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In January 1843, curiosity for natural history led a young German naturalist, Ludwig Leichhardt, to spend about three weeks exploring Mt Royal on the north of the Hunter Valley, about 70 km north west of Newcastle, New South Wales. This was a sidetrack on his journey from Newcastle, through the Hunter Valley and inland to Moreton Bay (Brisbane) and preceded the journeys for which he was to become famous; his 1844–45 overland journey from Moreton Bay to Port Essington (in Northern Territory) and his disappearance without trace in 1848 attempting to cross Australia. Using his Diary and herbarium records this paper brings together the chronological events of the 29 year old Leichhardt’s journey, the plant and animal species recorded, the specimens collected and his landscape descriptions and compares the 1843 landscape with the area today. Most of it is now in Mount Royal National Park, and part of the Gondwana Rainforest Reserves World Heritage Area. Using Mt Royal as an example of the richness of Leichhardt’s scientific legacy, we draw attention to the existence of a considerable number of Leichhardt’s plant specimens in herbaria in Sydney and Melbourne relating to his early collecting around Sydney and the little-known journey from Newcastle to Moreton Bay. Leichhardt’s visit to Mt Royal provides an insight into a gifted young naturalist coping with some of the hardships of nineteenth century botanical exploration, in a landscape which is easily recognizable and of which much is remarkably little changed since European settlement.
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA), a natural area of about one million hectares immediately west of Sydney, Australia, is significant for its biodiversity, and particularly for its richness of eucalypt species (species of Eucalyptus, Angophora and Corymbia in the family Myrtaceae), numbered at 96 species in 2010. This paper describes the finding of a previously unlisted Angophora species in the GBMWHA, and makes a conservation assessment of the population. A population of the Broad-leaved Apple Angophora subvelutina F. Muell. occurs at Euroka Clearing south of Glenbrook just within the eastern edge of Blue Mountains National Park, one of the eight conservation reserves that make up the GBMWHA. The population numbers over 200 plants and there is evidence that the species has been present at the site since before European settlement. The population includes a mixture of age classes and is considered viable, although substantial intergradation is occurring with the closely related species Angophora floribunda. Elsewhere in the Sydney area, the species is relatively uncommon and has been extensively cleared from its relatively fertile habitats. The population in the GBMWHA noted here has conservation significance for its size and long history at the site, and for the unusual ecological conditions of the Euroka diatreme, which is an atypical habitat for the species.
The first scientific observations on the flora of eastern Australia were made at Botany Bay in April–May 1770. We discuss the landscapes of Botany Bay and particularly of the historic landing place at Kurnell (lat 34˚ 00’ S, long 151˚ 13’ E) (about 16 km south of central Sydney), as described in the journals of Lieutenant James Cook and Joseph Banks on the Endeavour voyage in 1770. We list 132 plant species that were collected at Botany Bay by Banks and Daniel Solander, the first scientific collections of Australian flora. The list is based on a critical assessment of unpublished lists compiled by authors who had access to the collection of the British Museum (now Natural History Museum), together with species from material at National Herbarium of New South Wales that has not been previously available. The list includes Bidens pilosa which has been previously regarded as an introduced species. In 1770 the Europeans set foot on Aboriginal land of the Dharawal people. Since that time the landscape has been altered in response to a succession of different land-uses; farming and grazing, commemorative tree planting, parkland planting, and pleasure ground and tourist visitation. We describe and reconstruct the 1770 vegetation and landscape features of the Kurnell landing place site, now within Botany Bay National Park, based on primary historical sources and surviving remnants of the landscape, and suggest ways in which the remnants can be rehabilitated and enhanced to protect and focus on the botanical, historical and cultural values of this important place.
By the time Robert Brown visited western Sydney (1802–1805), its vegetation was already beginning to be affected by settlers' activities. The Cumberland Plain Woodland that occurred on the clay soils has now been extensively cleared and long-term management of remnants for species conservation is of high priority. Robert Brown's collections in the area, together with descriptions by Atkinson, Cunningham and other writers, provide us with valuable information on the vegetation and its floristic composition. Supported by recent site monitoring at Mount Annan Botanic Garden at Campbelltown, we interpret this information in the light of current ecological knowledge and conclude that:
• Woodland structure is variable in the short term; therefore seeking to conserve structure exactly as described in the historical literature is not necessarily appropriate.
• While the historical literature provides evidence of the broad floristic composition of the Cumberland Plain area overall, it does not provide sufficient detail on individual sites; future management of specific sites must therefore be based on current data.
• The evidence suggests relatively few species have become extinct overall, possibly because many species appear to be relatively long-lived, and have mechanisms to survive drought, fire and grazing, though not soil alteration.
• Many species, however, are now distributed patchily in localised remnants and rare species are not clustered in a predictable way; species diversity is therefore likely to be lost if further clearing of remnants occurs.
Ecological data in tabular form are provided on 668 plant species of the families Lemnaceae to Zosteraceae, 505 native and 163 exotics, occurring in the Sydney region, defined by the Central Coast and Central Tablelands botanical subdivisions of New South Wales (approximately bounded by Lake Macquarie, Orange, Crookwell and Nowra). Relevant Local Government Areas are Auburn, Ashfield, Bankstown, Bathurst, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Botany, Burwood, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canada Bay, Canterbury, Cessnock, Crookwell, Evans, Fairfield, Greater Lithgow, Gosford, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Hurstville, Kiama, Kogarah, Ku-ring-gai, Lake Macquarie, Lane Cove, Leichhardt, Liverpool, Manly, Marrickville, Mosman, Mulwaree, North Sydney, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Pittwater, Randwick, Rockdale, Ryde, Rylstone, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, South Sydney, Strathfield, Sutherland, Sydney City, Warringah, Waverley, Willoughby, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong, Woollahra and Wyong. The study area falls within the Sydney Basin IBRA Bioregion.
Families are: Lemnaceae, Liliaceae, Lomandraceae, Luzuriagaceae, Najadaceae, Orchidaceae, Philydraceae, Phormiaceae, Poaceae, Pontederiaceae, Posidoniaceae, Potamogetonaceae, Restionaceae, Ripogonaceae, Smilacaceae, Sparganiaceae, Thismiaceae, Typhaceae, Uvulariaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae, Xyridaceae, Zingiberaceae, Zosteraceae.
Data are derived from herbarium collections, literature and field observations. It is hoped that the many, often alarming gaps in the information available will stimulate much-needed research into the ecology of more of the species. Information is provided so far as available to us for each plant species in the following categories:
Life History: Growth form, vegetative spread, longevity, primary juvenile period (time from germination to fruiting), reproduction, flowering and fruiting times, fruit/seed type, dispersal, establishment and growth, fire response, interaction with other organisms.
Distribution: Status/origin (native/naturalised), botanical subregions, distribution in Sydney area, selected locations.
Habitat: Habitat, altitude, annual rainfall, typical local abundance, vegetation, substrate, exposure.
Conservation: Conservation status.
Ecological data in tabular form are provided on 149 plant species of the families Nyctaginaceae to Primulaceae, 75 native and 74 exotics, occurring in the Sydney region, defined by the Central Coast and Central Tablelands botanical subdivisions of New South Wales (approximately bounded by Lake Macquarie, Orange, Crookwell and Nowra). Relevant Local Government Areas are Auburn, Ashfield, Bankstown, Bathurst, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Botany, Burwood, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury, Cessnock, Concord, Crookwell, Drummoyne, Evans, Fairfield, Greater Lithgow, Gosford, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Hurstville, Kiama, Kogarah, Ku-Ring-Gai, Lake Macquarie, Lane Cove, Leichhardt, Liverpool, Manly, Marrickville, Mosman, Mulwaree, North Sydney, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Pittwater, Randwick, Rockdale, Ryde, Rylstone, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, South Sydney, Strathfield, Sutherland, Sydney City, Warringah, Waverley, Willoughby, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong, Woollahra and Wyong.
Families are: Nyctaginaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Ochnaceae, Olacaceae, Oleaceae, Onagraceae, Oxalidaceae, Papaveraceae, Passifloraceae, Peperomiaceae, Piperaceae, Pittosporaceae, Plantaginaceae, Plumbaginaceae, Polemoniaceae, Polygalaceae, Polygonaceae, Portulacaceae, Primulaceae.
Data are derived from herbarium collections, literature and field observations. It is hoped that the many, often alarming gaps in the information available will stimulate much-needed research into the ecology of more of the species. Information is provided so far as available to us for each plant species in the following categories:
Life History: Growth form, vegetative spread, longevity, primary juvenile period (time from germination to fruiting), reproduction, flowering and fruiting times, fruit/seed type, dispersal, establishment and growth, fire response, interaction with other organisms.
Distribution: Status/origin (native/naturalised), botanical subregions, distribution in Sydney area, selected locations.
Habitat: Habitat, altitude, annual rainfall, typical local abundance, vegetation, substrate, exposure.
Conservation: Conservation status.
Ecological data in tabular form are provided on 246 plant species of the families Proteaceae to Rubiaceae, 216 native and 30 exotics, occurring in the Sydney region, defined by the Central Coast and Central Tablelands botanical subdivisions of New South Wales (approximately bounded by Lake Macquarie, Orange, Crookwell and Nowra). Relevant Local Government Areas are Auburn, Ashfield, Bankstown, Bathurst, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Botany, Burwood, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury, Cessnock, Concord, Crookwell, Drummoyne, Evans, Fairfield, Greater Lithgow, Gosford, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Hurstville, Kiama, Kogarah, Ku-Ring-Gai, Lake Macquarie, Lane Cove, Leichhardt, Liverpool, Manly, Marrickville, Mosman, Mulwaree, North Sydney, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Pittwater, Randwick, Rockdale, Ryde, Rylstone, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, South Sydney, Strathfield, Sutherland, Sydney City, Warringah, Waverley, Willoughby, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong, Woollahra and Wyong. The study area falls within the Sydney Basin IBRA Bioregion.
Families are: Proteaceae, Ranunculaceae, Resedaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rosaceae, Rubiaceae.
Data are derived from herbarium collections, literature and field observations. It is hoped that the many, often alarming gaps in the information available will stimulate much-needed research into the ecology of more of the species. Information is provided so far as available to us for each plant species in the following categories:
Life History: Growth form, vegetative spread, longevity, primary juvenile period (time from germination to fruiting), reproduction, flowering and fruiting times, fruit/seed type, dispersal, establishment and growth, fire response, interaction with other organisms.
Distribution: Status/origin (native/naturalised), botanical subregions, distribution in Sydney area, selected locations.
Habitat: Habitat, altitude, annual rainfall, typical local abundance, vegetation, substrate, exposure.
Conservation: Conservation status.
Ecological data in tabular form are provided on 325 plant species of the families Rutaceae to Zygophyllaceae, 236 native and 89 exotics, occurring in the Sydney region, defined by the Central Coast and Central Tablelands botanical subdivisions of New South Wales (approximately bounded by Lake Macquarie, Orange, Crookwell and Nowra). Relevant Local Government Areas are Auburn, Ashfield, Bankstown, Bathurst, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Botany, Burwood, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury, Cessnock, Concord, Crookwell, Drummoyne, Evans, Fairfield, Greater Lithgow, Gosford, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Hurstville, Kiama, Kogarah, Ku-Ring-Gai, Lake Macquarie, Lane Cove, Leichhardt, Liverpool, Manly, Marrickville, Mosman, Mulwaree, North Sydney, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Pittwater, Randwick, Rockdale, Ryde, Rylstone, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, South Sydney, Strathfield, Sutherland, Sydney City, Warringah, Waverley, Willoughby, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong, Woollahra and Wyong. The study area falls within the Sydney Basin IBRA Bioregion.
Families are: Rutaceae, Salicaceae, Sambucaceae, Santalaceae, Sapindaceae, Sapotaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Selaginaceae, Simaroubaceae, Solanaceae, Stackhousiaceae, Sterculiaceae, Stylidiaceae, Symplocaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Tremandraceae, Tropaeolaceae, Ulmaceae, Urticaceae, Valerianaceae, Verbenaceae, Viburnaceae, Violaceae, Viscaceae, Vitaceae, Winteraceae, Zygophyllaceae.
Data are derived from herbarium collections, literature and field observations. It is hoped that the many, often alarming gaps in the information available will stimulate much-needed research into the ecology of more of the species. Information is provided so far as available to us for each plant species in the following categories:
Life History: Growth form, vegetative spread, longevity, primary juvenile period (time from germination to fruiting), reproduction, flowering and fruiting times, fruit/seed type, dispersal, establishment and growth, fire response, interaction with other organisms.
Distribution: Status/origin (native/naturalised), botanical subregions, distribution in Sydney area, selected locations.
Habitat: Habitat, altitude, annual rainfall, typical local abundance, vegetation, substrate, exposure.
Conservation: Conservation status.
Ecological data in tabular form are provided on 361 plant species of the families Agavaceae to Juncaginaceae, 260 native and 101 exotics, occurring in the Sydney region, defined by the Central Coast and Central Tablelands botanical subdivisions of New South Wales (approximately bounded by Lake Macquarie, Orange, Crookwell and Nowra). Relevant Local Government Areas are Auburn, Ashfield, Bankstown, Bathurst, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Botany, Burwood, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury, Cessnock, Concord, Crookwell, Drummoyne, Evans, Fairfield, Greater Lithgow, Gosford, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Hurstville, Kiama, Kogarah, Ku-Ring-Gai, Lake Macquarie, Lane Cove, Leichhardt, Liverpool, Manly, Marrickville, Mosman, Mulwaree, North Sydney, Oberon, Orange, Parramatta, Penrith, Pittwater, Randwick, Rockdale, Ryde, Rylstone, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, South Sydney, Strathfield, Sutherland, Sydney City, Warringah, Waverley, Willoughby, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong, Woollahra and Wyong. The study area falls within the Sydney Basin IBRA Bioregion.
Families are: Agavaceae, Alismataceae, Alliaceae, Alstroemeriaceae, Amarylidaceae, Anthericaceae, Aponogetonaceae, Araceae, Arecaceae, Asparagaceae, Asphodelaceae, Asteliaceae, Blandfordiaceae, Burmanniaceae, Cannaceae, Centrolepidaceae, Colchicaceae, Commelinaceae, Cyperaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Doryanthaceae, Eriocaulaceae, Flagellariaceae, Haemodoraceae, Hyacinthaceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Hypoxidaceae, Iridaceae, Juncaceae, Juncaginaceae.
Data are derived from herbarium collections, literature and field observations. It is hoped that the many, often alarming gaps in the information available will stimulate much-needed research into the ecology of more of the species. Information is provided so far as available to us for each plant species in the following categories:
Life History: Growth form, vegetative spread, longevity, primary juvenile period (time from germination to fruiting), reproduction, flowering and fruiting times, fruit/seed type, dispersal, establishment and growth, fire response, interaction with other organisms.
Distribution: Status/origin (native/naturalised), botanical subregions, distribution in Sydney area, selected locations.
Habitat: Habitat, altitude, annual rainfall, typical local abundance, vegetation, substrate, exposure.
Conservation: Conservation status.
Mires or peat swamps have a restricted distribution in Australia and are limited to areas where hydrological inputs exceed evapotranspiration. In NSW, mires are restricted to the coast, adjacent ranges or tablelands, and along the Great Dividing Range; most are listed as threatened ecological communities under State or Commonwealth legislation. Due primarily to the relatively high rainfall and suitable geology, the Blue Mountains region includes a number of such threatened mire ecological communities. Most of these mire types are largely included within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, although there are notable exceptions, such as the endangered Newnes Plateau Shrub Swamps.
This paper reports on a little-known group of diverse, relatively isolated and largely unprotected mires, in a relatively low rainfall area in the upper Cudgegong River catchment, east of Rylstone in the NSW Central Tablelands, and of their floristic, hydrogeomorphic and typological relationship with other mires of the Blue Mountains. They can be broadly divided into montane bogs, montane fens and hanging swamps. Particular attention is focussed on the largest and most diverse one, Rollen Creek swamp, which contains all three types. It is hoped that highlighting this hitherto unrecognised group of high conservation-value mires will contribute to their improved conservation and encourage further research into mires of eastern NSW.