The distribution, relative abundance and conservation status of Doryanthes palmeri (Doryanthaceae) in New South Wales

  • Doryanthes palmeri is a giant, flowering succulent herb endemic to north-east NSW and south-east Queensland. Prior to this study, only two D. palmeri sites had been reported in NSW. This study revealed a further nine sites, all of which are restricted to the Mt Warning caldera. Doryanthes palmeri occurs on infertile lithosols or grows as a lithophyte on bare rock. It occurs in a narrow band of vegetation along the cliff-tops and on steep cliff-faces or rocky ledges in montane heath next to subtropical rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest or warm temperate forest. There are around 6000 mature D. palmeri plants in north-east NSW. Populations at each site occur as clusters on a relatively small amount of the available habitat. The area of occupancy of D. palmeri is less than 1 km2 with an average distance between sites of 6.3 km. However, the distribution consists of four groups of populations with an average of 15 km between the groups suggesting a poor ability to disperse. There appear to be limits to the extent that plants can expand at some sites which are due mainly to low recruitment of juveniles into the population, illegal seed harvesting and the competition of faster growing native or weed species. The present populations, therefore, are restricted to their current exposed positions. The small restricted, fragmented distribution and current threats to the population suggests that D. palmeri should be regarded as a vulnerable species.

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Metadaten
Author:Deborah A. Perry
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-368257
ISSN:0727-9620
Parent Title (English):Cunninghamia : a journal of plant ecology for eastern Australia
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2015/01/30
Year of first Publication:2001
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2015/01/30
Volume:7
Issue:2
Page Number:12
First Page:183
Last Page:193
HeBIS-PPN:367896869
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 58 Pflanzen (Botanik) / 580 Pflanzen (Botanik)
Sammlungen:Sammlung Biologie / Sondersammelgebiets-Volltexte
Zeitschriften / Jahresberichte:Cunninghamia : A Journal of Plant Ecology for Eastern Australia / Cunninghamia : A Journal of Plant Ecology for Eastern Australia, Volume 7, Issue 2 (2001)
:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-365255
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht