Vegetation class map
Loading map...
Key:
<1%
1-10%
10-50%
>50%
Estimated percentage landcover for vegetation class
Structure
Open woodland 15-25 m tall and dominated by box eucalypts. The understorey is characterised by a largely continuous grassy ground cover and a sparse layer of mostly sclerophyllous shrubs.
Trees
Eucalyptus microcarpa (grey box) occurs throughout with E. melliodora (yellow box) especially in the southern and central part of the distribution, while in the north it is replaced by E. conica (fuzzy box), E. pilligaensis (narrow-leaved grey box) and Casuarina cristata. In drier parts of the range Acacia homalophylla (yarran), Allocasuarina luehmannii (bulloak), Callitris glaucophylla (white cypress pine), Casuarina pauper (belah), Eucalyptus populnea subsp. bimbil (bimble box) and occasionally Brachychiton populneus (kurrajong) occur in the canopy.
Shrubs
Abutilon oxycarpum (flannel weed), Acacia brachybotrya (grey wattle), A. deanei (Deans wattle), Alectryon oleifolius (western rosewood), Atalaya hemiglauca (whitewood), Capparis mitchellii (wild orange), Dodonaea viscosa (hopbush), Enchylaena tomentosa (ruby saltbush), Eremophila debilis (winter apple), E. mitchellii (budda), Geijera parviflora, Myoporum montanum (western boodialla) and Senna artemisioides sensu lato. In the east of the distribution Acacia difformis (drooping wattle), A. hakeoides (hakea wattle), A. verniciflua (varnish wattle), Dodonaea viscosa subsp. cuneata (wedge-leaved hop bush) and Eremophila deserti (Ellangowan poison-bush) are more prominent.
Forbs
Asperula cunninghamii (twining woodruff), Atriplex semibaccata (creeping saltbush), Calotis cuneifolia (purple burr-daisy), C. lappulacea (yellow burr-daisy), Chamaesyce drummondii (caustic weed), Chenopodium desertorum (desert goosefoot), Crassula sieberiana (Australian stonecrop), Einadia nutans (climbing saltbush), Goodenia pinnatifida (scrambled eggs), Oxalis perennans, Sclerolaena muricata (black rolypoly), Sida corrugata (corrugated sida), Vittadinia dissecta, Wahlenbergia luteola, Austrodanthonia auriculata (lobed wallaby grass), A. bipartita (bandicoot grass), A. caespitosa (ringed wallaby grass), A. setacea (small-flowered wallaby grass), Austrostipa scabra subsp. falcata (rough speargrass), A. scabra subsp. scabra (rough speargrass), A. setacea (small-flowered wallaby grass), A. wakoolica, Chloris truncata (windmill grass), Elymus scaber var. scaber (common wheatgrass), Enteropogon acicularis (curly windmill grass).
Habitat
Transitional zone generally receiving less than 550 mm mean annual rainfall, where the western slopes merge into the floodplains of the Murray-Darling river system. Flats and shallow depressions on gilgaied clays and red earths.
Distribution
Eastern fringes of the Murray-Darling floodplains from the Queensland border to the Victorian border, principally found in New South Wales. The central and eastern Riverina between the Lachlan and Murray rivers was the major area of occurrence, although substantial areas also occurred on the upper floodplains of the Macquarie, Castlereagh, Gwydir and MacIntyre rivers.
Notes
Composition varies with latitude and grades into Riverine Plains Woodlands on the upper floodplain. Extensively cleared for agriculture and degraded in large areas by erosion scalds.
Sources
Moore (1953); Biddiscombe (1963); Porteners (1993); Sivertsen & Metcalfe (1995 & unpubl.); Metcalfe et al. 2004; Prober & Theile (2004)
See all threatened species associated with this vegetation class
See a
list of species, populations and ecological communities
associated with the Floodplain Transition Woodlands vegetation class.