Nature conservation

Threatened species

Montane Wet Sclerophyll Forests

Vegetation class map


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Key:
<1%
1-10%
10-50%
>50%
Estimated percentage landcover for vegetation class

Structure

Eucalypt forest 20-35 m tall with a prominent stratum of sclerophyllous and mesophyllous shrubs and an open herbaceous groundcover.

Trees

On the Main Range the canopy is dominated by Eucalyptus delegatensis (alpine ash) either in pure stands or with E. dalrympleana subsp. dalrympleana (mountain gum) or E. pauciflora (white sally). On the eastern escarpment and coastal mountains Eucalyptus fraxinoides (white ash) dominates, occasionally with E. sieberi (silvertop ash).

Shrubs

Acacia dealbata (silver wattle), Bossiaea foliosa, Coprosma hirtella, Daviesia latifolia (broad-leaved bitter pea), Derwentia derwentiana subsp. derwentiana, Leucopogon gelidus, Leucopogon lanceolatus, Lomatia myricoides (river lomatia), Olearia megalophylla, Persoonia silvatica, P. subvelutina, Platysace lanceolata, Polyscias sambucifolia subsp. B (elderberry panax), Senecio linearifolius (fireweed groundsel), Tasmannia lanceolata (mountain pepperbush), T. xerophila (alpine pepper)..

Scramblers

Clematis aristata (old mans beard).

Forbs

em>Acaena nova-zelandiae, Asperula conferta (common woodruff), Dianella tasmanica (blue flax lily), Stellaria pungens (prickly starwort), Stylidium graminifolium (grass triggerplant), Viola betonicifolia subsp. betonicifolia (mountain violet), Polystichum proliferum (mother shield fern), Pteridium esculentum (bracken), Elymus scaber var. scaber (common wheatgrass), Hierochloe rariflora (scented holygrass), Poa ensiformis, P. helmsii (broad-leaved snowgrass).

Habitat

Moist slopes of steep mountain ranges frequently shrouded in mist and blanketed by frost or occasionally by snow falls in winter.  At elevations of 800-1400 m on rocky loams of moderate fertility .

Distribution

Western and southern fall of the Kosciuszko plateau, extending north to the Brindabella Ranges near Canberra, and south to the Victorian highlands. Outlying occurrences scattered along the coastal mountains and escarpment between the Shoalhaven River and Mt Imlay.

Notes

A distinctive group of assemblages sharing floristic affinties with Southern Escarpment Wet Sclerophyll Forests and Subalpine Woodlands. Outlying assemblages on the coastal escarpments are florisitcally distinct from those along the Main Range.

Sources

Costin 1954; Keith & Bedward 1999; Thomas et al. (2000)

See all threatened species associated with this vegetation class

See a list of species, populations and ecological communities associated with the Montane Wet Sclerophyll Forests vegetation class.