threatened rainforest plants of the gold coast · 2019-06-23 · 8 threatened rainforest plants of...

A GUIDE TO IDENTIFICATION

AND CONSERVATION

THREATENED RAINFOREST PLANTS OF THE GOLD COAST

Threatened rainforest plants of the Gold Coast 1

ContentsIntroduction .........................................................................2

Common rainforest types of the Gold Coast ........................4

Threats to rainforest .............................................................9

Rainforest restoration .........................................................12

Conservation status of native plants in Queensland ...........14

How to use this booklet .....................................................15

Species descriptions .........................................................15

Leaf types and terminology ................................................16

Trees and shrubs ...............................................................18

Vines .................................................................................51

Groundcovers ...................................................................53

Glossary of botanical terms ...............................................56

Index .................................................................................58

Information and advice ......................................................60

Recommended references .................................................60

Cover photo: Glenn LeiperInside cover photo: Lui Weber

Endangered

Vulnerable

Near threatened

Leaf structure

Leaf arrangement

Leaf/leaflet margin

Inflorescence

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Threatened rainforest plants of the Gold Coast2 3

IntroductionThe Gold Coast’s rainforests lie within one of Australia’s nationally recognised biodiversity hotspots – the Border Ranges of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Broadly speaking, the city marks the junction of our eastern seaboard’s tropical and temperate zones, and ranges from coastal headlands to the hinterland’s cool, misty mountain tops. Our rainforests are the green behind the gold, a magnet for local and overseas tourists, bushwalkers, naturalists and people just wanting that ‘rainforest experience’. To protect and conserve our rainforests, it is helpful to know a little of their history and the great diversity of species they contain.

Rainforest plants have their evolutionary origins in the vast, temperate rainforests of Gondwana, the ancient southern supercontinent. We have learnt a great deal about plant origins and evolution, geological processes and climate change by studying existing species and fossil records. For millions of years after Australia separated from the remnants of Gondwana, rainforest continued to flourish but the climate gradually became hotter, drier and more fire prone as Australia drifted north. Eucalypts and acacias evolved in response to the changing environment and became dominant over most of the continent. The rainforests retreated to refugia, like wetter coastal areas and mountain ranges, where they were protected from drought and fire.

In the Pleistocene period (1.6 million – 10,000 years ago), rainforest periodically expanded and contracted in response

to the warmer, wetter conditions of the interglacial periods and the increased aridity of the glacial periods. The most recent glacial period ended about 11,000 years ago and rainforests began to expand once more. During this latest period of rainforest expansion indigenous people inhabited the present day Gold Coast. The ocean, rivers and forests provided them with a sustainable source of food, raw materials and medicines.

When Europeans arrived in the mid-1800s the Gold Coast was heavily forested. Timber getters were the first to reach the area and began selectively logging the more accessible forests for red cedar, beech, hoop pine and other prized timbers. Farmers and graziers arrived soon after and commenced clearing the rainforest ‘scrubs’, burning the timber where it was felled. Whilst rich in species, the lowland rainforests were the first to disappear. Little thought was given to conserving representative areas of the different forest types.

Today we have a better understanding and appreciation of our rainforests. Their evolutionary history, the great diversity of species they contain and the spectacular landscapes in which they are found have been recognised in the World Heritage declaration of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (1994). Now, in the Gold Coast and elsewhere, many areas cleared of rainforest in the past are being allowed to naturally regenerate or are being replanted with native rainforest species to replace some of what has been lost.


Common rainforest types of the Gold CoastDifferent types of rainforest exist within the Gold Coast, often in close proximity to each other and interspersed amongst non-rainforest vegetation types e.g. eucalypt forest.

Subtropical rainforest

• is widespread throughout the hinterland from the coast to the ranges

• is often found in patches and strips in sheltered gullies and on protected, south facing slopes

• exists where rainfall is high (greater than 1300mm annually) and temperatures warm (typically below about 600m elevation)

• has vegetation that appears luxuriant, fitting the common impression of rainforest, with high species diversity and many plant forms including tall trees, strangler figs, palms, vines, epiphytes and ferns.

Riparian (gallery/riverine) rainforest

• is found in narrow strips along watercourses, sometimes with Eucalypt species and Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus)

• typically has foliage that overhangs the water and trees that must withstand occasional flooding

• has been highly impacted by clearing; what remains is often threatened by weed invasion and fire.

Dry rainforest

• typically survives in very small patches, which have escaped clearing and have some natural protection from fire e.g. rocky outcrops

• is found in parts of the city with lower rainfall (less than 1100mm annually)

• is much less luxuriant than sub-tropical rainforest, with a lower canopy (though there may be scattered tall emergent trees like Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) and Crow’s Ash (Flindersia australis) and fewer vines and epiphytes

• comprises trees with smaller leaves than those of sub-tropical rainforest; the leaves, stems and branches of dry rainforest trees sometimes have prickles.

Wet sclerophyll (eucalypt)

• is an intermediary type of forest rather than true rainforest

• is characterised by eucalypts in the canopy and rainforest plants in the understorey

• may evolve to have a canopy dominated by rainforest trees, rather than eucalypts, in forests where fire is excluded entirely.


Uncommon rainforest types of the Gold Coast

Warm temperate rainforest

• is found in areas of intermediate elevation, cooler temperature and typically less fertile soils than sub-tropical rainforest e.g. Springbrook and Lamington plateaus

• has less diversity of plant forms and species than subtropical rainforest

• is often dominated by the tree species Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum) and Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras)

• often has various lichens covering the tree trunks.

Cool temperate rainforest

• is restricted to the highest parts (above 900m elevation) of the Springbrook and Lamington plateaus, and is only found within National Parks

• is found in areas with very high annual rainfall (1500–3500mm)

• is typically dominated by Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus moorei)

• has an abundant representation of ferns, mosses, orchids and lichens.

Littoral rainforest

• is found close to the sea on nutrient rich sandy or basalt volcanic soils

• remain on sandy soils in only a few tiny fragments in Surfers Paradise

• remain on basalt volcanic soils in Burleigh Head National Park

• has a wind-sheared upper tree canopy with species tolerant of some salt spray, such as Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) and Cheese Tree (Glochidion ferdinandi).

Paddock trees

Surrounded by paddocks, isolated and clearly subject to a range of threats including grazing, weeds and fire, these trees may not seem significant. However, such trees can be very significant as either a threatened species themselves, or by providing the right conditions (e.g. shade and protection) for other threatened rainforest species to establish. Paddock trees also act as important habitat in fragmented areas and as stepping stones to larger patches of rainforest.


Threats to rainforestMany rainforest plants struggle to survive in small, isolated patches, where they are particularly vulnerable to various forms of disturbance and inbreeding. The threats listed here will be applicable, in various combinations, to most of the species described in this booklet.

Weeds

In the same way our city supports a great diversity of native species with its wide variety of soil types and altitudinal conditions, it also supports a huge array of introduced species. Weeds can be an insidious threat not readily apparent to a casual observer who may not recognise them as weeds or understand their capacity to damage an ecosystem. Some weeds are so destructive they have been termed ‘transformer weeds’, because they transform an area’s landscape, and weeds are considered one of the biggest threats to our city’s biodiversity.

The great news is that we can all play a role in the control and reduction of weeds. First and foremost, avoid interfering with the canopy, understorey or groundcover of intact, native forests. If you open up the canopy by cutting down trees, or clear out your understorey, you will let in more light and disturb the soil, creating the very conditions in which weeds thrive.

Secondly, obtain a copy of the City’s free Environmental Weeds of the Gold Coast booklet so you can get to know the common weeds, look out for them and share your knowledge with friends and neighbours. Research plants before you introduce them to your property and guard against inadvertent introduction or spread of weeds on vehicles, clothing, livestock and machinery.

Thirdly, when you identify weeds on your property, get in there and get rid of them. There’s often a great native seed stock in the soil below, eager to establish and transform your property from a weedy mess to bushland paradise. The City understands such a task can be overwhelming and that you may not have the knowledge, skills or confidence to undertake such an effort. That’s why we created the Conservation Partnerships Program, which provides advice and support to landholders wanting to restore their property’s native habitat.

YOUR PROPERTYDoes your property have a patch of rainforest ‘down the gully’ or ‘up the back’?

Rainforest patches, no matter how small or disturbed, can be a treasure trove of threatened species. However, the ongoing survival of these species is at risk if property owners are not aware of their significance and/or do not take action to protect them. With the help of this booklet, we encourage you to investigate the special plants on your property, learn how to recognise and deal with threats to rainforest and, where necessary, start restoring your property’s rainforest back to its former healthy state.


Climate Change

Changes in temperature and rainfall can have significant effects on our city’s rainforest species. For example, without consistent rain our rainforests will become drier, potentially resulting in higher fire frequency and/or intensity, which rainforest plants can’t tolerate. Drier conditions can also leave gully rainforest species prone to death and our gullies consequently susceptible to erosion. Mountain-top species are particularly vulnerable as conditions warm because they’re unable to migrate to cooler altitudes and are often dependent on cloud moisture created under the right conditions on mountains. Warmer conditions may also provide the right habitat for a greater variety of weeds. It’s crucial we reduce threats, such as weeds, now to build more resilience in our rainforest systems so they may better cope with the changing climate.

Clearing

Native vegetation (including rainforest) is protected by Federal, State and local legislation. However, with increasing population growth in the region, Southeast Queensland is experiencing large amounts of vegetation clearing, particularly in areas designated for urban development. This highlights the important role private landholders play in restoring native habitat and protecting our threatened species. The City’s Conservation Partnerships Program provides advice and support to landholders who want to reduce their property’s threats and restore native habitat.

Fire

Unlike eucalypt forest, where species have developed strategies to survive (and even depend on) fire for regeneration, rainforests can be damaged or destroyed by fire. Therefore, rainforests should not be deliberately burnt and, where possible, be protected from fire spreading from adjoining areas.

Grazing

Grazing animals like cattle, horses and goats can trample or eat rainforest seedlings and compact soil, preventing natural regeneration. Fencing rainforest patches off from these animals can provide a solution. You can get advice on wildlife friendly fencing, revegetation and weed management from the City’s Conservation Partnerships team.

Collecting

Unethical and illegal collection of plant specimens in the wild poses a serious threat to some species. Native plants should be purchased from an accredited and reputable nursery.


Rainforest restorationMost small patches of rainforest on the Gold Coast have experienced some level of disturbance and require some restoration work. Restoration often involves weed control and potentially some planting to restore the natural habitat. When considering a restoration project, it’s important to note that long-term commitment and careful planning is required to ensure your restoration efforts achieve the outcomes you’re seeking. Before you start, determine which area you’ll focus on, what weeds you’ll be targeting, what methods you’ll use and when you’ll do your follow up treatments. All these considerations are important to your restoration project’s long term success.

The City’s restoration teams, community groups and private landholders are fighting weeds on public and private land, and have accumulated a wealth of experience and knowledge. Advice and support on how to restore your property’s forest is readily available from the City’s Conservation Partnerships team.

City of Gold Coast assistance

The City of Gold Coast (City) recognises the valuable role private landholders play in restoring and protecting the city’s natural assets, including its threatened species. If you’re interested in restoring your property’s rainforest (or other type of native habitat), contact the City’s Conservation Partnerships team and find out whether you’re eligible for an officer to visit your property. During the visit the officer will provide you with property maps, identify your property’s

native plants and weeds, give you tips on how to control your environmental weeds and even work with you to prepare a simple restoration plan.

If your property has more than one hectare of vegetation or area you’d like to restore to native habitat, you may be eligible to register with Land for Wildlife and continue receiving ongoing advice, support and incentives. Your property may even qualify for a Voluntary Conservation Agreement, which provides financial incentives and support to achieve your restoration outcomes and protect your property’s conservation values.

The City also offers the Nature Conservation Assistance Program (NCAP) to private landholders with potentially high conservation land. NCAP delivers grant funding for on-ground ecological restoration projects that protect and enhance the Gold Coast’s natural assets.

By restoring your property’s rainforest, you’ll join the many other private landholders, community groups and restoration teams working hard across the city on private and public land to conserve our threatened species. The continuing survival of many of the threatened species described in this booklet depends on all our efforts and commitment.

Visit cityofgoldcoast.com.au/conservationpartnerships to learn more about the City’s Conservation Partnerships Program and cityofgoldcoast.com.au/ncap to learn more about the City’s Nature Conservation Assistance Program.

http://cityofgoldcoast.com.au/conservationpartnerships

http://cityofgoldcoast.com.au/ncap


Conservation status of native plants in QueenslandThe Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) and Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 2006 categorise protected species – extinct in the wild, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened and least concern – based on trends in population size, health and distribution.

Endangered species are at risk of extinction due to small population size, habitat loss, threatening processes or a combination of all these. Vulnerable and near threatened species are not yet at risk of extinction but their populations may be threatened or in decline, putting their long term survival in doubt if no action is taken to protect them.

Under the NCA, endangered and vulnerable species are deemed to be ‘threatened species’. Many of the species in this booklet are also listed as threatened under federal legislation – the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC). There are a range of management and recovery actions being developed and enacted to ensure the ongoing survival of threatened species.

The Queensland Herbarium studies, describes and names plants, and records the floristics, structure, and distribution, and conservation status of Queensland’s plant communities.

For more information visit: qld.gov.au/environment/ plants-animals/plants/herbarium/

How to use this bookletThis book has been developed to help landholders identify threatened species that may occur in rainforest on their property or local conservation area. Plants have been ordered alphabetically by scientific name and grouped by growth form i.e. shrubs and trees, vines and groundcovers. Diagrams describing the leaf type, arrangement and margin, and flower arrangement have been included for each species with a more detailed description provided below each of them. However, it’s worth noting that leaves can vary widely within a species due to the growth stage of the leaf, amount of sun/shade the particular leaf is exposed to and the altitude the plant is growing at. This is relevant to some species more than others. Therefore, the diagrams may not represent all possible leaf variations for the species. In instances where this is the case, the diagram will depict the most common adult form of the leaf, with further details of its other forms in the description below. An index of all species can be found at the back of this booklet.

Species descriptionsThe species described in this booklet have been included because they are threatened and are known or thought to occur in the Gold Coast area. Not all threatened species have been included and many additional rainforest species, though not listed as threatened, are considered to be of City-wide significance (CWS) because they are uncommon in the city. You will find a comprehensive listing of these and all other plant species recorded on the Gold Coast at goldcoastflorafauna.com.au. Descriptions and illustrations of the species listed on the website can be found in the reference material recommended at the back of this booklet.

http://qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/plants/herbarium/

http://qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/plants/herbarium/

http://goldcoastflorafauna.com.au


Leaf types and terminology

Simple leaf structure

Compound leaf structure

axillary bud

axillary bud

petiolule

lamina

rachis tip

rachis

pulvinule

leaflet or pinna

midvein

lateral veins

reticulate veins

intramarginal veins

pulvinus

pulvinus

petiole

petiole

Leaf composition

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Leaf structure

Leaf/leaflet margin

Inflorescence

Leaf arrangement

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Tree WaratahAlloxylon pinnatum

FamilyProteaceae

HabitatHigh altitude rainforest e.g. Springbrook and Lamington plateaus.

DescriptionHabit: Small to medium tree with grey-brown rough bark.

Leaves: Leaves alternate to 30cm long, compound with up to 11 entire leaflets on young trees, simple or possibly with 2–5 lobes on older trees. Midvein is prominent and yellowish.

Flowers: Spectacular pink or red flowers to 20cm wide in terminal racemes, spring to summer.

Fruit: Woody seed capsules to 10cm with flattened winged seeds.

ArdisiaArdisia bakeri

FamilyMyrsinaceae

HabitatHigh altitude rainforest e.g. Springbrook.

DescriptionHabit: Shrub to small tree with zig-zag branchlets.

Leaves: Leaves alternate and simple to 10cm long, hairless and fleshy, with a dark green upper surface and pale green lower surface. Margins are entire but can be wavy.

Flowers: White or pink flowers, approximately 7mm, in spring.

Fruit: Berries 1cm, red at first turning black.

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Ormeau Bottle TreeBrachychiton sp. Ormeau

FamilySterculiaceae

HabitatRiparian and drier rainforests in northern part of Gold Coast e.g. Upper Ormeau.

DescriptionHabit: Medium tree with swollen (bottle tree) trunk.

Leaves: Leaves alternate to 20cm long, usually simple and entire but sometimes 2 lobed at base in mature plants, deeply lobed in juvenile plants (see inset).

Flowers: Bell-shaped, greenish-white, 5 petalled flowers to 10mm in spring.

Fruit: Brown boat-shaped seed capsules to 3cm containing several seeds.

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Jointed BaloghiaBaloghia marmorata

FamilyEuphorbiaceae

HabitatSubtropical rainforest, at altitudes between 150m and 500m e.g. Tamborine Mountain, Upper Coomera, Wongawallan, Springbrook and Numinbah Valley.

DescriptionHabit: Shrub to small tree.

Leaves: Dark green glossy leaves to 15cm long are alternate but may be clustered near the ends of branchlets or opposite. The leaf stalk (petiole) is up to 4cm long and appears jointed at the junction with the leaf, hence the common name. Two small, raised glands may be found on the leaf margin at the leaf base.

Flowers: Small, white flowers up to 5mm in clusters during winter.

Fruit: Three lobed blackish brown capsule to 2cm.

Brush CassiaCassia marksiana

FamilyCaesalpineaceae

HabitatScattered in lowland subtropical rainforests e.g. Currumbin and Tallebudgera Valleys, but may also occur at higher altitudes, such as Lower Beechmont and Springbrook. Formerly recorded as far north as Yatala.

DescriptionHabit: Small to medium tree.

Leaves: Compound leaves with 6–16 soft leaflets up to 7cm long each with a green and glossy upper surface.

Flowers: Showy yellow, lightly perfumed flowers from spring to summer.

Fruit: Cylindrical, brown seed pods up to 35cm long.

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Southern CorynocarpusCorynocarpus rupestris subsp. arborescens

FamilyCorynocarpaceae

HabitatSubtropical and drier rainforest e.g. Tamborine Mountain, Guanaba, Upper Ormeau and Natural Bridge.

DescriptionHabit: Small tree or shrub.

Leaves: Thick stiff leaves up to 18cm long, whorled near end of branchlets, alternate elsewhere. Leaves have a dark green upper surface and yellowish green lower surface. Juvenile and sucker leaves are strongly toothed but adult leaves are entire.

Flowers: Small pink to white flowers up to 7mm, arranged in spikes during spring.

Fruits: Bright red, globose fruit to 3cm.

Stinking CryptocaryaCryptocarya foetida

FamilyLauraceae

HabitatScattered in rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest on volcanic soils and coastal sands e.g. Burleigh Headland, Wongawallan and South Stradbroke Island. Habitat severely impacted by coastal clearing and disturbance.

DescriptionHabit: Small to medium tree with slightly zig-zag branches.

Leaves: Leaves are alternate and up to 15cm long with a glossy green upper surface and paler lower surface. Their broad, yellowish midvein may be zig-zag on some leaves.

Flowers: Small cream flowers, which have been described as having an unpleasant odour, during summer.

Fruit: Globose, purplish-black fruit to about 14mm.

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Long-leaved TuckerooCupaniopsis newmanii

FamilySapindaceae

HabitatWidespread in rainforest on a variety of soil types e.g. Tamborine Mountain, Mudgeeraba, Nerang, Tallebudgera, Currumbin, Numinbah and Austinville Valleys, and Upper Ormeau.

DescriptionHabit: Shrub to small tree, typically narrow and unbranched.

Leaves: New growth is reddish and new shoots are rusty-hairy. Leaves are compound with 16–24 leaflets that are leathery, stiff and toothed, and up to 17cm long. Leaflets can be alternate to opposite. Lateral veins on the leaflets’ underside are prominently raised.

Flowers: Small, pink flowers are clustered in panicles.

Fruit: Hairy fruit capsule is 3-lobed, pink to brownish-orange, hairy and up to 2.5cm long.

Smooth Davidson’s PlumDavidsonia johnsonii

FamilyDavidsoniaceae

HabitatSubtropical rainforest and rainforest regrowth e.g. Tallebudgera Valley. Only a few trees are known to survive in the wild.

DescriptionHabit: Small tree, often multi-stemmed due to suckering from roots.

Leaves: Alternate and compound leaves up to 40cm long with 5-9 toothed leaflets up to 15cm long. The main leaf stem (rachis) and the leaf-like stipules found at the base of the leaf stem are also toothed.

Flowers: Small, red flowers are clustered in panicles up to 20cm.

Fruits: Fruit are globose and up to 4cm, ripen to bluish-black and edible. Seeds are infertile.

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Small-leaved TamarindDiploglottis campbellii

FamilySapindaceae

HabitatLowland subtropical and riparian rainforest on alluvial soils north to Beenleigh e.g.Tallebudgera Valley, Bonogin and Mudgeeraba.

DescriptionHabit: Medium to (occasionally) fairly large tree with straight trunk and dense foliage.

Leaves: Alternate, compound leaves with 4–8 tough, leathery leaflets up to 15cm long. Leaflet margins are entire and wavy, and discolorous with a dark, glossy upper surface and paler lower surface.

Flowers: Small cream, four-petalled flowers in panicles from spring to autumn.

Fruit: Yellowish green fruit to 6cm opening to reveal up to three red, fleshy seed coverings (arils).

Rose Walnut, Crystal Creek WalnutEndiandra floydii

FamilyLauraceae

HabitatRestricted to gullies and watercourses in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest margins e.g. Wongawallan, Mudgeeraba, Maudsland and Willow Vale.

DescriptionHabit: Small to medium tree with slightly corky bark, often with sucker shoots at base.

Leaves: Alternate glossy leaves up to 12cm long with raised yellow midvein are discolorous with a paler lower surface. Small pits (domatia) may be present in vein angles.

Flowers: 8mm creamy green (sometimes red) flowers in panicles in winter.

Fruit: 6–8cm red fruit, turning black when ripe, with one large seed.

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Black WalnutEndiandra globosa

FamilyLauraceae

HabitatSubtropical rainforest and riparian rainforest e.g. Currumbin Valley, Tallebudgera Valley and Elanora.


Leaves: Broad, glossy green leaves are simple, alternate and up to 15cm long, with a raised, broad, cream midvein and entire margins.

Flowers: Very small, cream flowers clustered on panicles spring to summer.

Fruit: Large rounded, shiny, black fruit up to 5cm.

Velvet Laurel Endiandra hayesii

FamilyLauraceae

HabitatMostly lowland subtropical rainforest on creeks and in moist gullies e.g. Burleigh Head, Mudgeeraba, Bonogin, Elanora but may also occur at higher elevations e.g. Springbrook.


Leaves: Leaves are alternate and up to 14cm long with a dense covering of pale brown hairs on the underside of the leaf and leaf stalk (petiole). Veins on the leaf’s underside are raised and prominent.

Flowers: Small cream to green flowers in panicles from spring to summer.

Fruit: Red or black fruit to 3cm.

Photo: Hugh Nicholson

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Springbrook PinkwoodEucryphia jinksii

FamilyCunoniaceae

HabitatWarm temperate rainforest on the southern end of the Springbrook plateau. This has probably always been a very rare species but, given the tree was only discovered relatively recently (by its namesake David Jinks in 1994), the possibility of new discoveries can’t be ruled out.

DescriptionHabit: Medium tree with buttressed trunk.

Leaves: Leaves are up to 10cm long, opposite and either simple or compound with 3–9 leaflets, which may be occasionally toothed. Leaves are discolorous with a dark green upper surface and glaucous light, lower surface.

Flowers: Lightly perfumed white flowers to 2cm with 4 petals in autumn.

Fruit: Brown seed capsule to about 1.3cm, containing small, winged seeds.

Ball NutFloydia praealta

FamilyProteaceae

HabitatSubtropical and riparian rainforest mainly at low to medium elevation on soils of volcanic origin e.g. Currumbin and Tallebudgera Valleys.

DescriptionHabit: Medium to large tree.

Leaves: Narrow, alternate leaves to 25cm long with wavy margins.

Flowers: White flowers in racemes from summer to autumn, resembling the flowers of Macadamia species.

Fruit: Fruit are about 5cm, poisonous and also resemble those of Macadamia species. The main distinguishing feature between Ball Nut and Macadamia species on the Gold Coast is the leaves.

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Southern FontaineaFontainea australis

FamilyEuphorbiaceae

HabitatSubtropical rainforest e.g. Upper Tallebudgera Valley, Natural Bridge.

DescriptionHabit: Shrub or small tree.

Leaves: Alternate, simple leaves up to 9cm long with wavy margins. Adult leaves sometimes have 2 glands near the base of the leaf margin’s underside.

Flowers: Small, white flowers up to 8mm can be in panicles or just one or two in leaf axils or end of branches.

Fruit: Finely hairy, ridged fruit is reddish and up to 2cm.

Veiny FontaineaFontainea venosa

FamilyEuphorbiaceae

HabitatDrier rainforests in northern Gold Coast e.g. Ormeau, Cedar Creek.

DescriptionHabit: Small tree.

Leaves: Alternate, simple leaves to 12cm long are tough, glossy green above and paler below. Leaf veins are obvious and 1 or 2 small, raised, marginal glands may be present near the leaf base.

Flowers: Small, white, 5 petalled flowers to 1cm.

Fruit: Orange fruit up to 2cm in winter to spring.

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Sweet MyrtleGossia fragrantissima

FamilyMyrtaceae

HabitatLowland subtropical rainforest in Currumbin Valley.

DescriptionHabit: Shrub to small tree with brownish, flaky bark.

Leaves: Glossy leaves up to 4cm long are simple and opposite, with entire leaf margins, and aromatic when crushed.

Flowers: Small 4 petalled, white flowers in leaf axils up to 7mm wide, spring to summer.

Fruit: Edible, orange to red fruits 4–6cm.

Rusty HeliciaHelicia ferruginea

FamilyProteaceae

HabitatRainforest e.g. Springbrook and Upper Tallebudgera Valley.


Leaves: Large tough, alternate leaves up to 25cm long, with stiff teeth. The upper leaf surface is green and glossy, with a dense covering of rusty hairs below and on the petiole.

Flowers: Small cream, hairy flowers up to 6mm are in racemes to 8cm in spring.

Fruit: Purple to black fruit to 1cm.

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Shrubby JasmineJasminum jenniae

FamilyOleaceae

HabitatDrier rainforest e.g. Gilston, Mudgeeraba, Ormeau and Shaw’s Pocket.

DescriptionHabit: Small multi-stemmed shrub to 2m.

Leaves: Leaves are opposite, leathery, usually prominently 3-veined from the leaf base and up to 7cm long.

Flowers: Perfumed, tubular, white flower to 1cm that open at night.

Fruit: Shiny, black fruit to about 1cm.

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Red Bopple NutHicksbeachia pinnatifolia

FamilyProteaceae

HabitatSubtropical rainforest and regrowth on a variety of soil types at low to medium elevations e.g. Currumbin and Tallebudgera Valleys, and Austinville. The Gold Coast populations represent the northern limit of its range.

DescriptionHabit: Small, slender, multi-stemmed tree sometimes showing a suckering tendency in disturbed habitat.

Leaves: Leaves are simple, alternate and deeply lobed (almost appearing as a compound leaf). They are up to 100cm long, stiff and have prickly teeth. The central leaf stalk (rachis) is winged and also has prickly teeth.

Flowers: Strongly scented, purple flowers to 15mm in long racemes up to 35cm.

Fruit: Bright, red fruit up to 4cm are peaked at the tip and hang in clusters.

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Southern Velvet MyrtleLenwebbia prominens

FamilyMyrtaceae

HabitatSubtropical rainforest at higher altitudes, often near watercourses e.g. Springbrook, Lamington, Austinville, Upper Mudgeeraba Creek and Natural Bridge.

DescriptionHabit: Shrub to small tree with reddish brown, scaly bark.

Leaves: Leaves are simple, opposite and up to 12cm long with rusty hairs on the juvenile leaves’ lower surface. Margins are often rolled under slightly.

Flowers: White, 4 petalled flowers to 1.5cm, in summer.

Fruit: Edible, purple to black berry up to 1.9cm.

Fine-leaved TuckerooLepiderema pulchella

FamilySapindaceae

HabitatLowland subtropical rainforest e.g. Currumbin and Tallebudgera Valleys, Mudgeeraba and Elanora.


Leaves: Alternate, compound leaves with 4–12 leaflets each up to 9cm long. Leaflets are typically soft, with a glossy green upper surface and wavy margins.

Flowers: Orange flowers to 2mm in panicles, in spring.

Fruit: 1cm orange to red fruits with 3 valves.

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Macadamia Nut, Queensland NutMacadamia integrifolia

FamilyProteaceae

HabitatDrier rainforest in city’s north. Often found as scattered individuals on rocky hillsides with volcanic soils e.g. Ormeau, Willow Vale and Upper Coomera. Overlaps with Macadamia tetraphylla in the southern part of its range where the two species may hybridise. While this species has been extensively cultivated, it is vulnerable in the wild.


Leaves: Leaves to 18cm long, are mostly in whorls of three (or sometimes opposite) and stiff, with toothed margins on juvenile leaves and entire margins on adult leaves. Petiole is 6–18mm.

Flowers: Cream flowers in spikes to 15cm, from winter to spring.

Fruit: Brown nut to 3.5cm during summer. The fruit of both M. integrifolia and M. tetraphylla is the well-known macadamia nut grown in commercial plantations. Many trees of both species have also been planted in farm yards since the time of European settlement making it difficult, at times, to tell if an individual tree in regrowth forest is wild or planted.

Macadamia Nut, Queensland NutMacadamia tetraphylla

FamilyProteaceae

HabitatLowland subtropical rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest e.g. Tallebudgera, Currumbin and Numinbah Valleys, Beechmont, Austinville, Bonogin, Wongawallan, Upper Coomera, Guanaba and Tamborine Mountain. Overlaps with Macadamia integrifolia in the northern part of its range where the two species may hybridise. This species is extensively cultivated but vulnerable in the wild.


Leaves: Leaves up to 23cm are in whorls of four (sometimes three), stiff and toothed. Petiole is 0–4mm.

Flowers: Pink or white flowers in racemes up to 25cm long, winter to spring.

Fruit: Fruit similar to Macadamia integrifolia but smaller in size (2.5cm) from summer to autumn.

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Southern OchrosiaOchrosia moorei

FamilyApocynaceae

HabitatThe only Gold Coast population is found in high elevation, subtropical rainforest at Springbrook. Found at lower elevations (100m) in Northern NSW.

DescriptionHabit: Shrub or small, sometimes multi-stemmed tree with milky sap in leaves and branchlets.

Leaves: Leaves up to 18cm have a glossy upper surface and paler lower surface, and are in whorls of three to four (sometimes opposite).

Flowers: White, perfumed flowers up to 15mm with curled petals, in summer.

Fruit: Distinctively large, bright red poisonous fruit to 7cm, often in pairs.

Shiny-leaved Coondoo, Eerwah Plum

Planchonella eerwah

FamilySapotaceae

HabitatDrier rainforest in the city’s north e.g. Upper Ormeau and adjacent areas. This tree was considered extinct until its rediscovery in 1980. Since then, several small, scattered populations have been found, mostly on private land.

DescriptionHabit: Variable in size but usually a small to medium sized, densely foliaged tree.

Leaves: Leaves to 14cm long are alternate, thick, dark green and glossy on the upper surface and paler below.

Flowers: Flowers cream to greenish, small and inconspicuous up to 7mm, in winter to summer.

Fruit: 3–6cm red fruit ripening to black.

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Spiny GardeniaRandia moorei

FamilyRubiaceae

HabitatSubtropical and drier rainforests, often close to watercourses in a variety of locations e.g. Burleigh Heads, Currumbin and Tallebudgera Valleys, Mudgeeraba, Bonogin, Elanora, Wongawallan and Upper Ormeau.

DescriptionHabit: Shrub to small tree.

Leaves: Leaves to 8cm long, are opposite with pairs of spines in some leaf axils. Tiny cavities (domatia) may be present in some vein angles.

Flowers: Perfumed, cream, 5 petalled flowers to 15mm, winter to spring.

Fruit: Orange fruit to 1cm.

Brush Sophora Sophora fraseri

FamilyFabaceae

HabitatDry rainforest margins and regrowth.

DescriptionHabit: Shrub to 2m.

Leaves: Alternate compound leaves with up to 39 small, opposite leaflets and terminal leaf.

Flowers: Yellow pea flowers to 10mm in racemes to 10cm, from spring to autumn.

Fruit: Cylindrical seed pods to 10cm long with constrictions between seeds.

Note: The environmental weed Easter Cassia (Senna pendula var. glabarata) has only 6–12 leaflets and no terminal leaflet. Seedpods of weedy Crotalaria species (Rattlepods) have no constrictions between the seeds.

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Small-leaved HazelwoodSymplocos baeuerleniii

FamilySymplocaceae

HabitatSubtropical to warm temperate rainforest on volcanic soils, mostly at higher altitudes e.g. southern part of Springbrook Plateau, but also found at lower altitudes e.g. Mt Cougal and Natural Bridge.

DescriptionHabit: Tall shrub to small tree.

Leaves: Alternate leaves to 9cm long, which are lightly toothed in the middle and glossy on both surfaces.

Flowers: 1cm creamy white flowers on short racemes.

Fruit: 1cm glossy, red to black fruits.

Red Lilly PillySyzygium hodgkinsoniae

FamilyMyrtaceae

HabitatPrefers alluvial soils along creeks e.g. Upper Tallebudgera, Currumbin and Mudgeeraba Creeks, Mt Cougal and Natural Bridge.

DescriptionHabit: Small to medium sized tree.

Leaves: Leaves are opposite, up to 15cm long, dark green on the upper surface and paler below. Veins are prominent.

Flowers: Perfumed white flowers to 5cm, in spring to autumn.

Fruit: Fleshy, red fruit to 4cm.

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Durobby, CoolamonSyzygium moorei

FamilyMyrtaceae

HabitatLowland subtropical rainforest. Prefers alluvial soils along creeks e.g. Currumbin and Tallebudgera Valleys, and Bonogin. Durobby is an example of a species which was possibly fairly common in the Gold Coast and northern NSW but has become threatened due to extensive clearing of its preferred habitat – lowland, riparian rainforest.

DescriptionHabit: Medium to large tree with scaly, reddish brown bark.

Leaves: Opposite large leaves to 25cm long are thick, leathery and glossy green above, and paler below.

Flowers: Flowers up to 4cm are spectacular pink or red in dense clusters on older branches.

Fruit: Large, edible white fruit up to 6cm form in clusters on the branches.

Richmond Birdwing VinePararistolochia praevenosa

FamilyAristolochiaceae

HabitatLowland subtropical rainforest throughout the Gold Coast, preferring alluvial soils (above about 600m, in places like Springbrook, it is replaced by the closely related Mountain Birdwing Vine – Pararistolochia laheyana).

DescriptionHabit: Woody, climbing vine with twining stems.

Leaves: Leaves are alternate up to 25cm with twisted petioles.

Flowers: Flowers up to 2cm long are tubular, cream or pinkish, and have a hairy, yellow throat.

Fruit: Yellow, ribbed, oblong fruit to 4cm.

Both Pararistolochia species are larval food plants of the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly – Ornithoptera richmondia. The introduced environmental weed Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia elegans) is a serious threat to the butterfly as it is toxic to the larvae. Dutchman’s Pipe should not be planted. Grow the native birdwing vines instead. The Richmond Birdwing Recovery Network supports efforts to conserve the butterfly and its host plant by maintaining a database of vine locations and encouraging landholders to plant vines in suitable locations.

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Arrowhead VineTinospora tinosporoides

FamilyMenispermaceae

HabitatCoastal rainforest on volcanic soils e.g. Burleigh Headland, which is possibly the most northern occurrence of this species.

DescriptionHabit: Tall, woody climber with twining hairless stems. Can be mistaken for the similar vine Sarcopetalum harveyanum which grows alongside Arrowhead Vine on Burleigh Headland.

Leaves: Simple, alternate leaves to 15cm long vary from heart-shaped to oblong with a curved petiole.

Flowers: Small, green flowers in spikes to 12cm.

Fruits: Small, red fruits.

Shaggy-leaved PlectranthusPlectranthus habrophyllus

FamilyLamiaceae

HabitatDry rainforest margins, eucalypt forest and open woodlands on rocky areas in the north of the city e.g. Upper Ormeau.

DescriptionHabit: Herbaceous plant to 60cm.

Leaves: Soft, hairy leaves to 7cm long are opposite and toothed with a velvety feel. Crushed leaves are aromatic and sticky to touch.

Flowers: Purple 5mm flowers in spikes throughout the year.

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Photos: Graham McDonald

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Shiny-leaved PlectranthusPlectranthus nitidus

FamilyLamiaceae

HabitatHigher altitude rainforest in rocky outcrops and gullies e.g. Springbrook and Lamington plateaus.

DescriptionHabit: Herbaceous, multi-branched plant to 60cm.

Leaves: Leaves to 6cm long are opposite, toothed and shiny and not strongly aromatic (compared with Plectranthus habrophyllus).

Flowers: 5mm purple to mauve flowers on spikes, throughout the year.

A Rainforest SedgeCyperus semifertilis

FamilyCyperaceae

HabitatTypically found on rainforest margins and rainforest-wet sclerophyll ecotone where light can penetrate e.g. Tamborine Mountain and Springbrook.

DescriptionHabit: Clumping, grass-like perennial plant with creeping rhizomes.

Leaves: Leaves are narrow to 4mm and may reach about 60cm in height (longer than the narrow stem).

Flowers: Plant has separate male and female flowers hence the species name ‘semifertilis’.

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Glossary of botanical terms

Alternate Leaves or leaflets that originate from different levels along the stem.

Axil The upper angle between one part of a plant and another part, e.g. the stem and a leaf or primary and secondary veins.

Compound As opposed to simple – composed of several more or less similar leaflets.

Crenate A round-toothed or scalloped edge.

Domatia Small structures on the lower surface of some leaves, usually consisting of small depressions, partly enclosed by leaf tissue or hairs, most often in the axils of the primary and secondary veins.

Epiphyte A plant perched on another plant, but not parasitic.

Entire A leaf’s margin that is complete or smooth, not toothed or lobed.

Gland A structure, within or on the surface of a plant.

Habit The general appearance of a plant, including size, shape and life form.

Habitat The kind of place in which a plant grows.

Inflorescence A general term for a plant’s flower-bearing system.

Leaflet One of the segments of a compound leaf.

Lobed A leaf’s margin that is deeply indented.

Margin Outer edge of leaf or leaflet.

Opposite Leaves or leaflets that originate opposite one another along the stem.

Petiole The leaf stalk.

Raceme A simple inflorescence ending in a non-floral bud on which the flowers are stalked.

Sessile Without a stalk or petiole.

Simple A leaf not divided into leaflets.

Spike A simple inflorescence, terminating in a non-floral bud, in which the flowers are sessile.

Toothed A leaf’s margin that is regularly or irregularly incised.

Whorled A ring of leaves originating from the same level on a stem.

Glossary descriptions based on those provided in Rainforest Trees & Shrubs – a field guide to their identification in Victoria, New South Wales and subtropical Queensland using vegetative features (2006) Harden, G. McDonald, B. Williams, J. Gwen Harden Publishing and New South Wales Flora Online.

(http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au)

http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au


IndexAlloxylon pinnatum, Tree Waratah ...........................................18

Ardisia bakeri, Ardisia ..............................................................19

Baloghia marmorata, Jointed Baloghia ...................................22

Brachychiton sp. Ormeau, Ormeau Bottle Tree .......................20

Cassia marksiana, Brush Cassia .............................................23

Corynocarpus rupestris subsp. arborescens, Southern Corynocarpus .........................................................24

Cryptocarya foetida, Stinking Cryptocarya ..............................25

Cyperus semifertilis, A Rainforest Sedge .................................55

Cupaniopsis newmanii, Long-leaved Tuckeroo .......................26

Davidsonia johnsonnii, Smooth Davidson’s Plum ....................27

Diploglottis campbellii, Small-leaved Tamarind ........................28

Endiandra floydi, Rose Walnut, Crystal Creek Walnut ..............29

Endiandra globosa, Black Walnut ...........................................30

Endiandra hayesii, Velvet Laurel ..............................................31

Eucryphia jinksii, Springbrook Pinkwood .................................32

Floydia praealta, Ball Nut ........................................................33

Fontainea australis, Southern Fontainea .................................34

Fontainea venosa, Veiny Fontainea .........................................35

Gossia fragrantissima, Sweet Myrtle .......................................36

Helicia ferruginea, Rusty Helicia ..............................................37

Hicksbeachia pinnatifolia, Red Bopple Nut ..............................38

Jasminum jenniae, Shrubby Jasmine ......................................39

Lenwebbia prominens, Southern Velvet Myrtle ........................40

Lepiderema pulchella, Fine–leaved Tuckeroo ..........................41

Macadamia integrifolia, Macadamia Nut, Queensland Nut .....................................................................42

Macadamia tetraphylla, Macadamia Nut, Queensland Nut .....................................................................43

Ochrosia moorei, Southern Ochrosia ......................................44

Pararistolochia praevenosa, Richmond Birdwing Vine .............51

Planchonella eerwah, Shiny-leaved Coondoo, Eerwah Plum ..........................................................................45

Plectranthus habrophyllus, Shaggy-leaved Plectranthus .........53

Plectranthus nitidus, Shiny-leaved Plectranthus ......................54

Randia moorei, Spiny Gardenia ...............................................46

Sophora fraseri, Brush Sophora ..............................................47

Symplocos bauerlenii, Small-leaved Hazelwood......................48

Syzygium hodgkinsoniae, Red Lilly Pilly ...................................49

Syzygium moorei, Durobby, Coolamon ...................................50

Tinospora tinosporoides, Arrowhead Vine ...............................52

60

Information and adviceThe City of Gold Coast’s Conservation Partnerships team offers a number of schemes (including Land for Wildlife, Voluntary Conservation Agreements and the Nature Conservation Assistance Program) to help you identify native plants and weeds, restore bushland that has been cleared or disturbed, and protect your property.

Visit cityofgoldcoast.com.au/conservationpartnerships or call 07 5582 8896 to find out how we can help you manage your property’s bushland.

Recommended referencesBooksMangroves to Mountains: A Field Guide to the Native Plants of South-east Queensland (revised 2008 edition) Logan River Branch SGAP (Qld Region) Inc.

Rainforest Trees & Shrubs – a field guide to their identification in Victoria, New South Wales and subtropical Queensland using vegetative features (2006) Harden, G. McDonald, B. Williams, J. Gwen Harden Publishing.

Websitescityofgoldcoast.com.au/conservationpartnerships

goldcoastflorafauna.com.au

AppsRainforest Plants of Australia – rainforests.net.au

Free City publicationsEnvironmental weeds and native alternatives

City-wide significant plants of the Gold Coast

To obtain copies of these free publications email [email protected] or call 07 5582 8896.

AcknowledgementsAll photographs of plants featured in ‘Species Descriptions’, apart from those labelled otherwise, were provided by Glenn Leiper. We thank Glenn and Graham McDonald for their assistance in preparing this revised booklet. Lui Weber provided the photos on the inside front cover, inside back cover and on page 57.

Published January 2020



http://goldcoastflorafauna.com.au

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