WESTERNAUSTRALIAN HERBARIUM RESEARCH NOTES No, 1: 19-27 A VEGETATIONAND FLORA RECONNAISSANCE OF AVON LOCATION 19769 by A.S. GEORGEAND R.J. HNATIUK ABSTRACT Seven vegetation fornations conprising woodland, scrub (mallee), and shrubland are reported for the site about 280 kn south east of Perth, Western Australia. One hundred species of vascular plants are listed as ^^ ^.,rri n ^ rhai6 Issued by the WESTERNAUSTRALIAN HIRBARIIJM SOUTHPERTH, W.A. 6151 IviAy, 1978 No. 1 19 VEGETATIONAND FLORARECONNAISSANCE OF AVONLOCATION 19769 by A.S. GE0RGEAND R.J. HNATIUK (l!esteln Austral ian He-rbariurn, South Perth, W.A. 61,51) Avon location 19769 (32o31rS latitude, 117056'E longitude) is situated about 25 kilometres north west of Ku1in, a wheatbelt centre about 280 kilonetres south east of Perth, Western Australia (Ffg. 1). The area of the block of land is about 400 hectares and contains a variety of geomorphj-c features that Tange from deep, well-drained, yelLow sand, to clayey sand, to lateritic outcrops. Seven vegetation forrnations (as defined by Specht, Roe Q Boughton, L974, and modified by the Vegetation Cornmittee of the Australlan Biological Resources Survey) have been recognised on the location. These i) woodland dorninated by Eucalgptus lrandoo (Wandoo)i iil woodland dorninated by EtrcaLyptus salmonophloia (Salmon Gun), sometines with E. Longicorni s (MorreI) ; iii) low woodland dominated by 6. astringens (Brovn MalIet) ; iv) open scrub with the nallees E. erenophila " E. redunca ar,d E. pileata; v) high shrubland. of Casttarina catnpestz,is, C. acutiualuis and MeLaLeuca tmc'Lnata ; vi) low open-woodland of Casuarina cqnpesttis, Lepto sp er,ffnm, Melaleuca species and other shrubs, with scattered trees of Eucalgptus uandoo i vii) shrubland donlnated by EucaLyptus macrocanpa with a dense, species-rich, shrub understorey. The most inportant formation on the Location is the Eucalgptus mad,ocarpa shrubl and, for it is one which has becone rare in the wheatbelt. Although E. macz,ocalpa itself extends north-westwards to the Hill River region, its associated species vary considerabJ-y, and no assqnblage such as occurs on Location 19769 is knoranin a conservation reserve. The woodlands of the Location are important biologically because they represent fomations which through clearing have becorne scarce in the wheatbelt. The Location nay be large enough to support viable populations of some snaller native fauna. Plant. species that are of speclal interest include outliers fron the Eastern Goldfields such as Dauiesia pachyLi,rn, Eucalyptus sheathiana, and )Leat:ia truellevi. An undescribed Baeckea is known only fron this locality, while an undescribed fsopogon for;nd here is restricted to this part of the wheatbelt. Acacia glaucopter,a ts a northern outlier of a specles of south coastal distribution, whlLe Acacia puloiniformis is a rarely found species. 20 A.S. George& R.J. Hnatiuk No. 1 A broad strip across the northern end of, the Location has been rolled, probably about 8-10 years ago. It has apparently not been subsequently burned or cultivated, and the regeneration of indigenous flora has been excellent. This includes the maln area of EucaLuptus macrocarpa. A small graveL pit has been openedon the site. A tentative list of plant species is presented in Table 1 and represents 100 taxa that were found during two visits in September Ig76 and April 1977. A series of photographs illustrating the range of vegetatj-on i s oirren in Fi orrl^cs 2-1 1 TABLE 1 FLORALIST FOR AVONLOCATION 19769 Acacia aanminata Benth. Ettcalgptus pileata Blakely Acacia glarrcoptera Benth. Eucalgptus redunca Schau . *Acacia puloinifornis Maiden & Blakely Euealgptus saLmonophloia F, Muell . Acacia rest'iacea Benth. Eucalgptus sheathiana Maiden Amphipogon ka"biratus R.Br . EucaLA ptus tyan sc ontinentaLi s Baeckea crispifLora F. Muel1. Maiden *Baeckea sp. EucaLAptus rmcinata Turcz . Banksia sphaeracarpa R.Br . Eucalyptus uandoo BIakeIy *Banksia Dialacea C.A. Gardn. Gask:olobium spinosun Benth. *Gastrolobium Beaufortia incana (Benth. ) A.S. George sp. Be auf oz: t i,a mic z,an t|ta Schau. Goodenia Datsonii F. Mue11. & Tate *Boronia *Greuillea cap.:tata Benth. aff . hookez,ana l4eisn. boT4a n'LxadA LaDl11 . Gz,euillea huegeLii Mei sn . Ydlothconnus sp. Greuillea ? paniculata luleisn. Calytrir brachgphylla Tttcz . Greuillea unci.nuLata Diel s Cassia nenophila Cunn. ex J.R.T. Vogel Hakea ba:Lteri R.Br. Casuarina acutiualuis F. Muell. Hakea falcata R.B'r . Casttarina campestris DieI s Hakea gilbertii Kipp . Casuaz:ina hunilis Otto q Dietr. Hakea Lis socarpha R.Br . Clnmaerero s sert a Benth. Hakea nultilineata Mer-sr,. Chloanthes cocct nea BartI . Haked prostrarla R.Br. Conosperrnum bracteosum Meisn . Hakea scoparia Meisn , Canospermurndistichun R.B'r . Hakea sub sulcata Meisn ,. Conospermun ephedToides (Kipp. ) Nlelsn. Hakea undulata R. Br. Crgptandra sp. Helichrg aun sp. Darnpiera sp. Hibbertia suboaginata (Steud. *Dao ) i es -'a pachyl ina Turcz . F. MueI1. Dodornea attenuata A. Cunn. Isapogon aff . btnifolias R.Br. Dodonaea but:sari.ifolia Behr, & Isopogon scabriusculus Nleisn . t""t t ' fsopogon teretifolius R.Bt:. Drgand:naferruginea *ronf' *Isopogon sp. Drgand:ra niuea R.BT. *Lqnbez,tia ilicifoLia Hook . Dryandna uest'Lta (Kipp. ) Meisn. L,xrmannia sp . Dngarrlra spp. (3) Lepid.ospetma sp. Ez,enophila uooll siayn F. Mue1l . Leptosperrru,n sp. EucalAptus aLb'ida Maiden & Blakely Lonand.ra effusa (Lindl. ) Ewart EucaLyptus as tning ens Maiden Lorocar\a sp. Eucalgptus eremophila (Diels) Maiden Melaleuca uncinal;a R.Br . Eucalgptus Long"Jcorn'LsF. Mue11. 4'lelaleuca spp . (2+) Eucalgptus Lonophleba Benth . ALearLa ntuellez,i (Sond. ) Benth. Eycalyptus mdcrocarpa F. Mue1l . )Learia sp. * represented by voucher specimen in the Western Australian Herbariurn (PERTFI) t' No. 1 Avon Location 2L OngLobiun paruiflorwn Benth. Ihamasia sp. Persoonia. spp. (2) Thz:gptomeneracemtlosa Turcz . PetrophiLe circinata Kipp. Vev,tic oy'dia chry smttln EndI . Pet:rophile erLcifoLia R.Br. Vez:ticoy,dia gnmLdifLora EndI . Petnophile nedia R.Br. Verticor'dia i.nsignis EndL. Petz,ophiLe Lrifida R.Br. Vey,ticoz'dLaoual ifolia Meisn. *Pulterwea sp. Verticot dia sez,z'ata(Lindl .) Schau. Stipa sp. XantLnrryho ea nana. He'tbett TanpLetonia sulcata (Meisn.) Benth. REFERENCES Specht, R.L., Roe, E.M.., and Boughton, V.H. fg74- Conservation of major plant connuities in Australia and papua New Guinea. Austz,aLian JournaL of BotanA SuppLenentarA Seri,es No. Z. li.. l z2 A.S. George& R.J. Hnatiuk No. 1 .-ts Yq. N z+ a F (tl \oOl f\ O'l o .!o J .gN LO o bo u- 3 o bt No. 1 Avon Location 23 Fig. 2. Woodland with EucaLgptus Dandaa. Understorey of Casuan:ina campest!,is, Ground cover - BorAa, ? Lorocan ya. Fig. 3. Regeneratlon nF+an rnrr'inn F,,--7'.-1tts Iarophleba, casua.r,in t T ^--'t^^- ^"*- -^ campestz,is, rey Lqaoyerl\q >P. A.S. George 6 R.J. Hnatiuk No. 1 Flg. 4. Foreground - regeneration of Eucalgptus eremophila (mallee) Behind - EucaLgpt:us salnonophloia. Fig. 5. Woodland - Eucalyptus salnonophloia (Ieft) , EucalAptus Longicornis (r ight ) . Shrubs - )Lear.i,a muellerL, Dodoruaea,Helichry sum, etc . No. 1 Avon Location 25 Fig. 6. Eucalyptus macrocarpa and heath - Hakea, MelaLeuca, Dryandra, Petxophile, Verticordia, etc. Fig. 7. Low woodland doninated by Eucalgptus astrinqens, 1itt1e understorey. 26 A.S. George € R.J, Hnatiuk No. 1 Fig. 8. Regeneration after fire - Casuarirn canpestr.is, MeLaleuca spp., Lepido sperrnc, Dryand.z,a, etc. Trees - EucaLyptus Lnndao . Fig. 9. LeptospermLtrn ? ey'ubescens(foreground), Eucalgptus erenophila (right), Casuaz,i,nacernpestr.Ls (left rear) . No. 1 Avon Locatlon 27 Fig. 10. Edge of Eucalgptus macrocarpa - heath, with emergent Acacl:a Lasiocalyr and E. macrocarpa. Fig. 11. Viewof edgeof lateritjc ridge with taLI EucalAptus redunca, Casuartna campestris, C, acutiualuis, ^- +r.^ -i r^^ E_-OSed nallid unne ^f lataritic cnil nrn€i le in niddle ground..