy or clayey Dark green leaves and fleshy stem humus-rich soil. Associated with Carpentaria acuminata, Syzygium angophoroides, Melaleuca spp. and Nervilia aragoana.

Distinguishing feature: Green flowers that are relatively large. The labellum has a prominent notch at its apex.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Black Jungle Conservation Reserve, Nitmiluk National Park, Haywood Creek, Mistake Creek, Jabiru Jungle and Point Stuart. Also found in India, South-East Asia, China, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Conservation notes: There is insufficient data to assign a conservation status to this species. The paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the species’ seasonality rather than its distribution and abundance.

References: 8, 38, 45 © David Jones Flowers in this genus are positioned ‘upside- down’ so that the labellum is orientated upwards and the two lateral petals and the dorsal sepal point downwards

...... WWF-Australia 45 ORCHIDACEAE Malaxis marsupichila Upton

Category: Vulnerable

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with 4-6 stalked leaves on a short fleshy stem; dormant stems may be completely covered with leaf litter during the dry season; can form colonies.

Leaves: 4-6; blade dark green, thin-textured, shiny, ovate and wavy margins, to 15 cm long, 7 cm wide.

Flowers: Flower stem green and purple, to 50 cm tall, slender and brittle; flowers numerous, crowded, light green through light purple or dark purple, approx. 8 mm wide, opening over several weeks; dorsal sepal to 5 x 3 mm; labellum to 4 x 4 mm, horseshoe-shaped and 3-lobed; recorded in Feb in NT, in Qld reported to flower Jan-Apr.

Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, approx. 1 cm long; recorded in May.

Habitat: Fringes of monsoon rainforest including © Bill Lavarack. Inset: David Jones coastal rainforest adjacent to mangroves; prefers 4-6 stalked leaves on fleshy stem. protected shady locations rich in leaf litter; on moist Inset: As for Malaxis acuminata, this species also has flowers positioned ‘upside-down’ lateritic, sandy or clayey soils.

Distinguishing feature: A purplish flower and 3-lobed labellum with entire margins.

Distribution: Within the NT known only from Gunn Point. Also found in Qld. Endemic to Australia.

Conservation notes: Collected only once in the NT (in 1984). This species falls into the IUCN category of Vulnerable as the population size is estimated to be fewer than 1000 mature individuals and the area of occupancy is less than 20 km2. Although the paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the ephemeral nature of its above-ground parts, it is expected the extensive rainforest surveys of the mid-1980s would have yielded more records if this species was more abundant. Recent attempts to relocate this population © John Bolger at appropriate times of the year have failed. Potential Habit of Malaxis marsupichila; note parallel threats are highly speculative but may include venation and wavy margins harvesting by horticulturists, possible rural development in the area, and random events such as cyclones and fire. Further survey work is urgently required to establish the status and extent of the population.

References: 8, 38, 40, 67

...... WWF-Australia 46 ORCHIDACEAE Nervilia peltata B.Gray & D.L.Jones

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with a single almost circular leaf and a subterranean tuberoid; flowers whilst leafless, very rarely seen; can occur in colonies.

Leaves: Solitary, ground-hugging; blade pale grey- green or bluish green, finely hairy, granular, 2.5-5 cm diam. with prominent radiating veins. A Flowers: Flower stem fleshy, brittle, 6-10 cm tall with 2-3 sterile bracts; flowers 1-3, pale green, 2-2.8 cm wide, open singly; dorsal sepal, lateral sepals and petals narrow with a pointed apex; labellum 2-2.5 cm long, white with a greenish base, deeply and irregularly fringed; recorded from Dec-Feb.

Fruit: Capsule, 8-12 x 4-6 mm; has not been collected in the NT.

Habitat: Rainforest or in shaded areas among grass B © NT Herbarium (A & B) in open forest and woodland. Associated with Eucalyptus miniata, E. tetrodonta, Cycas armstrongii, A) The umbrella-like leaves of Nervilia peltata are highly distinctive; approx. 1X Livistona humilis, Heteropogon triticeus and actual size Alloteropsis semialata. B) A colony of N. peltata among leaf litter

Distinguishing feature: Ground-hugging leaves with the petiole centrally attached to the lower surface.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Charles Darwin National Park, Green Ant Creek, Maningrida and Melville Island. Also found in Qld. Endemic to Australia.

Conservation notes: This species is currently coded as Data Deficient. Although distinct and readily identified when seen, this species is small and cryptic in the landscape. Easily covered by leaf litter and often associated with the base of Cycas armstrongii it can be obscure when emergent and therefore easily overlooked. It has been collected from open forest and adjacent riparian vegetation. It is likely that the small number of collections reflects the fact that this species is emergent at times of the year when Austrobaileya botanical collection activity has traditionally been low due to both access difficulties and weather conditions. The distribution of current collections is quite widespread, and although it is most likely this species is more abundant than collections indicate there is insufficient data to assign a conservation code.

References: 29 © Bruce Gray, Qld Herbarium, The fleshy, brittle flower stalk arises before the leaves appear

...... WWF-Australia 47 ORCHIDACEAE Nervilia plicata (Andrews) Schltr.

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with a single leaf and a subterranean tuberoid; recorded growing in colonies.

Leaves: Solitary, ground-hugging; blade dark green and hairy above, glabrous below, almost circular, 12 cm wide with prominent radiating veins.

Flowers: Flower stem pink, fleshy, to 18 cm tall; flowers 1-4, pink, purple or pale green, to 6 cm wide, scented, short-lived and rarely seen; dorsal sepal, lateral sepals and petals narrow with a pointed apex; labellum 3 cm long, 8 mm wide, projects forward and ± encircles column, 3-lobed with a notched apex; recorded in Nov.

Fruit: Capsule has not been collected in the NT.

Habitat: Margins of rainforest and monsoon vine

forest, particularly of riparian habitat, also in adjacent © Bill Lavarack shaded areas of open forest. Flowers pink, purple or pale green; approx. 1X actual size Distinguishing feature: Ground-hugging, non-peltate leaves that are hairy above and have numerous radiating veins.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Virginia (privately-owned rural property) and Green Ant Creek. Also found in Qld, New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Conservation notes: This species was originally coded as Endangered. At the time of coding it was only known from one collection from Green Ant Creek © Bill Lavarack in the 1970s. Although the paucity of fertile collections The numerous radiating veins give a may have reflected the ephemeral and cryptic nature ‘pleated’ appearence to the leaves of its above-ground parts it was expected the extensive rainforest surveys of the mid-1980s and substantial survey in the Daly Basin Bioregion would have yielded more records if this species was more abundant. Recent surveys have established that the Green Ant Creek population persists and an additional population has been located in Virginia in open forest. The Virginia population demonstrates that the potential habitat of this species is not restricted to forest adjacent to riparian or monsoon forest communities as originally believed and as such the available potential habitat of this species is much broader than previously thought. While existing data qualifies this species as Critically Endangered it has been downgraded to Data Deficient in light of the expanse of available potential habitat and as a concession to the seasonality of the species.

References: 8, 38, 40, 45, 66

...... WWF-Australia 48 ORCHIDACEAE Pachystoma pubescens Blume

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with a branching subterranean rhizome; new leaves and flower stems arise separately and are produced early in the wet season; unless flowering, this orchid resembles the grasses it grows among.

Leaves: Usually solitary, grass-like; blade to 45 cm long, 1 cm wide, tapering at apex and tapering into a long stalk at the base.

Flowers: Flower stem usually to 60 cm, occasionally taller, with 5-10 sheathing bracts, 1-1.5 cm long; flowers 4-12, nodding and loosely opening, pinkish with yellow or whitish tips, to 1.2 cm long; dorsal sepal to 12 x 4 mm, margins curved; lateral sepals and petals narrow, approx. 1.1 cm long; labellum to 11 x 5 mm, curved, 3-lobed with lateral lobes ± encircling the column, several bright yellow or greenish yellow ridges towards the base and on the mid-lobe; recorded in Sept and Oct. © NT Herbarium Nodding ‘bell-like’ dull pink flowers on stem Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged, to 1 cm long; to 60 cm; approx. 1.5X actual size recorded in Sept and Oct.

Habitat: Seasonally inundated open woodland and grassland (e.g. near ephemeral streams or on swamp margins); on sandy or clayey loams. Associated with Eucalyptus jensenii, E. latifolia, Erythrophleum chlorostachys, Grevillea pteridifolia and Pandanus spiralis.

Distinguishing feature: It could be confused with Eulophia spp. but the leaf stem is not fleshy and its drooping flowers are dull pink and minutely hairy on the outside.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Virginia, Litchfield National Park, Kakadu National Park and Cobourg Peninsular. Also found in Qld and is very widespread overseas.

Conservation notes: Only recorded from four locations; three of these populations occur within protected areas. As this species is cryptic, population estimates are only possible during periods when flowers are present. Based on observations at a location in Virginia, this species does not have regular annual flowering and individuals may not necessarily flower each season. Currently there is insufficient data to accurately assign a conservation code to this species. Records of locations in the Darwin and Gulf region suggest that this species may be reasonably widespread and the paucity of records could reflect the © Australian Plant Society NSW cryptic nature of the orchid rather than its rarity. The single narrow leaf is easily overlooked among grasses References: 20, 38

...... WWF-Australia 49 ORCHIDACEAE Tropidia curculigoides Lindl.

Category: Data Deficient

Habit: Evergreen or semi-deciduous terrestrial orchid with wiry stems to 20 cm tall; roots with multiple small tuberoids.

Leaves: 3-9 per stem, sheathing at the base; blade dark green, pleated, 12 cm long, 2 cm wide, with 5 prominent veins.

Flowers: A dense terminal cluster; flowers thick- textured, white to pale green, approx. 8 mm wide; dorsal sepal 6 x 2.5 mm; lateral sepals and petals joined at the base; labellum 6 x 4 mm, apex shallowly notched and curved. © NT Herbarium Inflorescence with lower buds about to open Fruit: Capsule has not been collected in the NT.

Habitat: Rainforest and monsoon vine forest on the edges of floodplains and in coastal areas, often on sloping ground; on skeletal and sandy soils or in deep leaf litter.

Distinguishing feature: The terminal inflorescence of this species is distinctive; the leaves however could be confused with young Flagellaria indica and may contribute to this species being overlooked in the field.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Black Jungle Conservation Reserve, near Channel Point, Wagait Reserve and Groote Eylandt. Also found in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Conservation notes: Known from only four locations in the NT, with two of these in protected areas. This species was last collected in 1989. No fertile material 2cm is held in the NT Herbarium. While the paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the species’ seasonality rather than its distribution and abundance, there is insufficient data to assign a conservation status at this time.

© John Bolger

References: 38, 45 Roots with small tuberoids

...... WWF-Australia 50 ORCHIDACEAE Zeuxine oblonga R.S.Rogers & C.T.White

Category: Vulnerable

Habit: Deciduous terrestrial orchid with fleshy, creeping above-ground stems; usually growing in colonies.

Leaves: 3-7 in a scattered terminal rosette on fleshy stems to 15 cm tall; blade dark green, thin-textured, oval with wavy margins, 8 cm long, 3 cm wide.

Flowers: Flower stem pinkish, fleshy, hairy, to 30 cm above the leaves; flowers 5-30, approx. 4 mm wide, hairy on the outside; sepals green; petals white; dorsal sepal hooded, projects forwards and partly encloses the petals; labellum white and pouched at base, apex divided into two oblong lobes; recorded in Aug and Sept.

Fruit: Capsule cylindrical, ridged; mature capsules not observed.

Habitat: In perennially moist or spring-fed rainforest or © R. Hotchkiss, Australian National Botanic Gardens dense monsoon vine forest; on humus-rich soil. Zeuxine oblonga grows among leaf litter in dark moist conditions of rainforest or dense Distinguishing feature: Inflorescence spike is hairy monsoon vine fores. Usually more flowers and so are the small, dull green and white flowers. than seen here

Distribution: Zeuxine oblonga is the only species in this genus to occur in Australia. Within the NT recorded from Keep River National Park, Pethericks Rainforest and on a tributary of the Adelaide River. The habitat that this species occupies suggests that it may occur in the Shire but to date it has not been recorded there. Also found in Qld and NSW. Endemic to Australia.

Conservation notes: Only the Keep River population is protected, however it has not been seen in the park since 1992 despite efforts to relocate the population in 2000 and 2001. Although this species is only seasonally emergent, the extensive rainforest surveys of the mid-1980s offer confidence that the existing collections accurately reflect the abundance and distribution of this species. It has been assigned an IUCN category of Vulnerable as the population size is estimated to number fewer than 1000 mature individuals and it is known from less than five

locations. Very little abundance data is available for © David Jones this species — it was recorded as ‘uncommon’ by one Flower stem is fleshy and hairy, labellum is collector. Disturbance from feral animals and changes white and pouched at base to existing hydrology may pose the greatest threats.

References: 8, 38, 40, 45, 74 ...... WWF-Australia 51 PITTOSPORACEAE Pittosporum moluccanum (Lam.) Miq.

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Small to medium-sized much-branched tree to 7 m with dense foliage and strongly scented flowers; smooth white or light grey bark with lenticels that blaze first green then grey- brown; new shoots and peduncles with a covering of T-shaped hairs.

Leaves: Seedling leaves alternate, broadly ovate, glossy dark green on upper surface with A yellow raised midrib in slight depression, paler below; adult leaves usually whorled at ends of branches, elliptic to obovate, 11-13.5 cm long, 4- 4.5 cm wide with slightly notched apex and wavy margins, upper leaf surface deep glossy green- yellow with a raised corrugated midrib; lower leaf surface paler with raised midrib and visible secondary venation; petiole 2-3 cm long.

Flowers: Inflorescence terminal with branched B umbels often aggregated into a panicle; primary © NT Herbarium (A & B) inflorescence axis sturdy, to 3.8 cm long; sepals A) This medium-sized tree produces terminal tiny, cup-like with only the ends of the lobes free; inflorescences that are highly scented petals, linear to spathulate, recurved, 6-8 mm B) Fruits split open to reveal numerous sticky orange seeds that turn black with age long, white, highly pungent; separate male and female flowers; recorded from Feb-Aug.

Fruit: Globular, 1.2-2 cm long, often in drooping bunches, orange-brown woody outer coating approx. 1 mm thick, splitting open and recurving to reveal yellow inside. Seeds numerous, sticky, 2-4 mm long, bright orange-red becoming black with age; recorded from Mar-Aug.

Habitat: Known populations are on stabilised coastal sand dunes on the edge of mangroves or coastal vine thickets; on sandy or clay loam soil, sandy laterite or mudstone slopes above high tide. Associated with Peltophorum pterocarpum and other coastal monsoon vine forest species.

Distinguishing feature: Two other species of Pittosporum occur in the NT. P. angustifolium does not have adult leaves that are whorled at the end of branches and the fruits of P. ferrugineum are not woody as in P. moluccanum.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Shoal Bay, Lee Point, King Creek, Buffalo Creek, Gunn Point and Melville Island. Also found in WA, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Conservation notes: This species is uncommon in the NT. The paucity of collections indicate a relatively low level of abundance, particularly given survey of coastal vine thickets during the mid-1980s rainforest surveys. It is not considered to be currently under threat but low collection numbers indicate it is sufficiently rare to require recognition and is coded as Near Threatened.

References: 8, 11, 45

...... WWF-Australia 52 WWF-Australia Monochoria hastata PONTEDERIACEAE flood References: populations, althoughno suchchangesare envisagedin the nearfuture. would haveanadverse imp intrusion ofwetlands resultingfromrisingsea-levels heavily grazedby buf threat and grass ( weed invasion.Introduced plantspeciessuchas p under threatfromadeclineinquality ofhabit abundant inthreelocalitiesthe NT Conservation notes: extending toNewGuinea. Also occursinIndia,SriLanka,South East in theShirebuttodateithasnot beenrecordedthere. that thisspeciesoccupiessuggest this speciesof with dissimilaranthers(5yellow Distinguishing feature: and Melaleuca leucadendra,M.cajuputi,Leersiahexandra Reynolds andW Kakadu andfromtheflood Distribution: Category: shaped, 13-21cmlong,2-1 Leaves: when mature;rhizomesof with stemsapprox.0.7-1.2mlongthatareupright Habit: back-swamp lagoons orswamp Habit from Fruit: long; recordedfromMar-June. c. 6mmlong,other5anthersyellowand4 light blueorwhitish;oneanthercolouredblue, cluster 6-9cmlong;flowers1.3-1.6long,purple, Flowers: stem withafurtherleafsubtendingtheinflorescence. considerably longerthanthesheath;eachflowering cm longwiththeportionabovesheath Mimosa pigra Scleria poaeformis. plain species, changesto hydrologywillimp Apr-June. at: s tothisspecies and ithasbeenobservedtobe Cap Urochloa mutica Emergent, clumping,perennialaquaticherb A Mostly basalandsheathingthestem,arrow- Inflorescence of25-60flowersinadense sule 7mmlong,5-6diam.;recorded component offloatingmat V s anddrainagechannels. ulnerable 15, 68 W Monochoria ithin ildman riversintheNT s, alsoonnear-permanentlywet appear tobethe mostimminent Australia itisonlyknownfrom falo inthep Considered tobelocally ), The leafshapecombined Hymenachne amplexicaulis ten longandstrong. plains oftheFinniss, 1 cmwide;petiole from otherspecies. act onthisspecies. , 1blue)distinguish ast. Salt-water s thatitmayoccur , howeveritis s onbillabongs, Associated with . The habit Asia at from (Linnaeus) Solms 1-19 As a act on at ara A) B) white flowers inshadesof purple,lightblueor Inflorescence adense clusterof25-60 A B Habit arrowhead appearance petiole andleaflamina,creatingan project backwardsfromjunctionof Leaves are‘hast drainage channels at mayincludeback-swamp ate’, i.e.basallobes s and

...... © NT Herbarium © NT Herbarium (A & B) 53 PROTEACEAE Grevillea longicuspis McGill.

Category: Near Threatened (formerly Vulnerable) Common name: Christmas holly grevillea Habit: Multi-stemmed perennial subshrub to 1 m; stems thin, oblique to erect; new stems produced annually from the base die off after flowering and fruiting; also re-shoots from lignotubers following fire; branchlets, leaves and peduncle hairy. Leaves: Holly-like and angular, 3.5-6.5 cm long, 2.5- 6 cm wide, olive green, slightly paler and with sparse hairs below; petiole 5-24 mm long. Flowers: Inflorescence axillary or terminal on short lateral branchlets, unbranched, to 4 cm long; flowers red, hairy inside; style red or pinkish cream to lemon- cream; recorded from Aug-Jan and Apr-June. Fruit: Follicle smooth, 1.2-1.4 cm long, breaking open when mature; recorded from Aug-Sept, Dec-Jan, May and June.

Habitat: Open forest and woodland; on sandy, lateritic © Don Franklin or gravelly soils, often on quartz ridges. Associated The holy-like leaves and sparse with Eucalyptus foelscheana, E. tetrodonta, E. setosa, inflorescences distinguish this species from Corymbia disjuncta, Calytrix acheata, Grevillea other Grevillea sp. in the Darwin region pteridifolia, Buchanania obovata, Verticordia cunninghamii, Triodia bitextura and Sorghum spp. Distinguishing feature: In the Darwin region this species is distinguished by the spiny, toothed leaves and red flowers. Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from Acacia Hills, Darwin River Dam, Manton River, Blackmore River, Litchfield National Park, Woolaning, Southport and Wagait Aboriginal Reserve. Conservation notes: G. longicuspis was until recently regarded as a Vulnerable plant species. At the time of coding the rating of Vulnerable was based on an © Don Franklin estimated population size of <1000 individuals; an Flowers are red and hairy inside, style red or area of occupancy estimated to be <20 km2; known pinkish cream to lemon-cream from fewer than 10 locations; and a projected decline due to land clearing for rural residential subdivisions in the Manton River-Berry Springs area. Subsequent surveys have uncovered additional populations of this species over a wider distribution. Information on the extent and/or size of several G. longicuspis populations has recently been collected and the status of the species has been reviewed. The species is now being downgraded from Vulnerable to Near Threatened. Although a number of populations are still threatened by land clearing the species is well represented on Darwin River Dam-Manton Dam Reserve and in the Litchfield National Park. References: 22, 49, 61

...... WWF-Australia 54 RUTACEAE Citrus gracilis Mabberley

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Straggling tree to 4 m high, sometimes tapering towards top, often suckering or shooting from dormant buds on trunk; bark red-grey, cracking into irregular squares, corky on upper branches; twigs 2 mm diam., hairy when young; solitary spines in leaf axils to 1.2 cm long.

Leaves: Narrow, 4.5(-7) cm long, 1.1(-2) cm wide, apex pointed, base tapering; petiole 3-15 mm long; leaves subtending young twigs often narrower or sometimes ovate, and leaves on suckers often almost stalkless, smaller and narrower.

Flowers: Usually solitary, rarely in clusters of 3, almost stalkless or with a finely hairy pedicel to 3 mm long; petals c. 8 mm long, 4 mm wide, pinkish white, apex rounded to acute; recorded from Oct-Nov.

Fruit: Rounded, 8 cm diam., divided into 8 or 9

segments; traditionally eaten by Aboriginal people; © Jacinda Brown recorded in Mar and May. Straggling tree, bark red-grey, spines in leaf axils to 1.2 cm long Habitat: Open woodland; on sandy or gravelly soils. Associated with Eucalyptus tetrodonta, E. miniata, Vitex glabrata and Canarium australianum.

Distinguishing feature: Relatively easy to distinguish by the small leaves, sharp spines and corky bark. Often growing in groups as a result of suckering. Telopea

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from Humpty Doo, Howard Springs, Bees Creek, Black Jungle Conservation Reserve, Marrakai, Kapalga, East Arnhem Land and Peppimenarti.

Conservation notes: This species has a widespread but patchy distribution across the Top End and is never very

common where found, however © Don Fortescue, Australian National Herbarium, substantial areas of unsurveyed likely a) Flowering twig b) Fruit c) Flowers habitat remain in Arnhem Land. The Near Threatened status of this species is a reflection of its restricted area of occupancy and estimated abundance.

References: 48

...... WWF-Australia 55 SCROPHULARIACEAE Peplidium maritimum (L.f.) Asch.

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Aquatic or prostrate terrestrial annual herb; stems to 10 cm long, rooting at nodes, often submerged or floating (in aquatic specimens), much branched, glabrous or sparsely hairy.

Leaves: Opposite; blade simple, thickened, elliptic, 3-12 mm long, 3-10 mm wide, apex rounded, margins entire; petioles 1-7 mm long.

Flowers: Inflorescence a raceme; calyx 2 mm long, papery when fruiting; flower tube barely exserted beyond

calyx, petals 0.5 mm long, white to © Monica Osterkamp Madsen, NT Herbarium pink, mauve or purple; pedicels 1 mm Aquatic or prostrate terrestrial herb of billabongs, swamps, long when flowers open, elongating as clay pans or areas of mangroves where freshwater regularly fruit develops. inundates

Fruit: Capsule rounded, 3 mm diam., barely exserted beyond enlarged calyx; flowering and fruiting most likely from Feb-June; also recorded flowering in Sept.

Habitat: Brackish to freshwater billabongs, swamps and clay pans near the coast, often near mangroves but always where inundations with freshwater occurs. Associated with Eleocharis dulcis, E. spiralis, Schoenoplectus litoralis, Fimbristylis polytrichoides, Monochoria spp. and Vallisneria spp.

Distinguishing feature: Peplidium maritimum is the only species of its genus to occur in the Top End. Enlarged papery calyx encloses fruit capsule.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from East Point Reserve, Leanyer Swamp, Finniss River, Reynolds River, Melville Island and Bing Bong Station. It is also found in Qld, as well as Egypt and India. This is the only species of the genus that is not confined to Australia.

Conservation notes: This species is uncommon but widespread across the NT. The paucity of collections reflects the restricted area of occupancy and abundance of this species. Not considered under threat, the Near Threatened status highlights the rarity of this species.

References: 15, 17

...... WWF-Australia 56 SCROPHULARIACEAE Rhamphicarpa australiensis Steenis

Category: Near Threatened

Common name: Bog figwort Habit: Small, erect, branching annual herb to 30 cm high; stem weakly ascending.

Leaves: Pale green, to c. 6 cm long, leaves mostly pinnately divided with terminal leaflet longer than lateral leaflets; lower stem leaves mostly simple, thread-like, narrow.

Flowers: Solitary on pedicels to 2.5 cm; calyx 5-lobed, sepals c. 6 mm long, apex acute; corolla tube long and very slender, sometimes curved, pale yellow or whitish, 2.5-3 cm long, lobes short, 2-3 times shorter than the tube; recorded from Feb-May and Nov.

Fruit: Capsule c.10 x 5 mm, elliptic with an oblique beak, green turning black, opening as two valves; recorded from Apr-May and Nov. © Jacinda Brown Habitat: Edges of swamps, waterholes or rockholes, Upper foliage is finely pinnately divided; also on coastal plains and often associated with approx. 1/6X actual size grassland or sedgeland; on silty or sandy loams and gravelly soils. Associated with Melaleuca spp., Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Pandanus spp., Eriachne burkittii and sedges.

Distinguishing feature: The long slender flower tubes and fine pinnate foliage.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from the Howard River floodplain, Victoria River District, Murchison Range, Bing Bong, Wollogorang and Barkly Tableland. Also found in Qld and New Guinea.

Conservation notes: This species has a wide distribution but is apparently naturally rare in the NT. In the southern region it is found confined to the margins of waterholes in ranges and is considered © Jacinda Brown vulnerable there as it is susceptible to the impacts of Floral tube is long, slender and sometimes increased tourism, grazing and trampling. It was first gently curved; fruit capsule is elliptic with an oblique beak; approx. 1/2X actual size collected in the Litchfield Shire in 2001 and it is currently known in this region from only two collection sites on the Howard River floodplain. No further populations have been located despite extensive survey of suitable habitat in the Darwin area and elsewhere in the Top End. Potential threats to this species include sandmining and altered hydrology. The classification of Near Threatened has been awarded to this species to highlight the need for further monitoring.

References: 81

...... WWF-Australia 57 STERCULIACEAE Helicteres sp. glenluckie Ck

Category: Endangered (also listed as Nationally Endangered)

Habit: A hairy, multi-stemmed perennial herb or subshrub to 60 cm high with annual aerial parts and stems becoming lax with age; root system extensive and very woody; re-sprouts after fire. At present this species is undescribed in the botanical literature and has not been formally named.

Leaves: Elliptic to broadly ovate, generally c. 8 x 6 cm, occasionally up to 14 x10 cm, margins sometimes serrated, apex acute to obtuse, light green, densely covered with stellate hairs on both sides;

veins prominent especially on undersurface. © NT Herbarium Flowers: Inflorescence usually a dense crowded Annual aerial parts from extensive woody axillary panicle; linear bracteoles longer than calyx root system subtending each flower; calyx lobed, c. 5 mm long; petals c.1 cm in length not reflexed, pink-purple or mauve; recorded in Jan, Sept and Nov.

Fruit: Firm, almost woody capsule up to 1.8 x 1.2 cm, divided into 5 mericarps opening along inner suture; densely woolly-hairy with stellate hairs; recorded Oct-Nov, Jan and Mar.

Habitat: Open woodland; on sandy loam, rocky siltstone slopes and associated with granite outcrops. Associated with Eucalyptus tectifica, E. miniata, E. tetrodonta, Corymbia confertiflora, C. polycarpa, Erythrophleum chlorostachys, Planchonia careya, Terminalia ferdinandiana and Acacia turbata.

Distinguishing feature: Lush, bright green bushy annual growth from perennial roots, densely clothed

with stellate hairs; first stems erect, older ones arching © NT Herbarium. Inset: Jacinda Brown or occasionally decumbent. Inflorescence usually a crowded axillary Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from near panicle, petals either pink, purple or mauve. Inset: Capsule nearing maturity (pressed Mt Bundey, near Batchelor and Lake Bennett. The specimen) habitat that this species occupies suggests that it may occur in the Shire but to date it has not been recorded there.

Conservation notes: Known from three populations in the NT. This taxon is classified as Endangered based on extent of occurrence estimated to be <5000 km2, area of occupancy estimated to be <500 km2 , known to exist at no more than five locations and a projected decline in extent of occurrence, area of occupancy and quality of habitat due to clearing for subdivision and horticulture.

References: 63 ...... WWF-Australia 58 STERCULIACEAE Pentapetes phoenicea Linnaeus

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Single-stemmed annual herb to 2 m high, covered with simple or stellate hairs.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, size and shape variable; blade narrow and oblong or ovate, 2.5-10.5 cm long, 0.4-3.5 cm wide with irregularly serrate margins and a pointed apex, leaf base often lobed; petioles 5-30 mm long; stipules thinly

triangular, 2-10 mm long. © NT Herbarium The bright red flowers of Pentapetes Flowers: Solitary or paired in leaf axils; petals 5, free, broadly phoenicea are distinctive in its triangular, 1-1.2 cm long, bright orange-red to dark red; floodplain or swamp habitat staminodes 5, 7-14 mm long (3 or 4 times longer than stamens); recorded from Nov-May.

Fruit: 5-valved ovoid capsule, 1-1.5 cm long, with stiff sharp hairs; fruit opens down the middle of each valve releasing numerous black seeds; recorded from Mar-May.

Habitat: Seasonally inundated floodplains and swamps, has been found in water up to 1.5 m deep; on clay or black soils. Associated with Melaleuca cajuputi, Mimosa pigra,Typha orientalis, Nymphaea violacea, Imperata cylindrica and Paspalidium udum.

Distinguishing feature: This plant has been referred to as a red swamp hibiscus due to the relatively large bright orange-red flowers and its usually aquatic habitat. It is the only species within this genus.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Humpty Doo, Fogg Dam, Black Jungle Conservation Reserve and the Adelaide River floodplains; also from the Daly, Finniss, Reynolds, East Alligator and West Alligator rivers. Not known from any other state in Australia but it is found in other tropical regions around the world.

Conservation notes: The paucity of collections reflects the restricted distribution and abundance of this species. Not considered under threat, the Near Threatened status of this species highlights rarity across the Top End.

References: 15 © Monica Osterkamp Madsen, NT Herbarium Single-stemmed annual herb to 2 m high, covered with simple or stellate hairs; leaves have irregularly serrate margins and a pointed apex

...... WWF-Australia 59 STYLIDIACEAE Stylidium ensatum A.R.Bean

Category: Data Deficient

Common name: Trigger plant (all species in the genus are commonly known as ‘trigger plants’ as their flowers respond rapidly to physical stimuli).

Habit: Slender annual herb from 14-22 cm high; stems elongated, glabrous, base not thickened; scapes, branches, petals and tube glandular-hairy.

Leaves: 6-17, scattered along stems or in a basal rosette; blade glabrous, purplish-green, ovate to orbicular, 7-12 mm long, 5.5-12 mm wide with entire margins and a rounded apex; petioles absent.

Flowers: Inflorescence 8-16 cm tall, borne on delicate stems (scapes) c. 0.7 mm wide of which there are 1-3 per plant; flowers tiny, 5-lobed, pink or mauve, tube 1.9-2.4 mm long and hairy; recorded from June-July.

Fruit: Capsule narrow, 8-12 mm long, c. 0.6 mm wide;

seeds minute, brown; recorded from June-July. © Jacinda Brown 1-3 scapes of tiny 5-lobed pink or mauve Habitat: Swampy habitats and freshwater flowers; approx. 1/3X actual size (pressed watercourses of open forest; on damp peaty or clayey specimen) soils. Associated with Melaleuca viridiflora and Lophostemon lactifluus.

Distinguishing feature: Appearance similar to Stylidium muscicola but differs by its sessile leaves (i.e. no petiole), thicker scapes (0.6-0.8 mm diam.), bracts with a rounded apex and a corolla that is glandular-hairy (glabrous in S. muscicola). The slender sword-like throat appendages that are a feature of this species are the reason for the name ‘ensatum’ (latin for ‘sword-like').

Distribution: Endemic to the NT. Recorded from Port Darwin, Lee Point Road, McMinns Lagoon and near Hayes Creek.

Conservation notes: There is insufficient data to assign a conservation status to this species and it has not been recollected since 1974. The paucity of fertile collections may be a reflection of the species’ © Jacinda Brown seasonality and limited taxonomic revision within the Close-up of flower; approx. 4X actual size genus rather than its distribution and abundance. (pressed specimen)

References: 7

...... WWF-Australia 60 VITTARIACEAE Vittaria ensiformis Sw.

Category: Near Threatened

Habit: Clumping epiphytic tree fern, occasionally on rocks; rhizomes short, branched; roots covered in dark brown or ginger hairs.

Leaves: Fronds grass-like, 5-50 cm long, leathery, dark green, smooth, erect when short but arching and then pendulous with length.

Fruit: Sori linear, brown; recorded in Oct-Feb.

Habitat: Dense monsoon rainforest and evergreen vine forest, occasionally in rock crevices of sandstone gorges.

Distinguishing feature: The crowded grass-like fronds of this fern are distinctive. A similar species, Actinostachys digitata, is solely terrestrial with fronds held more or less erect to 41 cm.

Distribution: Within the NT recorded from Channel Point, Gove Peninsular, Narbarlek, Melville Island and

Bathurst Island. Also found in Qld, and in the tropics © Monica Osterkamp Madsen, NT Herbarium and subtropics of southern Africa and Asia to New Pendulous habit of Vittaria ensiformis and Guinea. Only two of the 50-80 species within this close-up of rhizome scale genus are found in Australia with only Vittaria ensiformis found in the NT.

Conservation notes: This species is mostly confined to the Tiwi Islands in the NT. It is not considered to be currently under threat but is sufficiently uncommon and restricted to require recognition and is therefore coded as Near Threatened.

References: 78

...... WWF-Australia 61 MANAGEMENT ISSUES WITHIN THE LITCHFIELD SHIRE

According to a report in 2001 by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Biological Diversity Advisory Committee, the impact of human activities is bringing environmental change at a speed beyond the adaptive ability of most species and ecosystems. Although the NT landscape appears relatively intact, environmental concerns are becoming more relevant as development and the impact of changed fire patterns, weeds and feral animals increase. Already a significant number of species have either become extinct or are threatened with extinction within the NT as demonstrated by the number of species on the threatened species list provided in the table below. See page 68 for key to abbreviations.

Group EX EW CR EN VU Thrtnd NT LC DD NE Total

Mammals 14 1 3 7 12 37 18 64 26 2 147

Birds 1 3 6 10 20 25 311 21 52 429

Reptiles 4 7 11 6 239 55 311

Frogs 1 1 1 41 6 49

Fish 1 7 8 5 563 90 >100 666+

Invertebrates 2 8 25 35 1 111 45 >50,000

Plants 2 16 47 65 381 3040 707 309 4502+

Table1: This table was taken from the Parks and Wildlife Service of the NT web page with the addition of the ‘Thrtnd’ column. Please note that the ‘Thrtnd’ column is the sum of all the threatened species categories combined. The list provided here is according to the NT Threatened Species List only (refer to page 68 group/category descriptions). Note: The figures given in this table change regularly due to taxonomic revisions and changes in the conservation status of species. Hence there may be discrepancies between this table and other sources of information (updated November 2007).

Since the late 1970s, Darwin’s population has more than doubled and the populations of Darwin, Palmerston and the Litchfield Shire will continue to increase. It is generally acknowledged that this population growth will inevitably impinge on the natural resources within the Litchfield Shire. Maintaining biodiversity and healthy ecological processes across the Shire’s landscapes requires an ability to manage existing values in a truly sustainable way.

......

62 WWF-Australia Land clearing for horticulture, rural and urban development

The Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment 2002 states that ‘vegetation clearing is the most significant threat to species and ecosystems in eastern Australia’. The Northern Territory is in a unique position to avoid repeating the same mistakes made in other parts of Australia regarding excessive clearing and expensive reparation costs.

Clearing impacts not only on the plants that are removed immediately, but also fragments the landscape and associated habitats. Broken patches of habitat can result in isolated, weakened populations that are unable to diversify genetically or to disperse and recolonise in times of adverse conditions such as fire and drought.

According to Hosking (2002) who reported on land clearing in the NT, the Daly Basin and Litchfield Shire have experienced the most intense

land clearing activity up to the time of © Jarrad Holmes, Threatened Species Network his assessment in 2001. Both areas Mango trees on cleared land are considered most likely to experience future agricultural development.

There is no legislation in place to control land clearing across all land tenures in the Northern Territory. However, provisions under the Litchfield Area Plan 2004 prohibit the clearing of native vegetation without consent of the Development Consent Authority of more than one hectare of land (including any area already cleared of native vegetation) in all areas set aside for rural living, horticulture, pastoral, community purposes or water management within the Shire (NT Government Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment 2004).

According to the IUCN, some of the most creative responses to contemporary problems have been inspired by cultivating the connections between the three E’s of sustainability: ecology, equity and economics.

......

WWF-Australia 63 Mining

The majority of the Litchfield Shire resides on the Koolpinyah dolomite land formation as do a number of broad drainage areas which have extensive deposits of quartz sand — hence the name Koolpinyah sand sheet. The sand sheet contains a diverse and unique array of plant species, some of which are found nowhere else in the world, e.g. Typhonium taylori.

Doyle (2000) reports on extractive mineral resources in the Litchfield Shire and the anticipated increases in demand for these minerals. With some overlap between known habitat of some threatened species and areas of high extractive mineral potential, care is required in the granting of future mining leases to ensure the long-term survival of certain plant species. © Jacinda Brown

Sandmining in the Litchfield Shire

Introduction of weeds and feral animals

The invasion and spread of environmental weeds is a major threat to biodiversity across northern Australia (Smith 2002). Weeds may cause environmental damage as they can alter fire regimes, compete with native vegetation or pasture and, in the case of aquatic weeds, may choke waterways. The direct cost of weeds for agriculture alone in Australia is over $3.3 billion a year, the cost of weeds to the environment is incalculable (Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand, Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Forestry Ministers 1999). In the Northern Territory, the figure is estimated at $13 million, i.e. loss to pastoral production due to noxious weeds (DIPE website 15/12/05,).

We currently have 65 declared weeds in the NT, with nine of these being Weeds of National Significance. According to weed distribution maps provided in Smith (2002), there are presently over 60 identified environmental weeds found within the Litchfield Shire. These include exotic grasses such as mission grass (Pennisetum polystachion), annual mission grass (P. pedicellatum) and gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus), all of which are expanding their range (Kean and Price 2003). The latter is a dominating weed with a high fuel load that contributes to intense, late dry season fires. Mimosa pigra is a problem in the Shire’s wetlands, particularly on the Adelaide River floodplains.

All property owners and land managers are encouraged to be vigilant and to learn to identify potential weeds and to pay particular attention to fence lines, firebreaks and verges as these areas have a greater risk of being points of entry (or escape) of unwanted species.

......

64 WWF-Australia Care must be taken not to spread weeds with vehicles, animals, boats, and even clothing and footwear, e.g. pig and seasonal waterfowl hunting, recreational boating and off-road driving are potentially high-risk weed spreading activities within the Shire. Land managers can also request that all machinery being brought onto their land has been cleaned and is free from weed seeds. Buying weed-free hay or mulch also minimises the threat of introducing unwanted plant species.

A publication produced by the Environment Centre of the NT, Weeds of the Wet/Dry Tropics of Australia (Smith 2002), is recommended as a source for further information on weeds found across northern Australia. For additional information contact the weed management officer from the NT Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment.

Pigs and water buffalo are the main feral animals impacting on the environment in the Litchfield Shire. They degrade land and can assist with the spread of © Jarrad Holmes, Threatened Species Network weeds. Water buffalo are believed to be particularly Jacinda Brown in front of a stand of gamba responsible for saltwater intrusion on freshwater grass during the wet season. This tall environmental weed contributes to intense, floodplains as they break down the natural levee banks. late dry season fires Changing fire regimes

Northern Australia is primed for regular fires with large expanses of grassy vegetation that dry to a tinder box during the dry season (Dyer et al. 2001). Across northern Australia, as much as half of the country is burnt either every year or every second year, often late in the dry season when fires are hottest and most destructive (Dyer et al. 2001). Between 1999 and 2004, on average 37% of the Litchfield Shire was burnt each year, with the maximum area affected being 44% (136, 132 ha) during 2004, and the minimum area being 30% (93, 521 ha) in 2002 (Andrew Edwards, Bushfires Council, pers. comm 2004). Fire frequency maps indicate that between 1993 and 2000, some areas of the Shire were burnt every year during this period (Dyer et al. 2001).

Although fire is a natural component of the environment, the manner in which fire occurs in the landscape has changed. It is believed that with the loss of traditional Aboriginal burning practices from many areas across the landscape, the fire regime has changed from many smaller and less intense fires occurring throughout the year to large, frequent and intense, late dry season fires (Dyer et al. 2001). There is increasing evidence that these contemporary fire regimes are having a deleterious impact on some northern Australian plant and animal species (see Dyer et al. 2001 for more information).

The impacts of fire on vegetation communities within the Litchfield Shire have not been quantified. However, research in similar habitats within the Top End (see Dyer et al. 2001) indicates that with the increased fuel loads from exotic grass infestations, and the frequency, timing and intensity of some current fire regimes, an increase in the mortality of some plant species appears inevitable. Damage occurring to adult plants of Cycas armstrongii, and lack of ......

WWF-Australia 65 regeneration and recruitment indicates that current fire regimes are threatening some local cycad populations (Liddle 2004). Ironically, Cycas armstrongii has been traditionally regarded as a benefactor of fire. With the increased fuel loads from the incursions of mission grass and gamba grass into tropical woodlands, fires tend to be more intense as these introduced species produce up to five

times more flammable material than © Barbara McKaige, CSIRO the fuel loads of native grasses. The A fire burning in the Northern Territory resulting fires burn to a greater height and with greater intensity (approx. 12 times hotter) than fires fuelled by native grasses (Dyer et al. 2001, p. 21). Such frequent high-intensity fires have the potential to gradually destroy viable populations of many woody plants, not just cycads. It has been suggested that, over time, these grasslands of introduced species may replace the tropical woodlands of the Top End (Cook & Mordelet 1997; Bowman 1999; Liddle 2004). Landowners are encouraged to manage their properties to decrease the threat of wildfires by ensuring firebreaks are adequate and regularly maintained, observing restrictions and not lighting fires without a permit during the fire season.

The establishment of the weed gamba grass on floodplain margins and in wetter Melaleuca uplands is enhanced by soil disturbance, while in Eucalyptus woodlands disturbance is not essential. Establishment of gamba grass is significantly higher in Eucalyptus woodland that has recently been burnt (‘Exotic grasses and Fire’ in Savanna Burning, (Dyer et al. 2001)).

Changing groundwater resources

Between 1980 and 2004, the number of water bores servicing properties within the Litchfield Shire has increased approximately 10-fold (Haig & Townsend 2003, p 143). Late in the dry season, the water table in developed areas has lowered 6 -10 m over the last 20 years relative to undeveloped areas of the region (Haig & Townsend 2003, p 122). The aquifer presently recharges fully during the ensuing wet season but the implications of the temporary lowering of water tables on vegetation communities is poorly understood. In a study of the water balance of the tropical woodland ecosystem in the Howard River Catchment, Cook et al. (1998) concludes that it is likely that rainforest patches and Melaleuca swamp forests are reliant upon groundwater through-flow from the Eucalypt savanna during the dry season. Ongoing monitoring of the Endangered Darwin palm, Ptychosperma macarthurii, reveal a substantial population decline at a rainforest in the Howard River Catchment following a series of wildfires in the 1990s (Liddle et al. 1996; Liddle et al. 2001). A decrease in the available volume of water may conceivably lead to rainforest patches drying out during the late dry season, becoming more susceptible to fire and weed invasion and to changes in species composition. Recommendations from Haig and Townsend (2003) include establishing environmental flow requirements, extending the groundwater monitoring network and developing guidelines for ...... potential capping of water use.

66 WWF-Australia COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

The community plays a vital role in minimising the threats to our native flora through weed, feral animal and fire management, and can help guide future planning decisions by collecting valuable data on location and abundance of plant species.

A well-informed general public has the opportunity to contribute to a range of forums dealing with issues affecting the environment. All development proposals must be advertised, e.g. land clearing applications and subdivision developments. The Development Consent Authority encourages community views and comments. The government also invites the public to make comments on other issues including management plans for regions, parks and reserves. For example, the © Jarrad Holmes, Threatened Species Network Northern Territory’s Parks and Conservation Masterplan, Members of the Top End Native Plant due for release in 2005, has invited all key stakeholders Society on a club field trip in Virginia and the public to become involved in the planning looking for the Data Deficient species, process. Pachystoma pubescens during 2004

Under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000 (TPWC Act), the NT Government may formulate and implement wildlife management programs for the protection, conservation, sustainable use, control and management of wildlife. These are all open to public comment prior to being implemented. The TPWC Act also allows for the community to have input into what species are listed (or delisted) as threatened species. Similar provisions exist at a national level under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (see box). Getting involved with a local community group

There are many local environmental groups and new members are always welcome. Examples of organisations involved in local land management include various Landcare groups (e.g. in the Shire there are several Landcare groups such as Hole in the Road, Horne Creek, Whitewood Park, Howard River Park, Livingstone and Churcher Wetlands), Land for Wildlife, Environment Centre NT, Conservation Volunteers Australia, Greening Australia and the Threatened Species Network.

Local wildlife information and field excursions are available through the Top End Native Plant Society and the NT Field Naturalists Club. CSIRO hold monthly seminars and the Tropical Savannas Cooperative Research Centre has informative newsletters to which you can subscribe.

Please see the ‘Useful Contacts’ section for more information.

Information on how members of the public can make a nomination for inclusion on the threatened species list under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is provided at . The Australian Government’s Department of the Environment and Water Resources also has useful information on their web site at .

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WWF-Australia 67 HOW CONSERVATION STATUS IS ASSIGNED TO SPECIES

The World Conservation Union, previously known as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has adopted a set of categories and criteria for ranking flora or fauna species in relation to their risk of extinction according to the percentage of population size reduction, reduction in geographic range, the number of mature individuals, or on the basis of quantitative analysis. They are commonly referred to as the IUCN criteria. The Northern Territory Government under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000 has declared that the categories and criteria used for listing/delisting threatened species within the NT is to be based on IUCN definitions (see below). The Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 use similar criteria when assessing species status on a national level (some slight differences from IUCN criteria).

The following definitions are based on the IUCN categories and criteria. For more detailed information see the IUCN web page at .

Extinct (EX): A species is extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. A species is presumed extinct when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat using certain criteria have failed to record an individual.

Extinct in the Wild (EW): Species that are no longer found in the wild but are known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalised population (or populations) well outside the past range.

Critically Endangered (CR): Species that are facing an extremely high risk of extinction.

Endangered (EN): Species that are in danger of extinction in the near future if threats to their existence continue.

Vulnerable (VU): Species considered likely to become endangered in the near future if the threats to their existence continue. Species may be listed as vulnerable even when numbers are high, if their habitat is at considerable risk, or their populations are localised or dependent on habitat at risk.

Near Threatened (NT): Species that are not yet classified as threatened, but either exist as small fragmented populations or its populations are thought to be in decline. In the Northern Territory this also includes those situations where on current data a species would satisfy Vulnerable criteria but given expert knowledge of habitat requirements, extent of habitat and search effort, are believed to be more widespread or abundant than current collections indicate.

Least Concern (LC): The species has been evaluated against all the criteria and does not qualify for any of the above classifications. The species is considered to be widespread and abundant and not in decline.

Data Deficient (DD): Species that are poorly known and not considered adequately surveyed to assign any category. The species’ taxonomy and/or biology may be well known, but appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution information is lacking. This classification acknowledges the possibility that future searches may determine the appropriate classification.

Not Evaluated (NE): A species has not yet been evaluated against the criteria, generally because of uncertain taxonomic status.

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68 WWF-Australia It is possible that a species may have a different conservation status listing in different jurisdictions. There are three species (Utricularia subulata, Luisia teretifolia and Malaxis marsupichila) found in the Shire that are listed as threatened under NT legislation, but are not listed as threatened under Qld legislation (nor Federal legislation) where they are also present but are not considered to be under threat.

On the other hand, the rainforest palm Arenga australasiea is listed as Vulnerable under both Queensland and Federal legislation due to concerns with its status arising from habitat modification on the east coast of Australia. In contrast, NT populations are currently considered to be secure and the species is not listed as threatened under the TPWC Act.

Taxa

(Evaluated)

(Adequate Data)

Extinct (EX)

Extinct in the Wild (EW)

Critically Endangered (CR)

Endangered (EN)

Vulnerable (VU)

Near Threatened (NT)

Least Concern (LC)

Data Deficient (DD) Not Evaluated (NE)

The above table is the structure of IUCN categories. It has been modified to reflect NT legislation where "Extinct in the Wild" is also classified as a threatened category.

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WWF-Australia 69 COLLECTING AND PRESERVING PLANT SPECIMENS

The purpose of this section is to ensure that, if required, plant specimens are collected and presented in a way that will enable positive identification by a botanist. If done correctly, specimens become a permanent record — a snapshot of history. Please see the information box below in regards to permits for collecting.

It is important that you go into the field prepared for the outing. Wear a hat, preferably a long- sleeved shirt and long trousers to keep the sun and mosquitoes off. Take plenty of water, food, insect repellent, sunscreen and a first-aid kit. Make sure someone knows where you are going and the expected time of your return.

What you will need when collecting plant specimens

l A plant press. Using a press in the field helps manage and preserve specimens. If no press is available, then place plants in plastic bags, however specimens must be pressed on the day of collection; l Newspaper (to put in between specimens); l Cardboard which can be used to separate woody or bulky specimens from delicate ones; l A pair of secateurs or scissors may be useful; l Envelopes or plastic bags to hold specimen reproductive structures; l Pen/pencil (waterproof) to make labels and record information; l Field data collection sheets; l A magnifying hand lens (10X) and a camera; l Global Positioning System (GPS) or map.

What to collect

l Flowers and fruit (e.g. berries, seed pods); l Leaves (mature and juvenile) attached to stems, enough to fill an A3-size sheet of cardboard. Collect from more than one plant if the plant is a small herb; l Bark if relevant; l The specimen collected must be typical of all plants of that species in the area. However, atypical plants are also worth collecting as an addition.

Under certain conditions permits to collect species are required under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Act, particularly in relation to listed threatened species. Penalties may apply for collecting without a permit. Collecting any species from © Jacinda Brown within national parks and reserves is prohibited. A pressed specimen of Butomopsis latifolia; Queries concerning permits can be directed to the note the collection information sheet (bottom NT Herbarium (08 8999 4516) or the permits right) and bag with seeds attached (bottom officer PWCNT (08 8999 4795 ). left)

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70 WWF-Australia What to record

Record in the field on paper or sticky label:

l Name of plant if known; l Date plant collected; l Collector’s name; l The locality (coordinates and datum used or an identifiable precise location from a map), i.e. place where the specimen was found (a GPS reading is preferred); l Type of environment (e.g. woodland, monsoon vine forest, floodplain); l The habit (e.g, vine, herb, tree, shrub, fern); l Other special notes or features (e.g. the overall size of the plant, colour of flowers, if plant was growing in a particular habitat component, what other plants were growing nearby, soil structure, did plant exude sap when broken, etc.).

A keen observer and enthusiast can assist with identification by noting various characteristics and physical features such as the size, shape and colour along with any environmental information such as the habitat the specimen was found in and its location. It is important to remember that reproductive structures (flowers, seeds and fruit) are vital in assisting with positive identification. A specimen without a data sheet or label recording these features is of NO scientific value and cannot be lodged by the Herbarium.

Pressing/preserving specimens

A plant press can be made very easily from two pieces of plywood cut to approximately 47 x 32 cm. This size will easily accommodate plant specimens that have been placed between sheets of newspaper the size of the NT News. Drill two holes approximately 14 cm apart at the top of each piece of wood. Attach wire which has been inserted into a length of rubber hose into holes to make comfortable handles. Alternatively, webbing handle straps can be affixed.

Velcro can be stapled or adhered to © NT Herbarium each side of the pieces of wood in a Bob Harwood from the NT Herbarium pressing specimens in manner that allows flexible expansion the field of the press as specimens are added. For smaller specimens an old telephone book will make a very useful plant press.

Specimens should be pressed immediately as flowers of many delicate herbs will not stay in good condition for more than a few minutes after collection. Place between pieces of paper (the number of sheets used will often depend on the moisture content of the specimen) and ......

WWF-Australia 71 place in press between sheets of cardboard or foam as necessary to keep specimens flat. Pressure is maintained on the resulting stack of plants, paper, cardboard or foam for a period of several days to a week or two until the plants are dry.

Seed pods, fruit, etc. may be kept separately but must be labelled appropriately so they can later be re-united accurately with the whole plant.

Plants should be dried fairly quickly, in a warm place if possible to avoid mould problems. This is the biggest problem when drying specimens in the Top End, especially in the wet season. Check daily to ensure specimens are clean and drying well. Replace paper as necessary. Delicate plants and petals may be lost in changing and should be kept in tissue-paper (e.g. Kleenex or toilet paper) folders throughout changes.

Artificial drying of specimens is practised by herbaria which have specially constructed drying cupboards with fan-forced heated air. Specimens are dried over a period of several days at temperatures of about 50 - 55°C. Field-driers employing heat from gas burners are frequently used by professional collectors.

Once specimens are dried it is normal practice in public herbaria to mount each specimen on cartridge paper to which is also attached a typed label containing notes about the collection. Specimens in the NT Herbarium are filed in alphabetical order, firstly by family name, then by genus and then species.

l Under certain conditions permits to collect species are required under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Act, particularly in relation to listed threatened species. Penalties may apply for collecting without a permit. Queries concerning permits to collect can be directed to the NT Herbarium (08 8999 4516) or the permits officer PWCNT (08 8999 4795 ). l Collecting any species from within national parks and reserves is prohibited. l Please do not take whole plant specimens but rather record accurate location details, a detailed description of the plant and take a photograph if possible. This is especially important for plants that are either threatened or of conservation concern. l Always seek the landholder’s permission prior to venturing onto private property, e.g. much of the eastern boundary of the Litchfield Shire is under pastoral lease. l Access to Crown land within the Shire is not currently restricted. However, the public is asked to take care as they enter at their own risk. l Positive identification can be sought from the NT Herbarium. However, please ring to schedule an appointment. Verified records and specimens can then be added and stored in the Herbarium database. l Reduce threats to native plants by helping prevent the spread of weeds or pests, and by preventing wildfires. l When near water be alert for the presence of crocodiles.

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72 WWF-Australia GLOSSARY: Habitat photos © NT Herbarium Typical Utricularia habitat — seasonally saturated sand sheets supporting Melaleuca nervosa, sedgeland and grasslands on floodplains © Jarrad Holmes, Threatened Species Network

Typical woodland habitat © Clyde Dunlop, NT Herbarium

Typical rainforest habitat

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WWF-Australia 73 GLOSSARY: Botanical terms

The following terms were compiled from Dunlop et al. 1995, Orchard and Thompson 1999, Stern 1993, The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary and two online glossaries: Flora of New South Wales Cumulative Glossary for Vascular Plants, compiled by the NSW Herbarium, Short Botanical Glossary, compiled by Jim Croft (both online glossaries sourced from the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research web site). Refer to Illustrations of Botanical terms for figures.

acute: leaf tip, sharp point, evenly narrowed into capillary: hair-like. a point at an angle of less than 90o. Fig 4. capsule: a dry, dehiscent fruiting body; hence alternate: individually inserted at different capsular. positions along the axis. Fig 6. carpel: a unit of the female part of the flower annual: completing the lifecycle within one year. (gynoecium) consisting of an ovary bearing one or more ovules, a receptive stigma, and often a anthers: the pollen-bearing part of the stamen. stalk-like style between them. A flower can have Fig 12. a solitary carpel or more than one carpel. If the apex: tip or summit. carpels are free the gynoecium is apocarpous or appendages: an attachment developed on and if the carpels are fused the gynoecium is projecting beyond the surface of an organ. syncarpous (or compound). appressed: hairs, flattened against the organ or cataphylls: a scale leaf associated with a axis that they grow from. vegetative part of a plant. area of occupancy: the area within its ‘extent of chasmogamous: flowers that are pollinated occurrence’ which is occupied by a species. A while open. species will not usually occur throughout the claw: a narrow, stalk-like basal portion of a area of its ‘extent of occurrence’, which may petal, sepal or bract. Fig 16. contain unsuitable or unoccupied habitats. cleistogamous: flowers that remain closed and aril: an outgrowth from the seed stalk, especially are self-pollinating and set fertile seed. noticeable in Acacias where it varies in colour compound: composed of several distinct parts, from yellow to orange to red. although sometimes reduced, usually referring to article: an individual segment of a jointed fruit a leaf. Figs 7, 8 & 10. (or stem) separating at the joints. concave: having an outline or surface curved axillary bud: the bud or buds formed in the like the inside of a circle or sphere. angle between the stem and the subtending coppicing: a shoot developed from a dormant (enclosing) leaf or bract. Fig 9. bud in the trunk or larger branches of a tree; the axis: the main or central line or stem about leaves on such a shoot often differ from the adult which the lateral organs or parts are arranged. leaves and are called juvenile leaves (similar to beak: a pointed projection; a prominent sapling leaves); a common feature of many projection of an organ (often refering to seed or eucalypts and rainforest trees. Coppice shoots capsule). usually develop after damage to the trunk by fire, blade: the expanded part of a leaf, petal, etc. cutting, etc. Fig 9. corm: a short, broad, fleshy, subterranean stem brackish: a mixture of salt and fresh water. which produces aerial stems, leaves and flowers bracts: modified leaves differing in size, shape and in which food reserves are stored. or colour from the foliage leaves. crenate/crenulate: shallow, rounded teeth, often buttress: a flange protruding from the lower referring to leaf margin. Fig 5. part of the trunk, frequent in rainforest trees. cryptic: concealed, hidden, obscure. Fig 14. cyme/cymose: an inflorescence in which the C. this abbreviation means approximately, near, main axis ends in a flower and further growth of about. the inflorescence is by one or more branches which themselves end in a flower (the main and calli/callus: a small hard protrusion, e.g. on the lateral branches may bear bracteoles but have labellum of some Orchidaceae; no bracts, leaves or nodes). calyx: outer whorl of a flower with a double ...... perianth; usually comprised of sepals. 74 WWF-Australia deciduous: falling off, often referring to the loss geophyte: a plant with an underground storage of leaves in response to seasonal variations. organ (e.g. corm, tuber, bulb or rhizome) and decumbent: lying along the ground with the tip with annually renewed aerial shoots. ascending. glabrous: without hairs. dentate: sharp teeth, often referring to leaf glandular: bearing glands or of the nature of a margin. Fig 5. gland. digitate: the parts spreading from a central glaucous: with a distinct bluish, waxy bloom or point, like the fingers of a hand, referring to leaf. powder on the surface. dioecious: male and female flowers on different gynoecium: the carpel (if solitary) or carpels of plants. a flower collectively; seed-bearing organ or discolorous: of different colour, e.g. when two organs of a flower. sides of the leaf are different colours herbaceous: a vascular plant which is not (cf. concolorous). woody; hence herbaceous. disjunct: distant; widely separated. hypocotyl: the part of a plant embryo directly dorsal: attached to the back of body or organ. below the cotyledons, forming a connection with the radicle. drupe: a fleshy fruit with skin on outside and woody or hard stone containing the seeds at its imparipinnate: pinnate with the rachis and centre (eg. mango, plum). Fig 11. terminated by a single leaflet or tendril. Fig 7. eglandular: lacking glands. inflorescence: a group or cluster of flowers. Fig 10. elliptic: a plane with the shape of an ellipse, longer than wide and rounded at both ends, the keel: a ridge, usually on the back, like the keel widest part near the middle. Fig 1. of a boat; hence keeled. emarginate: leaf tip, indented, notched at the labellum: the distinctive median petal in extremity. Fig 4. Orchidaceae, usually differing in size and shape from those either side. emergent: a plant, (1) rising above the surrounding plants, e.g. of a tree above the lanceolate: lance-shaped, of a plane several rainforest canopy; (2) rising above the surface of times longer than wide, widest in the basal third, the water. tapering gradually towards the tip. Fig 1. endemic: a species is endemic to a region laterite: a type of soil, red in colour, which is when it is only known to occur in that region. mainly found in the tropics. entire: a smooth, even margin, lacking teeth or latex: a milky exudate, drying rubber-like. other indentations, often referring to leaf leaflet: the basic element of a compound leaf. margins. Fig 5. Fig 8. ephemeral: a plant usually emergent or alive for legume: (1) a plant belonging to the Fabaceae, a short period often in response to certain Olmosaceae or Caesalpiniaceae families (2) dry conditions seasonal or otherwise. dehiscent fruit pod. Fig 11. epiphyte/epiphytic: an independent plant lenticel: a small raised corky spot or line growing on another, not connected to the appearing on young bark, through which ground, and not parasitic. gaseous exchange occurs. erect: upright. lenticellate: having many lenticels. extent of occurrence: the area contained within lignotubers: a woody swelling, partly or wholly the shortest continuous imaginary boundary underground, at the base of certain plants and which can be drawn to encompass all the containing numerous cortical buds, as in many known, inferred or projected sites of present eucalypts. occurrence of a species. linear: long and narrow with parallel margins. foliolate: suffix denoting a leaf made up of Fig 1. leaflets, e.g. trifoliolate, unifoliolate. Fig 7. lithophytic: a plant growing on rocks. follicle: a dry fruit derived from a single carpel lobed: divided into long rounded projections. and opening along one suture. Fig 11. margin: the edge. fronds: the leaf, especially of a fern or palm, megasporophylls: in this booklet referring to including the stipe, often finely divided. female reporductive structures of cycads......

WWF-Australia 75 membranous: a thin, soft, flexible, +/- pendulous: hanging, drooping. Fig 15. translucent piece of tissue. perennial: with a life cycle lasting two or more microsporophylls: in this booklet referring to years. male reporductive structures of cycads. petal: a free segment of the corolla. Fig 12. midrib: the main or central vein of a leaf or petiole: stem that connects the leaf or phyllode similar organ, also called mid-vein. Fig 9. to the branch; stalk of a leaf. Fig 9. monotypic: having only one representative, phyllode: a flattened and expanded petiole with e.g. a genus or family with a single species. the function and appearance of a leaf, modified morph: pertaining to a ‘form’, e.g. dimorphic, stem that acts as leaf, found in Acacia species. polymorphic. pinnate: compound, with leaflets or pinnae, mucronate: leaf tip, with a short sharp terminal arranged in a single row each side of the tip. Fig 4. common rachis. Fig 7. nodding: bent over or down. pistil: a free carpel or a group of fused carpels nodes: a point on the stem where leaves or (see gynoecium). branches arise. plicate: folded or plaited, as in a folding fan, oblanceolate: a plane several times longer folded into pleats, usually lengthwise. than wide, widest in the apical third, tapering polymorphic: existing in several or many gradually towards the base, more rapidly forms. towards the apex. Fig 1. prostrate: lying trailing along the ground. oblique: at an angle; neither parallel nor pseudobulb: meaning ‘false’ bulb. perpendicular. pulvinus: swollen tissue at the base of a oblong: leaf shape longer than broad, with phyllode, or the petiole of leaves; sometimes parallel margins and rounded ends. Fig 1. glandular or responsive to touch. obovate: a leaf with the outline of an egg, the pungent: ending in a rigid or sharp point. widest end away from stalk. Fig 1. pustular: with low projections like blisters or obtuse: leaf tip, rounded, evenly narrowed into pimples. a blunt point. Fig 4. raceme: a simple inflorescence ending in a opposite: of a pair of organs arising at the non-floral bud and in which the flowers are same level on opposite sides of the stem. Fig 6. stalked, i.e. an indeterminate inflorescence. orbicular: rounded or circular in outline. Fig 1. Fig 10. ovary: part of the female organs containing rachis: the axis (excluding petiole) of a ovules (eggs). Fig 12. pinnately compound leaf or inflorescence (also ovate: a plane with the outline of an egg, the rhachis). Fig 8. widest end attached to stalk. Fig 1. recurved: curved downwards or to the abaxial ovoid: a solid with the form of an egg, attached (lower) side.Fig 1. at the broad end (cf. obovoid). resinous: exudes a resin. palate: base of lower petal near the throat of reticulate: when the nerves or veins cross each flower. other like the meshes of a net. panicle: an elongate inflorescence with rhizoid: a filamentous root-like structure. compound branching; hence panicled or rhizome: a modified underground stem, usually paniculate. Fig 10. growing horizontally; the stem of ferns. pedate: palmately divided but with the lateral rosette: a group of organs radiating from the lobes themselves divided. Fig 7. centre, especially with numerous overlapping pedicel: the stalk of an individual flower in an leaves appressed to the soil. inflorescence; hence pedicellate. Fig 12. saprophyte: an organism using decaying or peduncle: stalk of a flower or inflorescence. non-living organic matter for nourishment. peltate: leaf with petiole attached to semi-pendulous: meaning ‘half’ pendulous. undersurface of leaf rather than to the margin. sepal: one of the outer leaf-like structures Fig 2. surrounding the corolla (if present) and fertile organs of the flower, usually green; collectively ...... the calyx. Fig 12. 76 WWF-Australia serrate: with sharp teeth, oblique to the margin, tendrils: a slender twining appendage or pointing apically like a saw. Fig 5. extension by which a climbing plant may attach sessile: without a stalk, attached directly to the itself. axis or organ. Fig 2. terminal: at the end of a stem or axis. eg. in sheath: tubular structure surrounding an organ Fig 13. or part. terrestrial: growing on the ground. simple: basic leaf shape such as a eucalypt tomentose: hairs when they are closely matted leaf, not being divided into leaflets. Fig 9. and short. skeletal soils: shallow soil where rocks are transverse: situated, arranged or acting in a exposed. crosswise direction. sori: in ferns, a discrete group of sporangia. tuberoid: a swollen, usually underground, part spadix: a spicate inflorescence with a of a stem or root; hence tuberous. thickened, often succulent axis, the whole often umbel: an inflorescence (strictly an being surrounded by a spathe. indeterminate one) in which all the flowers or spathe: a large bract or sheath. flower stalks arise from one point at the top of the peduncle. Fig 10. spathulate: spoon-shaped. valve: a door or flap-like opening in some sporangium: a case or body that contains the organs; hence valvate. spores. venation: the arrangement of the veins, spore: a single, vegetative, reproductive cell especially in leaves or leaf-like structures. that does not contain an embryo. vesicular: a small bladder or cavity filled with spur/labellum spur: slender sac-like or hollow air or fluid; blistered on the surface. protuberance from a part of the calyx or corolla, often secreting nectar. wings: a membranous or lamina-like border or surround. eg in Fig 16. stamen: one of the male organs of the flower, consisting of a pollen-bearing anther and a filament or stalk. Fig 12. staminode: a sterile stamen, often reduced or modified. stellate: star-shaped. stigma: the part of the carpel receptive to pollen, generally terminal on the style. stipule: one of a pair of leaf-derived organs inserted at or near the base of a petiole or phyllode. Fig 9. stochastic: random or unforseen. stolon: a horizontal, elongate stem rooting at the nodes. striated: marked with longitudinal ridges, stripes or grooves. style: the part of the carpel between the stigma and ovary, often elongated. Fig 12. subdeltoid: tending towards triangular in shape. subtended: to occur immediately below as in a bract subtending a flower. subterranean: underground. sucker: a vegetative shoot of underground origin.

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WWF-Australia 77 GLOSSARY: Illustrations of botanical terms

Figures courtesy of Dunlop et al. 1995 or drawn by J. Holmes

LEAF SHAPE (FIG 1):

recurved

LEAF VENATION (FIG 3): LEAF BASES (FIG 2):

sessile parallel veins

LEAF TIPS (FIG 4): LEAF MARGINS (FIG 5):

LEAF ARRANGEMENTS (FIG 6):

...... WWF-Australia 78 COMPOUND LEAVES (FIG 7):

pedate

COMPOUND LEAF (FIG 8): SIMPLE LEAF (FIG 9):

INFLORESCENSES (FIG 10):

FRUIT TYPES (FIG 11):

legume follicle drupe ...... WWF-Australia 79 FLOWER PARTS (FIG 12): TWIG PARTS (FIG 13):

terminal bud

bud scales

flower bud

lateral bud

stipule scar

BRANCHING PATTERNS (FIG 15): BOLE/TRUNK TYPES (FIG 14):

shrubby weeping/pendulous

buttressed THE FABACEAE FLOWER (FIG 16):

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80 WWF-Australia REFERENCES

1. Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand, Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Forestry Ministers 1999. The National Weeds Strategy: A strategic approach to weed problems of national significance revised edition, ARMCANZ and ANZECC, Canberra. 2. Aston, HI, 1973, Aquatic Plants of Australia, Melbourne University Press. 3. Aston, HI, 1982, ‘New Australian species of Nymphoides Séguier (Menyanthaceae)’, Muelleria, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 35-51. 4. Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Biological Diversity Advisory Committee, 2001, Biodiversity conservation research: Australia's priorities, Environment Australia, Canberra. 5. Baines, JA, 1981, Australian Plant Genera: An Etymological Dictionary of Australian Plant Genera, Chipping Norton, The Society for Growing Australian Plants, Ed. W.H. Payne. 6. Barrow, P. 1995. The Ecology and Management of Gamba Grass (Andropogon gayanus Kunth.). Final Report to the Australian Nature Conservation Agency. Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries. 7. Bean, AR. 2000. A revision of Stylidium', Austrobaileya, vol. 5, no. 4, p. 603. 8. Booth, R, Harwood, RK & Mangion, CP. 2001. Field key for the monsoon rainforest flora of the Darwin region, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Series; NT Botanical Bulletin, No 28; Key Centre for Tropical Wildlife Management, Northern Territory University (occasional paper No: 2). 9. Bowman, D. 1999. Introduced grasses: triumph or Trojan horse? Savanna Links, 10, 6-7. 10.Brock, J. 1993. Native Plants of Northern Australia, Australia, Reed. 11. Cayzer, LW, Crisp, MD & Telford, IRH. 2000. Revision of Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae) in Australia, Australian Systematic Botany, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 845-902. 12. Cook, G & Mordelet, P. 1997. A tale of two savannas: The effects of fire on vegetation patterns in West Africa and the Northern Territory. In Bushfire ‘97 (eds BJ McKaige, RJ Williams & WM Waggitt), pp45-50. CSIRO Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, Darwin. 13. Cook, PG., Hatton, TJ., Pidsley, D., Herczeg, AL., Held, A., Ogrady, A. & Eamus, D. 1998 Water balance of a tropical woodland ecosystem, northern Australia - a combination of micro-meteorological, soil physical and groundwater chemical approaches. Journal of Hydrology, 210, 161-177. 14. Cowie, ID. 2002. Preliminary report on a survey of Utricularia (Lentibulariaceae) in the Howard River- Shoal Bay area, Unpublished report, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Palmerston. 15. Cowie, ID, Short, PS & Osterkamp Madsen, M. 2000. Floodplain flora: a flora of the coastal floodplains of the Northern Territory, Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. 16. Croft, J. 2003. A Short Botanical Glossary, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research. 17. Dassanayaka, MD & Fosberg, FR (eds). 1981. Peplidium, Flora of Ceylon, vol. 3, pp. 435-6. 18. Dixon, D. 2004. The Gymnosperms of the Northern Territory. The Beagle Records of the museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, 20, 1-24. 19. Dixon, D, Cowie, ID & Kerrigan, R. 2003. Ptychosperma macarthurii or P. bleeseri? The taxonomic status of P. bleeseri reconsidered, The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, vol. 19, pp 81-6. 20. Dockrill, AW. 1969. Australian indigenous orchids, vol. 1, The Society for Growing Australian Plants, Sydney. 21. Doyle, N. 2001. Extractive Minerals Within the Outer Darwin Area, NT Geological Survey, Report 14. 22. Dunlop, CR, Leach, GJ & Cowie, ID. 1995. Flora of the Darwin region, vol. 2, Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory, Darwin. 23. Dyer, R, Jacklyn, P, Partridge, I, Russell-Smith, J & Williams D. (eds) 2001. Savanna burning: understanding and using fire in northern Australia, Tropical Savannas CRC, Darwin. 24. Essig, FB. 1978. A revision of the genus Ptychosperma Labill. (Arecaceae), Allertonia, vol. 1, pp. 415- 78......

WWF-Australia 81 25. Flora of Australia Volume 11A, Mimosaceae, Acacia part 1. Melbourne: ABRS/CSIRO Publishing. 26. Foster, PI. 1989. Notes on Asclepiadaceae, Austrobaileya, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 109-33. 27. Foster, PI 1996. Cynanchum, Flora of Australia, vol. 28, pp. 221-9. 28. Franklin, DC. & Kerrigan, R. In press. A population count and ecolgoical notes for the little-known terrestrial orchid Didymoplexis pallens. NT Naturalist. 29. Gray, B & Jones, DL. 1994. Nervilia peltata (Orchidaceae), a new species from north-eastern Queensland and the Northern Territory, Austrobaileya, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 195-8. 30. Haig, T. & Townsend, S. 2003. An understanding of the groundwater and surface water hydrology of the Darwin Harbour Plan of Management area, In Proceedings: Darwin Harbour Region: Current knowledge and future needs. (Ed. Working Group for the Darwin Harbour Advisory Committee), p. 123-149 Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, Darwin. 31. Hay, A. 1993. The genus Typhonium (Araceae-Areae) in Australasia, Blumea, vol. 37, pp. 345-6. 32. Hay, A. 1997. Two new species and a new combination in Australian Typhonium (Araceae Tribe Areae), Edinburgh Journal of Botany, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 329-36. 33. Hay, A & Taylor, SM. 1996. A new species of Typhonium Schott (Araceae-Areae) from the Northern Territory, with notes on the conservation status of two Areae endemic to the Tiwi Islands, Telopea, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 563-7. 34. Hill, KD. 1996. A taxonomic revision of the genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Australia, Telopea, vol. 7, no. 1, pp 1-64. 35. Hill, KD.1998. Cycadaceae, Flora of Australia, vol. 48, pp. 598-635. 36. Hill, K. and Osborne, R. 2001. Cycads of Australia. Kangaroo Press: Sydney. 116p. 37. Hosking, E.J. 2002. Land Clearing in the Northern Territory, Report No. 24/2002, Conservation and Natural Resources Group, Dept. of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, NT Government. 38. Jones, DL. 1993. Native orchids of Australia, Reed, Hong Kong. 39. Kean, L. and Price, O. 2003. The extent of mission grasses and gamba grass in the Darwin region of Australia’s Northern Territory. Pacific Conservation Biology 8: 281-290. 40. Lavarack, B & Gray, B 1992. Australian Tropical Orchids, Frith and Frith, Malanda, Qld 41. Laverack, PS.1977. Notes on Queensland Orchidaceae, Austrobaileya, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 63-74. 42. Laverack, PS. & Dockrill AW. 1999. A new species of Habenaria Willd. (Orchidaceae) from North Queensland, Austrobaileya, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 323-30. 43. Liddle, DT. 2004. The ecology of Cycas armstrongii and management of fire in Australia’s tropical savannas. PhD thesis, Charles Darwin University, Darwin. 44. Liddle, DT., Larcombe, DR. & Fitzgerald PJ. 2001. From uncontrolled harvest to weeds and fire: an evolution of threats to the endangered rainforest palm, Ptychosperma bleeserii, Palms & Cycads, 72, 18-25. 45. Liddle, DT, Russell-Smith, J, Brock, J, Leach, GJ & Connors, GT. 1994. Atlas of the vascular rainforest plants of the Northern Territory, Flora of Australia Supplementary Series No. 3, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. 46. Liddle, GT., Taylor, SM. & Larcombe, DR. 1996. Population changes from 1990 to 1995 and mangement of the endangered rainforest plam Ptychospermn bleeseri Burret (Arceaceae). In Back from the Brink: Refining the Threatened Species Recovery Process (eds S. Stephens & S Maxwell), pp 110-113. Surry Ben Hy & Sons, Sydney 47. Lowrie, A, & Conran, JG. 1998. A taxonomic revision of the genus Byblis (Byblidaceae) in Northern Australia, Nuytsia, Vol 12, Iss 1, pg 59-74. 48. Mabberley, DJ. 1998. Australian Citreae with notes on other Aurantioideae (Rutaceae), Telopea, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 333-44. 49. Mackinson, RO 2000. Grevillea, Flora of Australia, vol. 17A, pp. 1-524. 50. Maslin, BR. 2001. Acacia oligoneura, Flora of Australia, vol. 11B, p. 255. 51. Munk, WJD. 1962. Preliminary revisions of some genera of Malaysian Papilionaceae III-A census of the genus Crotalaria, Reinwardtia, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 195-223...... 52. NSW Herbarium 2003, Flora of New South Wales, online Cumulative Glossary for Vascular Plants, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research 82 WWF-Australia 53. Northern Territory Government Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment 2004. Litchfield Area Plan 2004. 54. Orchard, AE & Thompson, HS. (exec. ed.) 1999. Flora of Australia, 2nd edn, vol. 1, ABRS/CSIRO, Melbourne. 55. Ooststroom, SJ van 1939. The Convolvulaceae of Malaysia II, Blumea, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 265-371. 56. Panton, W.J. 1993. Changes in Post World War II Distribution and Status of Monsoon Rainforests in the Darwin Area, Australian Geographer, 24, 50-59. 57. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory 1997. A management program for cycads in the Northern Territory of Australia. 58. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory 1998. A management program for Ptychosperma bleeseri Burret in the Northern Territory of Australia. 59. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory 2002. Threatened Species Information Sheet, Acacia praetermissa 60. -- Cycas armstrongii. 61. -- Grevillea longicuspis. 62. -- Habenaria rumphii. 63. -- Helicteres Glenluckie Ck. 64. -- Indigofera schultziana. 65. -- Luisia teretifolia. 66. -- Nervilia plicata. 67. -- Malaxis marsupichila. 68. -- Monochoria hastata. 69. -- Ptychosperma bleeseri (P. macarthurii). 70. -- Typhonium taylori. 71. -- Utricularia dunstaniae. 72. -- Utricularia singeriana 73. -- Utricularia subulata. 74. -- Zeuxine oblonga. 75. Pedley, L. 1999. Desmodium Desv. (Fabaceae) and related genera in Australia: a taxonomic revision, Austrobaileya, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 209-61. 76. Schaeffer, J. 1971. Revision of the genus Endospermum Bth. (Euphorbiaceae), Blumea, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 171-92. 77.Shapcott, A. 1998. The genetics of Ptychospera bleeseri, a rare palm from the Northern Territory, Australia. Biological Conservation 85, 203-209. 78. Short, PS, Dixon, D & Osterkamp Madsen, M. 2003. A review of the ferns and fern allies of the Northern Territory, The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, vol. 19, pp. 7-80. 79. Smith, LS, 1946. The ligneous genus Endospermum Benth. (Euphorbiaceae) in New Guinea, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, Queensland Herbarium, Botanic Gardens, Brisbane, pp. 51-6. 80. Smith, NM, 2002. Weeds of the Wet/Dry Tropics of Australia. A Field Guide. Environment Centre of the Northern Territory, Darwin. 81. Steenis, van CGGJ. 1970. Miscellaneous notes on New Guinea Plants IX. Blumea, vol. 18, no. 2, p. 564. 82. Steenis, van CGGJ. 1954. Notes on Convolvulaceae. Flora Malesiana, Series 1, vol 4, pg 455. 83. Stern, WT. 1993. Botanical Latin, 4th edn, David & Charles, Devon 84. Taylor, P. 1989. The Genus Utricularia-A taxonomic monograph, Kew Bulletin Additional Series XIV, Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London. 85. Tindale, MD. 1980. Notes on Australian taxa of Acacia no. 7., Telopea, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 113 25. 86. Veldkamp, JF. 1992. Notes on Australian Coreopisdinae (Compositae), Austrobaileya, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 741-4......

83 WWF-Australia USEFUL CONTACTS

Conservation and wildlife NT Herbarium management PO Box 496 Palmerston, NT 0831 Physical: Ground floor, Gaymark Building, WWF-Australia Mansfield Place, Palmerston GPO Box 528 Phone: (08) 8999 4516 Sydney, NSW 2001 Fax: (08) 8999 4527 Phone: (02) 9281 5515 or 1800 032 551 Web site: Fax: (02) 9281 1060 Web site: Tropical Savannas Cooperative Research Centre Threatened Species Network Charles Darwin University TSN National Coordinator Building 42 GPO Box 528 Darwin, NT 0909 Sydney, NSW 2001 Phone: (08) 8946 6834 Phone: (02) 9281 5515 Fax: (08) 8946 7107 Fax: (02) 9281 1060 Web site:

TSN Northern Savannas Coordinator CSIRO — Tropical Ecosystems Research GPO Box 1268 Centre Darwin, NT 0801 PMB 44 Phone: (08) 8941 7554 Winnellie, NT 0822 Fax: (08) 8941 6494 Phone: (08) 8944 8400 E-mail: Fax: (08) 8944 8400 Web site: Web site:

The Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Local Planning Resources GPO Box 787 Litchfield Shire Council Canberra, ACT 2601 PO Box 446 Phone: (02) 6274 1111 Humpty Doo NT 0836 Fax: (02) 6274 1666 Phone: (08) 8983 1912 Web site: Fax: (08) 8983 1165 Parks and Wildlife Service of the NT Development Consent Authority Darwin Region Information such as planning notices, permits PO Box 496 etc, can be found at: Palmerston, NT 0831 Phone: (08) 8999 5511 Fax: (08) 8932 3849 Fire Management Web site:

Parks and Wildlife Service of the NT Bushfires NT Permits Officer Darwin Region PO Box 496 Lot 1718, Albatross Street Palmerston, NT 0831 PO Box 37346 Phone: (08) 8999 4795 or 8999 4814 Winnellie, NT 0821 Fax: : (08) 8999 4524 Phone: (08) 8922 0844 Fax: (08) 8922 0833 www.nt.gov.au/nreta/natres/bushfires/index.html

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84 WWF-Australia Weed Management Indigenous Land Management

NT Government Weed Officer Indigenous Land Management Facilitator Phone: (08) 8999 4567 PO Box 42921 E-mail: Casuarina, NT 0811 Web site: Phone: (08) 8920 5117 Fax: (08) 8945 2633

Non-Government Organisations Natural History Groups

Greening Australia, Darwin NT Field Naturalists Club GPO Box 1604 PO Box 39565 Darwin, NT 0801 Winnellie, NT 0821 Phone: (08) 8981 1344 Web site: Fax: (08) 8981 1182 E-mail: Top End Native Plant Society Web site: PO Box 135 Palmerston, NT 0831 Environment Centre NT Web site: GPO Box 2120 Darwin, NT 0801 Phone: (08) 8981 1984 Wildlife Carers Fax: (08) 8941 0387 E-mail: Wildcare NT, Darwin Web site: PO Box 464 Palmerston, NT 0831 Land for Wildlife please contact Litchfield Shire Council. Phone: (08) 8983 1912 NHT and Landcare Coordinators Conservation Volunteers Australia PO Box 30 Darwin Office Palmerston, NT 0831 Box 2358 Phone: (08) 8999 4464 Darwin NT 0801 Fax: (08) 8999 4445 Phone: (08) 8981 3206 Fax: (08) 8981 9052 E-mail: Web site:

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92 WWF-Australia INDEX OF PLANT NAMES

Acacia oligoneura 32 Stylidium ensatum 60 Acacia praetermissa 33 Tropidia curculigoides 50 Aphyllodium stylosanthoides 17 Typhonium johnsonianum 6 Butomopsis latifolia 30 Typhonium praetermissum 7 Byblis aquatica 12 Typhonium taylori 8 Calochilus holtzei Utricularia sp. red 21 (Ground orchid) 35 Utricularia dunstaniae 22 Chiloschista phyllorhiza Utricularia hamiltonii 23 (Leafless orchid) 36 Utricularia holtzei 24 Citrus gracilis 55 Utricularia involvens 25 Commelina sp. sandstone 13 Utricularia quinquedentata 26 Crotalaria quinquefolia Utricularia singeriana 27 (Annual birdflower) 18 Utricularia subulata Cycas armstrongii (Zigzag bladderwort) 28 (Cycad, zamia palm) 15 Utricularia triflora 29 Cynanchum leibianum 10 Vittaria ensiformis 61 Didymoplexis pallens 37 Zeuxine oblonga 51 Diodontium filifolium 11 Endospermum medullosum 16 Eulophia bicallosa 38 Flemingia involucrata 19 Grevillea longicuspis (Christmas holly grevillea) 54 Habenaria elongata 39 Habenaria hymenophylla (Rainforest habenaria) 40 Habenaria rumphii 41 Habenaria triplonema 42 Helicteres sp. glenluckie Ck 58 Indigofera schultziana 20 Liparis habenarina 43 Luisia teretifolia 44 Malaxis acuminata 45 Malaxis marsupichila 46 Monochoria hastata 53 Nervilia peltata 47 Nervilia plicata 48 Nymphoides subacuta 31 Operculina turpethum (Onion vine) 14 Pachystoma pubescens 49 Pentapetes phoenicea 59 Peplidium maritimum 56 Pittosporum moluccanum 52 Ptychosperma macarthurii (Darwin palm) 9 Rhamphicarpa australiensis (Bog Figwort) 57

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WWF-Australia 93 Threatened Species Network

The Threatened Species Network (TSN) is a community-based program of the Australian Government and WWF-Australia. TSN has been at the forefront of educating the public and engaging community groups in threatened species conservation for over a decade.

Contact details:

Threatened Species Network Ph: (02) 9281 5515 WWF-Australia Fax: (02) 9281 1060 GPO Box 528 Sydney, NSW 2001

TSN Northern Savannas Coordinator Ph: (08) 8941 7554 [email protected]