MU 2 MOUNTAIN GULLY GREY MYRTLE DRY RAINFOREST CORRESPONDING CLASSIFICATIONS Regional: RF38 Grey Myrtle Dry Rainforest State: Dry Rainforest Number of Sites: 7 Average number of identified native species per plot: 31 DESCRIPTION Grey Myrtle Dry Rainforest occurs in the Capertee Valley in narrow isolated patches. It is closely associated with drainage lines and sheltered slopes of the prominent escarpments of the Valley. While mostly tied to the Permian Sediments small patches are also found amongst Limestone outcropping. The community is a dry rainforest assemblage occurring in areas with mean annual rainfall generally less than 850 millimetres per annum. Backhousia myrtifolia forms a dense canopy varying from stunted thickets to small trees in more protected locations. Ficus rubiginosa or Photograph by Bec Allport Rapanea howittiana may dominate at individual sites or share the canopy. Emergent eucalypts may also feature above the rainforest canopy including Eucalyptus tereticornis, E. punctata and E. cypellocarpa. Melaleuca styphelioides is occasionally found along drainage lines or amongst protected soaks. The shrub layer is variable and may include the spiky shrubs Bursaria spinosa and Hymenanthera dentata. An array of ferns and vines provide a sparse cover across a dry to damp soil. Asplenium flabellifolium, Adiantum aethiopicum, Pellaea spp., Pandorea pandorana subsp. pandorana and Aphanopetalum resinosum are typical. Also found are herbs including Plectranthus parvifolius, Dichondra repens and the small epiphyte Pyrrosia rupestris. At particularly dry sites, vines and ferns are virtually absent from the community leaving an open exposed dry soil or rock cover. Grey Myrtle Dry Rainforest is widespread throughout the Sydney Basin Bioregion in dry gorges throughout the southern Blue Mountains and dry gullies Northern Wollemi National aprk. As much of the sandstone reserve system falls within these environments, this community is well conserved with very little subject to previous clearing. Tindall et al. (2004) estimate that at least 75 percent of the pre-clearing distribution remains. STRUCTURAL SUMMARY Stratum Count AvLowHt AvHt maxHt AvCover SDcover minCover maxCover E 1 25 40 40 2 2 2 T 1 4 18 18 75 75 75 M1 1 0.10 0.50 0.5 25 25 25 L1 1 0.10 0.1 60 60 60 FLORISTIC SUMMARY Emergents Angophora floribunda, Eucalyptus punctata, Eucalyptus cypellocarpa, Eucalyptus polyanthemos, Eucalyptus tereticornis The Vegetation of the Western Blue Mountains 7 Trees Backhousia myrtifolia, Ficus rubiginosa, Rapanea howittiana, Pittosporum undulatum, Melaleuca styphelioides, Low Trees and Shrubs Breynia oblongifolia, Notelaea longifolia forma longifolia Ground Covers Asplenium flabellifolium, Adiantum aethiopicum, Pellaea falcata, Pellaea nana, Plectranthus parvifolius, Oplismenus imbecillis, Dichondra repens, Microlaena stipoides, Pyrrosia rupestris, Desmodium varians, Doodia aspera Vines & Climbers Pandorea pandorana subsp. pandorana, Geitonoplesium cymosum Aphanopetalum resinosum, Eustrephus latifolius, Cissus antarctica, Stephania japonica var. japonica KEY IDENTIFYING FEATURES Easily recognisable features to assist in identifying this map unit are: • Dense canopy cover of grey myrtle (Backhousia myrtifolia) in sheltered locations. • Sprawling low growing Port Jackson fig (Ficus rubiginosa). • A mixture of ferns and vines including wonga wonga vine (Pandorea pandorana subsp. pandorana), scrambling lily (Geitonoplesium cymosum), necklace fern (Asplenium flabellifolium), sickle fern (Pellaea falcata) and common maidenhair (Adiantum aethiopicum). EXAMPLE LOCATIONS In the Capertee Valley: Headwaters of Coco Creek, Upper Glen Alice Escarpment, Gardens of Stone National Park near Crown Creek. CONDITION ASSESSMENT Disturbance Class Area (ha) Proportion Extant (%) A Low 29.5 76.5 B Medium 6.33 16.42 C High 2.71 7.03 Total 38.50 100 8 The Vegetation of the Western Blue Mountains THREATENED PLANT SPECIES Definite: Prostanthera stricta Possible: Grammitis stenophylla, Lastreopsis hispida DIAGNOSTIC SPECIES Species Name Group Score Group Freq Non Group Non Group Fidelity Class (%) Score Freq (%) Adiantum aethiopicum 2 83.33 2 8.15 positive Asplenium flabellifolium 2 83.33 2 14.31 positive Backhousia myrtifolia 5 83.33 3 3.27 positive Cissus hypoglauca 3 50.00 2 1.51 positive Cissus opaca 1 16.66 0 0.00 positive Clematis glycinoides 2 83.33 2 30.46 positive Desmodium varians 2 66.67 2 19.10 positive Dianella caerulea 2 50.00 2 22.06 positive Dichondra repens 2 83.33 2 24.06 positive Dodonaea lanceolata var. 1 16.66 0 0.00 positive subsessilifolia Doodia aspera 2 50.00 2 4.23 positive Eucalyptus cypellocarpa 3 66.67 3 7.99 positive Eupomatia laurina 3 16.66 0 0.00 positive Galium propinquum 2 50.00 2 11.03 positive Geitonoplesium cymosum 2 100.00 2 13.03 positive Hymenophyllum australe 1 16.66 0 0.00 positive Lepidosperma elatius 2 50.00 1 0.31 positive Melaleuca styphelioides 3 50.00 3 0.47 positive Microlaena stipoides var. stipoides 2 50.00 2 26.70 positive Notelaea longifolia 2 66.67 1 3.19 positive Notodanthonia longifolia 2 66.67 2 6.95 positive Oplismenus aemulus 2 66.67 2 1.75 positive Pandorea pandorana subsp. 2 83.33 2 8.39 positive pandorana Pellaea falcata 2 83.33 2 7.91 positive Pittosporum undulatum 2 83.33 1 2.31 positive Pterostylis nutans 2 66.67 1 0.55 positive Pyrrosia rupestris 2 50.00 2 3.83 positive Solanum prinophyllum 2 50.00 2 10.23 positive Thelionema umbellatum 1 16.66 0 0.00 positive Viola hederacea 2 50.00 2 16.79 positive Lomandra filiformis 0 0.00 2 36.37 negative Lomandra longifolia 1 50.00 2 39.48 negative Poa sieberiana 3 16.66 2 40.05 negative The Vegetation of the Western Blue Mountains 9.