This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 1/10/2008 Approved Conservation Advice (s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) Approved Conservation Advice for Decaspermum struckoilicum
This Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time this Conservation Advice was approved; this includes existing plans, records or management prescriptions for this species.
Description Decaspermum struckoilicum, Family Myrtaceae, is an erect shrub or small tree growing to 4 m high. The leaves are elliptical, 18–55 mm long, and arranged in opposite pairs along the branchlets. The flowers are borne in clusters in the leaf axils, white, with four or five petals and sepals and 16–25 stamens. The fruit is a globose berry up to 8.5 mm in diameter, soft and dark bluish-black when ripe. The plant is hairless, although there may be hairs on the new vegetative growth and on the flowers. It is similar to Decaspermum humile, differing in the matte surface of the leaves and the shorter petiole (Snow & Guymer, 2001). Prior to 2001, Decaspermum struckoilicum was known as Decaspermum sp. Mt Morgan (N.Hoy AQ55657), Decaspermum sp. 1 (Mt. Morgan) or Decaspermum sp. Mt Morgan (D.Hoy 71).
Conservation Status Decaspermum struckoilicum is listed as endangered. This species is eligible for listing as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act) as, prior to the commencement of the EPBC Act, it was listed as endangered under Schedule 1 of the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth). It is also listed as endangered under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Queensland).
Distribution and Habitat Decaspermum struckoilicum is known from two populations, both about 8 km east of Mount Morgan in Queensland, in the area known as Struck Oil. The northern population possibly comprises just a single plant (Queensland Herbarium, 2008). Seventeen adult and juvenile plants have been recorded for the southern population (Barry & Thomas, 1994). The species occurs in semi-evergreen vine thicket on chocolate-coloured or reddish soil (Queensland Herbarium, 2008). The tenure of locations where this species occurs is freehold and Vacant Crown Land (Barry & Thomas, 1994). Both populations occur in areas of remnant vegetation (EPA, 2008) as defined under the Vegetation Management Act 1999 (Queensland), and are therefore currently protected from broad-scale clearing. This species occurs within the Fitzroy (Queensland) Natural Resource Management Region. The distribution of this species is not known to overlap with any EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological communities.
Threats The main identified threat to Decaspermum struckoilicum is weed incursion, particularly by Lantana (Lantana camara), Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) and Rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) (Barry & Thomas, 1994). The main potential threats to D. struckoilicum include wildfire from adjoining sclerophyll forests, and habitat disturbance from domestic stock (Barry & Thomas, 1994).
Decaspermum struckoilicum Conservation Advice - Page 1 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 1/10/2008 Research Priorities Research priorities that would guide future regional and local priority actions include: • Design and implement a monitoring program or, if appropriate, support and enhance existing programs. • More precisely assess population size, distribution, ecological requirements and the relative impacts of threatening processes. • Undertake survey work in suitable habitat and potential habitat to locate any additional populations. • Identify appropriate intensity and interval of fire to promote seed germination or vegetation regeneration • Determine pollination, dispersal and seedling recruitment requirements for this species. • Undertake seed germination and/or vegetative propagation trials to determine the requirements for successful establishment.
Regional and Local Priority Actions The following priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of Decaspermum struckoilicum. Habitat Loss, Disturbance and Modification • Monitor the progress of recovery, including the effectiveness of management actions and the need to adapt them if necessary. • Minimise adverse impacts from land use at known sites. • Investigate formal conservation arrangements, management agreements and covenants on private land, and for crown and private land investigate inclusion in reserve tenure if possible. Invasive Weeds • Implement management plans for Lantana and Rubber vine and develop and implement a management plan for Guinea grass and other invasive weeds. • Identify and remove weeds in the local area, which could become a threat to D. struckoilicum, using appropriate methods. • Manage sites to prevent introduction of invasive weeds, which could become a threat to the species, using appropriate methods. • Ensure chemicals or other mechanisms used to eradicate weeds do not have a significant adverse impact on D. struckoilicum. Trampling, Browsing or Grazing • Ensure that livestock grazing, if it occurs in the area, uses an appropriate management regime and density that does not detrimentally affect this species. • Where appropriate manage total grazing pressure at important/significant sites through exclusion fencing or other barriers. Fire • Develop and implement a suitable fire management strategy for Decaspermum. struckoilicum. • Provide maps of known occurrences to local and state Rural Fire Services and seek inclusion of mitigative measures in bush fire risk management plans, risk register and/or operation maps. Conservation Information • Raise awareness of D. struckoilicum within the local community, including distributing information sheets to community groups such as Landcare.
Decaspermum struckoilicum Conservation Advice - Page 2 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 1/10/2008 Enable Recovery of Additional Sites and/or Populations • Undertake appropriate seed collection and storage. • Investigate options for linking, enhancing or establishing additional populations. • Implement national translocation protocols (Vallee et al., 2004) if establishing additional populations is considered necessary and feasible.
This list does not necessarily encompass all actions that may be of benefit to D. struckoilicum, but highlights those that are considered to be of highest priority at the time of preparing the conservation advice.
Existing Plans/Management Prescriptions that are Relevant to the Species • Weeds of National Significance: Lantana (Lantana camara) (ARMCANZ, 2001), and • Rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) weed management guide (DEH, 2003). These prescriptions were current at the time of publishing; please refer to the relevant agency’s website for any updated versions.
Information Sources: Agriculture & Resource Management Council of Australia & New Zealand (ARMCANZ) 2001, Weeds of National Significance: Lantana (Lantana camara) Strategic Plan, National Weeds Strategy, viewed 13 May 2008,
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