Grampians National Park

Threatened Plant Species

For contractors working on the Grampians Peaks Trail

The plants documented in this ID book may be growing along the proposed alignment of the Grampians Peaks Trail. The majority of these plants are threatened species and as such have legal protections under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (FFG Act) and the national Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act). Also, a number of these plants are endemic to the area and only found growing in the Grampians.

As you are working around the Park it would be great if you could keep your eyes open for the plants shown in this book. In doing any work please avoid removing these species – where possible re-align the trail to avoid damage or disturbance to these plants.

If you find any of these species could you please take a GPS reading, or make a note of the location, mark it with flagging tape nearby and let someone from the Parks Victoria team know. Please don’t take a specimen of the plant but if you have a camera with you some photos would be good.

Thank you

Key to Conservation Status

Category Code Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act Critically Endangered CR Endangered EN Vulnerable VU Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act Listed as threatened under the FFG Act L Protected under the FFG Act (public land) P Advisory List of Rare or Threatened Plants in Victoria – 2104 (DEPI) Endangered e Vulnerable v Rare r

Grampians Duck-orchid (Paracaleana disjuncta)

Conservation status: e, L, P

Description:

 Slender orchid up to 15cm tall  A single, small narrow leaf to 1cm long grows at the base (dies off during flowering time)  Flowers grow at the end of a slender stem (usually only one flower per stem)  Flower are orange and green, and resemble the shape of a flying duck  Leaves are green above and purple below  Leaves start to emerge in Winter and flowers come out during November and December  Plants are dormant and unlikely to be seen during late Summer and through Autumn

Found in:

Brown Stringybark eucalypt woodland which has lots of shrubs growing in bare patches between shrubs or mossy areas at the base of trees. The soil is likely to be light brown sandy clay loam.

Above: the leaf at the base of the plant would look similar to that above but likely greener on the top side. Stem may not be present. Spiral Sun-orchid (Thelymitra matthewsii)

Conservation status: v, L, P, VU

Description:

 Orchid with a single stem growing to about 20cm tall  Plant has a single stem which is mostly a purple colour  Flower is purple or pink with darker veins (Flowering August to October)  Flower is about 2.5cm wide  A single spiral-shaped leaf grows at the base

Found in:

Open forests and woodlands in open areas, often where there has been some disturbance. They sometimes grow in open areas around old quarries and gravel pits, on road verges, disused tracks and animal trails.

Clover Glycine (Glycine latrobeana)

Conservation status: v, L, P, VU

Description:

 Small green spreading plant found growing close to the ground  Leaves are similar to other common three-leaf clovers  Flowers are purple to pink about 0.5 cm big and held above plant on a stalk  Flowers Spring to early Summer  Seed pods are like pea pods (slightly hairy) between 1.5 and 2.5cm long

Found in:

Open grassy areas, grassy woodlands and dry eucalypt forests which have a grassy ground layer. They grow close to the ground usually scrambling amongst Kangaroo Grass and native Tussock grasses.

Trailing Hop-bush (Dodonaea procumbens)

Conservation status: v, VU

Description:

 A low growing, prostrate shrub about 15cm tall  Small, glossy green leaves to about 3cm long  Leaves have 1 to 4 pointed tips  Very small brown-green flowers only about 3mm wide  Flowers during Summer (flowers can be hard to spot)  Seed pods start off green-brown and turn orange-brown  Seed pods have 3 or 4 stiff 'wings' (see picture)

Found in:

Low-lying areas in woodlands, open forests & grasslands – often in areas that are wet during Winter.

Leaf shapes

Seed pods Grampians Rice-flower (Pimelea pagophila)

Conservation status: v, L, P, VU, (Grampians endemic)

Description:

 Small, pale green shrub up to 1.2m tall  Leaves are narrow and smooth, grey-green and slightly paler on the underside  Flowers are groups of small white tubes clustered at the end of drooping branches  The inside of the small flower tubes appear hairy  Flowers in Spring

Found in:

Messmate and Brown Stringybark eucalypt forests, and heathlands – often where there is also a combination of Banksias, Tussock Grass and Bracken Fern growing. The soil is usually sandy grey.

Grampians Rice-flower can look very similar to the Slender Rice-flower (Below) and they're difficult to tell apart when not flowering. The white flower tubes of the Slender Rice-flower do not look hairy inside, they extend much further out, and the surrounding 4-5 leaves (bracts) are usually paler.

Slender Rice-flower

Clustered Daisy-bush (Olearia suffruticosa)

Conservation status: v, P

Description:

 Small shrub to 70cm tall  Leaves are small (25 x 1mm), narrow and flat  A very few small hairs may be noticeable on the upper surface of the leaves  Leaves are pressed close to the stem and branches  Flowers are small white (sometimes pink) daisies with a yellow centre  Flowers from February to May

Found in:

Swampy heathland

Downy Star-bush (Asterolasia phebalioides)

Conservation status: v, L, P, VU

Description:

 Small, greenish-grey shrub (sometimes almost brown looking) usually less than 1m tall  Leaves are thickly crowded on the branches and covered in woolly hairs  Leaves are up to 1cm long, slightly folded down the middle, and with a rounded tip  Flowers are bright yellow and have 5 petals  Flowers during Spring

Found in:

Open woodland and forest areas, and on rocky slopes along with other shrubs

Large-leaf Ray-flower (Cyphanthera anthocercidea)

Conservation status: r

Description:

 Shrub to 1m tall  Leaves are yellow-green  Flowers are white to 1.5cm across with purple veins  Flowers have 5 narrow petals which are joined at the base in a narrow tube  Flowering through Spring and Summer

Found in:

Rocky gullies in dry forest, and on exposed rocky outcrops in shrubland, in sandy soils.

Grampians Zieria (Zieria oreocena)

Conservation status: r, (Victorian endemic)

Description:

 Straggly shrub to 3m tall  Leaves are up to 8cm long and grow in groups of 3  Leaves are dark green and glossy on top, and pale and hairy underneath  Flowers are white, about 1cm wide, and with 4 petals  Flowering from August to November

Found in:

Northern Grampians in woodlands on shallow, rocky soils

Small-leaf Wax-flower (Philotheca difformis subsp. difformis)

Conservation status: e, L, P

Description:

 Shrub 1 to 2m tall  Leaves are small (8 x 2mm), fleshy and club-shaped  Smaller branches are green and warty or lumpy  Flower buds are pink  Flowers are white and star-shaped (about 1cm wide) with 5 petals  Flowers throughout the year

Found in:

Woodlands and open forest in sandy or rocky sites in the northern Grampians

Mt Cassell Grevillea (Grevillea microstegia)

Conservation status: r, L, P, (Grampians endemic)

Description:

 Scrambling or straggly shrub to 1m tall  Leaves are dark green, deeply toothed, rigid and prickly  Flowers are a deep red colour and made up of clusters of curved tubes  Flowers October to December

Found in:

Restricted to the Mt William Range in open forest and scrub on sandy or rocky soils

NOTE: There are two similar looking plants that the Mt Cassell Grevillea can be easily mistaken for (see below)

Grevillea aquifolium (above) has leaves that are less deeply toothed

Grevillea floripendula (above) has yellow- green flowers.

Scented Bush-pea (Pultenaea graveolens)

Conservation status: v, L, P

Description:

 Shrub to 1.5m tall with leaves crowded along the smaller branches  Branches appear droopy or pendulous  If you crush the leaves they smell similar to bubblegum (this can distinguish it from other similar looking species)  Leaves are narrow and up to 2cm long – the edges are slightly curled  Flowers are yellow with red markings towards the centre  Flowers in October  Seeds are held in a hairy, pea-like pod

Found in:

Dry Stringybark or Ironbark forests

Williamson's Bush-pea (Pultenaea williamsoniana)

Conservation status: r, VU

Description:

 Slender, upright shrub to 3m tall  Leaves short and narrow up to 1.5 cm long  Edges of the leaves curve in and tips of the leaves are prickly  Yellow pea flowers about 1cm wide with dark red-brown centres  Flowers from late Winter into Spring but mostly in October  Flowers are in groups of 3 to 5 at the end of short branchlets  Seeds are in plump pea pods that are slightly hairy

Found in:

Northern part of the Grampians between Mt Zero and Mt Difficult. Grows in sandy soils on rocky slopes in Brown Stringybark eucalypt bushland.

Grampians Bitter-pea (Daviesia laevis)

Conservation status: v, L, P, VU

Description:

 A slender shrub usually 2 to 4m tall  Branches are arching  Leaves are dull grey-green and up to 15cm long  Yellow pea flowers about 1cm wide with red-brown centres  Flowers are bunched together where leaves join the stem (Flowers September to December)  Seed pods are a roughly triangular shape about 1 x 0.5 cm  Can look very similar to Wattle trees when not in flower

Found in:

Usually grows in gullies in mountainous areas, on sandy soils.

Above: Seed pods

Grampians Stringybark (Eucalyptus serraensis)

Conservation status: r, (Grampians endemic)

Description:

 Small tree or mallee (may have more than one main stem) to 4m tall  Flaky bark on part of the stem or trunk – smooth above  Glossy green leaves, ovate (egg-shaped) particularly when young but ranging from ovate to more lanceolate (about 4 times as long as broad) in adult plants  Flower buds are oval-shaped, approx. 1 x 1cm, and very warty or lumpy  Fruit are cup-shaped and has 4 or 5 valves (sections or compartments that split open)  Flowers April through to November  Fruit and buds are similar to the Mt Abrupt Stringybark but are much smaller

Found in:

The Serra Range and Wonderland Range only in the Grampians

Fruit Flower buds

Mt Abrupt Stringybark (Eucalyptus verrucata)

Conservation status: r, (Grampians endemic)

Description:

 Small tree or shrub to 4m tall  Smooth, flaky bark  Glossy green leaves oval-shaped to almost round  Flower buds are oval 1 x 1cm and very warty or lumpy  Fruit are cup-shaped (roughly 2 x 2.5cm)  Fruit have 4 to 6 valves (compartments or sections that split open)  Flowers in July

Found in:

Exposed, rugged, rocky sites at Mt Abrupt (east of Mirranatwa Gap).

Fruit Flower buds

Mt William Snow Gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. pauciflora)

Conservation status: none

Description:

 Tree to 30m tall  Smooth bark, usually with scribbles, shed in long strips or patches  Grey-green leaves, slightly assymetrical, up to 16cm long  Flower buds (1 x 0.5cm) are club-shaped and in clusters of 7 to 15  Fruit are cup-shaped, often bronzed and shining, and usually have 3 valves (sections or compartments that split open)  Flowers December to February

Found in:

Higher peaks in the Grampians

Flower buds Fruit