Nature conservation

Threatened species

Tableland Clay Grassy Woodlands

Vegetation class map


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

Structure

Open eucalypt forest and woodland, 15-30 m tall,  with a sparse shrub stratum and a dense, compositionally variable and relatively diverse groundcover dominated by tussock grasses and herbs.

Trees

The canopy throughout the range of this class includes Eucalyptus pauciflora (white sally), E. stellulata (black sally), E. viminalis (ribbon gum) and (occasionally) E. melliodora (yellow box). On the New England Tableland Angophora floribunda (rough-barked apple), Eucalyptus dalrympleana subsp. heptantha (mountain gum) and E. nova-anglica (New England peppermint) also occur.

Shrubs

Acacia dealbata (silver wattle), A. melanoxylon (blackwood), Pimelea linifolia (slender rice flower), Pultenaea microphylla, Rubus parvifolius (native raspberry). On the New England Tableland Banksia integrifolia subsp. monticola is also present.

Forbs

Acaena novae-zelandiae, Acaena ovina, Ammobium alatum, Asperula conferta (common woodruff), Bracteantha bracteata (golden everlasting), Chrysocephalum apiculatum (common everlasting), Desmodium varians (slender tick-trefoil), Dichondra repens (kidney weed), Geranium solanderi var. solanderi (native geranium), Glycine clandestina, Hydrocotyle laxiflora (stinking pennywort), Leptinella filicula, Pratia pedunculata (matted pratia), Scleranthus biflorus, Thesium australe, Viola betonicifolia subsp. betonicifolia (mountain violet) and Wahlenbergia stricta subsp. stricta (tall bluebell), Austrodanthonia racemosa, Austrostipa scabra (rough speargrass), Bothriochloa macra (red grass), Carex gaudichaudiana, Elymus scaber (wheatgrass), Fimbristylis dichotoma, Lespedeza juncea, Poa labillardieri, Poa sieberiana, Sorghum leiocladum (wild sorghum), Sporobolus creber (western rats tail grass), Themeda australis (kangaroo grass).

Habitat

Flats and rolling terrain on fertile clay soils derived from basalt, or on rich alluvial creek flats. Frost-prone, moderate to relatively low rainfall areas of the tableland at 700-1300 m elevation where the annual precipitation varies from 550 to 900 mm.

Distribution

New England and Monaro tablelands and limited areas of the central tablelands. Essentially unique to New South Wales, though related assemblages occur on the Victorian basalt plains

Notes

There are some differences in species composition between the geographically separated communities of the New England and the Monaro, but many plants are common to both regions. Locally, these woodlands share a number of species with Temperate Montane Grasslands and grade into other tableland grassy woodlands where less fertile soils are adjacent. Extensively cleared for pastoral uses.

Sources

Keith & Bedward (1999); NPWS (1999); Thomas et al. (2000); Benson & Ashby (2000), Clarke et al. (1995, 2000)

See all threatened species associated with this vegetation class

See a list of species, populations and ecological communities associated with the Tableland Clay Grassy Woodlands vegetation class.