Nature conservation

Threatened species

South Coast Wet Sclerophyll Forests

Vegetation class map


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

Structure

Tall dense eucalypt forests with straight-boled trees 30-50 m tall. Understorey includes an open stratum of tall, mostly mesophyllous shrubs, abundant vines and a continuous herbaceous groundcover that includes a variety of ferns. This complex mesic understorey indicates that they belong to the shrubby subformation of the wet sclerophyll forests.

Trees

Angophora floribunda (rough-barked apple), Eucalyptus cypellocarpa (monkey gum ), E. elata (river peppermint), E. muelleriana (yellow stringybark).

Shrubs

Acacia cognata (narrow-leaved bower wattle), Cassinia longifolia, Coprosma quadrifida (prickly currant bush), Elaeocarpus reticulatus (blueberry ash), Goodenia ovata (hop goodenia), Goodia lotifolia (golden-tip), Pimelea axiflora (rice flower), Senecio linearifolius (fireweed groundsel).

Scramblers

Clematis aristata (old mans beard), Hibbertia dentata, Smilax australis ( sarsaparilla), Tylophora barbata (bearded tylophora).

Forbs

Geranium potentilloides, Gonocarpus teucrioides (raspwort), Hydrocotyle 'acutiloba', Lagenifera stipitata (blue bottle-daisy), Stellaria flaccida (forest starwort), Viola hederacea (ivy-leaved violet), Blechnum cartilagineum (gristle fern), Calochlaena dubia (common ground fern), Cyathea australis (rough treefern), Doodia aspera (prickly rasp-fern), Pteridium esculentum (bracken), Entolasia marginata (bordered panic), Lomandra longifolia (spiny-headed mat- rush), Oplismenus imbecillus, Poa meionectes and Tetrarrhena juncea (wiry ricegrass).

Habitat

Gullies and sheltered slopes in coastal ranges and foothills up to 500 m elevation on loamy soils of moderate fertility, derived from siltstones or, occasionally, granites, where mean annual rainfall ranges from 850 to 1100 mm.

Distribution

Coastal ranges and foothills south from Nowra extending into the East Gippsland lowlands of Victoria. Examples occur in Deua, Wadbilliga, Biamanga and South East Forest national parks. Accessible examples can be seen north of Bega at the Mumbulla Creek picnic area and near the Victorian border in the Watergums Creek Flora Reserve. In general, land clearing and forestry have affected relatively minor areas, although the largest trees have sometimes been removed from surprisingly inaccessible sites.

Notes

Moderately species rich vegetation with relatively consistent floristic composition across its range. Grades into Southern Escarpment et Sclerophyll Forests with increasing elevation and Southern Lowland Wet Sclerophyll Forests with decreasing moisture availability.

Sources

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 South Coast Wet Sclerophyll Forests vegetation class.