AA FFlloorriissttiicc SSuurrvveeyy ooff tthhee WWhhiicchheerr SSccaarrpp A Floristic Survey of the Whicher Scarp BJ Keighery 1, GJ Keighery 1, A Webb 1, VM Longman 1 and EA Griffin 2 1 Department of Environment and Conservation 2 EA Griffin and Associates A report for the Department of Environment and Conservation as part of the Swan Bioplan Project April 2008 Cover photographs (clockwise from the top left) Cover photograph 1: Mountain Marri and Jarrah woodland over Xanthorrhoea acanthostachya on sandy laterite Cover photograph 2: Mountain Marri and Jarrah woodland on deep white sand Cover photograph 3: Mountain Marri, Jarrah, Banksia grandis and Banksia attenuata woodland on deep coloured sands Cover photograph 4: Gale Road Ironstones Cover photograph 5: Actinotus whicheranus A Floristic Survey of the Whicher Scarp CONTENTS SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 3 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Location, Geology, Landforms and Soils......................................................................................... 5 1.2 Natural Regions................................................................................................................................ 6 1.3 Vegetation and Flora ........................................................................................................................ 7 1.3.1 Vegetation.................................................................................................................................... 7 1.3.1.1 Remaining Native Vegetation in the Busselton Area.......................................................... 7 1.3.1.2 Pre-European Vegetation .................................................................................................... 7 1.3.1.3 Vegetation Complexes ........................................................................................................ 7 1.3.1.4 Swan Coastal Plain Floristic Studies - Floristic Community Types ................................... 7 1.3.1.5 Dardanup Forest Block Study ............................................................................................. 8 1.3.2 Flora ............................................................................................................................................. 8 1.3.2.1 Dampiera linearis Study ..................................................................................................... 8 1.3.2.2 Identification of a Diverse flora, including a Large Number of Endemic and Disjunct Flora .................................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.2.3 Ancient Links ...................................................................................................................... 9 1.3.2.4 Dardanup Forest Block Study ............................................................................................. 9 1.4 Conservation Reserves ..................................................................................................................... 9 1.5 Purpose of the Survey..................................................................................................................... 10 2 METHODS AND LIMITATIONS ...................................................................................................... 11 2.1 General Methods, Terminology and Definitions............................................................................ 11 2.2 Boundaries of the Whicher Scarp................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Extent of Native Vegetation ........................................................................................................... 11 2.4 Vegetation and Flora Data Sources ................................................................................................ 12 2.5 Floristic Associations ..................................................................................................................... 12 2.5.1 Quadrat data............................................................................................................................... 12 2.5.2 Analysis...................................................................................................................................... 13 2.6 Flora ............................................................................................................................................... 14 2.6.1 Total Flora.................................................................................................................................. 14 2.6.2 Significant Flora......................................................................................................................... 15 2.6.2.1 Western Australian Listed Species.................................................................................... 15 2.6.2.2 Commonwealth Listed Species ......................................................................................... 15 2.6.2.3 Geographic Variation ........................................................................................................ 15 2.6.2.3.1 Taxa Range Ends (r) .................................................................................................... 16 2.6.2.3.2 Disjunct Taxa (d) ......................................................................................................... 16 2.6.2.3.3 Population Status.......................................................................................................... 16 2.6.2.4 Taxa with Regional and/or Ecological Preferences........................................................... 16 2.6.2.4.1 Endemic Taxa (e)......................................................................................................... 16 2.6.2.4.2 Taxa with Ecological Preferences (h) .......................................................................... 17 2.6.2.5 Taxa with Morphological and/or Genetic Variation ......................................................... 17 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Current Extent of Native Vegetation and Vegetation Complexes.................................................. 18 3.2 Floristic Associations ..................................................................................................................... 18 3.2.1 Floristic group A: Whicher Scarp woodlands of grey/white sands............................................ 20 3.2.1.1 Floristic community type A1: Central Whicher Scarp Mountain Marri woodland........... 21 3.2.1.2 Floristic community type A2: North Whicher Scarp Jarrah and Woody Pear woodland . 21 3.2.1.3 Floristic community type A3: North Whicher Scarp Banksia and Woody Pear woodland ........................................................................................................................... 21 3.2.1.4 Floristic community type A4: Whicher Scarp Banksia grandis, Jarrah and Marri woodland ........................................................................................................................... 21 A report for the Department of Environment and Conservation BJ Keighery et al. 2008 i A Floristic Survey of the Whicher Scarp 3.2.1.5 Floristic community type A5: Central/North Whicher Scarp Mountain Marri woodland.22 3.2.2 Floristic group B: Swan Coastal Plain centred woodlands of grey/white sands ........................22 3.2.2.1 Floristic community type B1: Swan Coastal Plain/North Whicher Scarp Banksia attenuata woodland ...........................................................................................................22 3.2.2.2 Floristic community type B2: West Whicher Scarp Banksia attenuata woodland ...........22 3.2.3 Floristic group C: Whicher Scarp woodlands of coloured sands and laterites...........................23 3.2.3.1 Floristic community type C1: Central Whicher Scarp Jarrah woodland...........................24 3.2.3.2 Floristic community type C2: Whicher Scarp Jarrah woodland of deep coloured sands ..24 3.2.3.3 Floristic community type C3: Whicher Scarp Jarrah and Mountain Marri woodland on laterites .........................................................................................................................24 3.2.3.4 Floristic community type C4: Whicher Scarp/Blackwood Plateau Jarrah and Marri woodland ...........................................................................................................................24 3.2.3.5 Floristic community type C5: Dardanup Jarrah and Mountain Marri woodland on laterite................................................................................................................................25 3.2.3.6 Floristic community type C6: Swan Coastal Plain Foothills Jarrah woodland on laterite 25 3.2.4 Floristic group D: Woodlands of the Harvey Swan Coastal Plain Foothills and Darling Scarp 25 3.2.5 Floristic group E: Jarrah and Marri woodland wetland type 1...................................................26 3.2.6 Floristic group F: Jarrah and Marri