Vegetation class map
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Key:
<1%
1-10%
10-50%
>50%
Estimated percentage landcover for vegetation class
Structure
Open eucalypt forest 15-25 m tall, sometimes with an open subcanopy of various non-eucalypts. Understorey shrubs are scattered or clumped and are mostly sclerophyllous and spiny. The grassy ground layer is continuous or patchy with a variety of herbs among the grass tussocks.
Trees
Eucalyptus punctata, E. crebra, E. sparsifolia, E. tereticornis, E. Eucalyptus crebra (narrow-leaved ironbark), E. melliodora (yellow box), E. moluccana (grey box), E. punctata (grey gum), E. sparsifolia (narrow-leaved stringybark) and E. tereticornis (forest red gum) are widespread, with localised occurrences of Angophora floribunda (rough-barked apple), E. blaxlandii (brown stringybark), E. eugenioides (narrow-leaved stringybark) and E. sieberi (silvertop ash). Smaller trees include Acacia clunies-rossii (Kowmung wattle), A. (hickory wattle), Allocasuarina littoralis (black sheoak), A. (forest oak) and Backhousia myrtifolia (grey myrtle).
Shrubs
Breynia oblongifolia (coffee bush), Bursaria spinosa (blackthorn), Citriobatus pauciflorus (orange thorn), Elaeocarpus reticulatus (blueberry ash), Goodenia ovata (hop goodenia), Indigofera australis (hill indigo), Lissanthe strigosa (peach heath), Olearia viscidula (wallaby weed), Persoonia linearis (narrow-leaved geebung), Sigesbeckia orientalis subsp. orientalis (Indian weed).
Scramblers
Clematis aristata (old mans beard), Geitonoplesium cymosum (scrambling lily), Hardenbergia violacea (native sarsaparilla), Pandorea pandorana (wonga wonga vine).
Forbs
Desmodium gunnii, Dianella revoluta (blue flax lily), Dichondra repens (kidney weed), Goodenia hederacea var. hederacea (forest goodenia), Plectranthus parviflorus, Pomax umbellata, Asplenium flabellifolium (necklace fern), Cheilanthes sieberi subsp. sieberi (poison rock fern), Pellaea falcata var. falcata (sickle fern), Aristida ramosa (purple wiregrass), A. vagans (threeawn speargrass), Cymbopogon refractus (barbed wire grass), Lomandra multiflora subsp. multiflora (many-flowered mat-rush), Notodanthonia longifolia (long-leaved wallaby grass), Oplismenus imbecillus.
Habitat
Steep, highly dissected gorges with clay-loams derived from metamorphosed mudstones and localised outcrops of limestone below 800 m elevation.
Distribution
Kowmung, Wollondilly and Shoalhaven gorges. Restricted to New South Wales.
Notes
A group of assemblages with relatively consistent composition, sharing a number of species with Northern Gorges Dry Sclerophyll Forests and Coastal Valley Grassy Woodlands. Relatively little disturbance since European settlement.
Sources
Keith & Benson (1988); Thomas et al. (2000); NPWS (2003)
See all threatened species associated with this vegetation class
See a
list of species, populations and ecological communities
associated with the Central Gorge Dry Sclerophyll Forests vegetation class.