Vegetation and Floristics of Naree and Yantabulla Dr John T. Hunter June 2015 23 Kendall Rd, Invergowrie NSW, 2350 Ph. & Fax: (02) 6775 2452 Email: [email protected] A Report to the Bush Heritage Australia i Vegetation of Naree & Yantabulla Contents Summary ................................................................................................................ i 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objectives ....................................................................................... 1 2 Methodology ...................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Site and species information ......................................................... 2 2.2 Data management ......................................................................... 3 2.3 Multivariate analysis ..................................................................... 3 2.4 Significant vascular plant taxa within the study area ............... 5 2.5 Mapping ......................................................................................... 5 2.6 Mapping caveats ............................................................................ 8 3 Results ................................................................................................................ 9 3.1 Site stratification ........................................................................... 9 3.2 Floristics ....................................................................................... 10 3.3 Community definition ................................................................. 13 3.4 Description of plant communities .............................................. 18 3.4.1 Element 1: Mulga Complex ................................................... 19 3.4.1.1 Sub-element Mulga Shrublands .................................. 19 3.4.1.1.1 Mulga – Poplar Box .......................................... 23 3.4.1.1.2 Mulga – Poplar Box – Bastard Mulga ............... 28 3.4.2 Element 2: Shrubland Complex ............................................. 34 3.4.2.1 Sub-element: Turpentine – Button/Windmill Grass.... 42 3.4.2.1.1 Turpentine Bush – Hop Bush ............................ 44 3.4.2.1.2 Turpentine – Elegant Wattle ............................. 49 3.4.2.2 Sub-element: Turpentine – Hopbush – Kerosine ........ 53 3.4.2.2.1 Turpentine – Hop Bush ..................................... 55 3.4.2.2.2 Black Oak – Rosewood ..................................... 60 3.4.2.2.3 Ironwood – Leopardwood – Suppledack .......... 65 3.4.3 Element 3: Floodplain Wetlands Complex ........................... 70 3.4.3.1 Coolibah – Black Box – Yapunyah – Lignum ............ 77 3.4.3.1.1 Yapunya – Black Box – River Cooba ............... 79 3.4.3.1.2 Coolibah – River Cooba – Yapunyah ............... 85 Dr John T. Hunter (02) 6775 2452 ii Vegetation of Naree & Yantabulla 3.4.3.2 Sub-element; Rat’s tail Couch – Lovegrass ................ 91 3.4.3.2.1 Rat’s tail Couch – Purple Love/Fairy Grass ..... 93 3.4.3.2.2 Rat’s tail Couch – Purple Lovegrass ................. 99 3.4.3.2.3 Darling Pratia – Rat’s tail Couch – Rush ........ 104 3.4.3.3 Sub-element Canegrass ............................................. 109 3.4.3.1 Canegrass ........................................................... 109 3.4.3.4 Sub-element: Lignum Glinus .................................... 112 3.4.3.4.1 Glinus – Groundsel –Lignum .......................... 112 3.4.3.5 Sub-element: Poplar Box – Black Box .................... 117 3.4.3.5.1 Poplar Box ....................................................... 119 3.4.3.5.2 Black Box ........................................................ 124 3.5 Taxa and Communities of Conservation Significance ........... 128 3.6 Fire .............................................................................................. 129 3.7 Introduced species ..................................................................... 136 References & Bibliography .......................................................................... 137 Appendix A: Taxon list with authorities and common name ........... 148 Appendix B: Locality and site information .............................................. 158 Appendix C: Uses of plants.......................................................................... 170 Acknowledgements ............................................................................. 203 Dr John T. Hunter (02) 6775 2452 iii Vegetation of Naree & Yantabulla Tables 1 Comparison of selected attributes between floristic surveys ........................ 12 Plates 1 Photographs of Community 1 .......................................................................... 26 2 Photographs of Community 1 .......................................................................... 27 3 Photographs of Community 2 .......................................................................... 31 4 Photographs of Community 2 .......................................................................... 32 5 Photograph of Community 2 ............................................................................ 33 6 Photograph of Community 3 ............................................................................ 47 7 Photograph of Community 3 ............................................................................ 48 8 Photograph of Community 4 ............................................................................ 51 9 Photograph of Community 4 ............................................................................ 52 10 Photographs of Community 5 ........................................................................ 58 11 Photographs of Community 5 ........................................................................ 59 12 Photographs of Community 6 ........................................................................ 63 13 Photographs of Community 6 ........................................................................ 64 14 Photographs of Community 7 ........................................................................ 68 15 Photographs of Community 7 ........................................................................ 69 16 Photographs of Community 8 ........................................................................ 82 17 Photographs of Community 8 ........................................................................ 83 18 Photographs of Community 8 ........................................................................ 84 19 Photograph of Community 9.......................................................................... 88 20 Photograph of Community 9.......................................................................... 89 21 Photograph of Community 9.......................................................................... 90 22 Photographs of Community 10 ...................................................................... 96 23 Photographs of Community 10 ...................................................................... 97 24 Photographs of Community 10 ...................................................................... 98 25 Photographs of Community 11 .................................................................... 102 26 Photographs of Community 11 .................................................................... 103 27 Photographs of Community 12 .................................................................... 107 28 Photographs of Community 12 .................................................................... 108 Dr John T. Hunter (02) 6775 2452 iv Vegetation of Naree & Yantabulla 29 Photographs of Community 13 .................................................................... 111 30 Photographs of Community 14 .................................................................... 114 31 Photograph of Community 14...................................................................... 115 32 Photograph of Community 15...................................................................... 122 33 Photograph of Community 15...................................................................... 123 34 Photographs of Community 16 .................................................................... 126 35 Photographs of Community 16 .................................................................... 127 36 Photograph of Dentella minutissima ............................................................ 128 Dr John T. Hunter (02) 6775 2452 v Vegetation of Naree & Yantabulla Figures 1 Coleman rarefaction curve of species richness .............................................. 11 2 Summary dendrogram of full dataset of sites surveyed ................................ 13 3 Location of Full Floristic and Rapid Sites ...................................................... 14 4 Major Element vegetation map ....................................................................... 15 5 Sub-element vegetation map ............................................................................ 16 6 Community vegetation map ............................................................................. 17 7 Mapped distribution of Mulga Complex/Mulga Shrublands ....................... 22 8 Mapped distribution of Community 1 ............................................................ 25 9 Mapped distribution of Community 2 ............................................................ 30 10 Landscape level effects of woody