Natural Temperate Grassland of the South Eastern Highlands

Images ©:
©David Eddy
Description 

Native grasslands of the South Eastern Highlands bioregion occur in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands, the Australian Capital Territory and around Omeo, Benambra and Bendoc in East Gippsland in Victoria. They occur at altitudes between 350 and 1200 m in a variety of topographic positions including valleys influenced by cold air drainage, low lying flats, drainage depressions, broad plains and exposed west or north facing hills.

Natural Temperate Grassland of the South Eastern Highlands is normally treeless and is dominated by native perennial tussock grasses up to a 1 m high. The dominant species depends on drainage patterns, soil characteristics and/or disturbance history and include Themeda triandra (Kangaroo grass), Poa siebriana (snowgrass) and Poa labillardieri (Common tussock grass) in areas that have been lightly grazed and Austrostipa bigeniculata (Kneed speargrass), Austrostipa scabra (Slender speargrass), Bothriochloa macra (Red grass) and Rytidosperma (Wallaby grass) species in areas with higher grazing pressure. Many other grass species such as Dichelachne (Plume grass) species, Chloris truncata (Windmill grass) and native Eragrsotis (Love grass) species can occur in the community as lower sub-dominants growing between the tussocks of the dominant species. Forbs commonly found in the inter-tussock spaces include Acaena ovina (Sheep's burr), Asperula spp (Woodruffs), Chrysocephalum apiculatum (Common everlasting), Convolvulus spp. (Bindweed), Euchiton spp. (Cudweeds), Leptorhynchos squamatus (Scaly buttons), Lomandra spp. (Mat-rushes), Plantago varia (Variable plantain) and Vittadinia muelleri (Narrow-leaf New Holland daisy). Other frequently encountered forb include species from the Brachyscome, Dichondra, Erodium, Eryngium, Geranium, Glycine, Goodenia, Helichrysum, Microtis, Pimelea, Rumex, Solenogyne, Stackhousia and Wahlenbergia genera.

Conservation Status (EPBC Act) 
Critically Endangered
Percent of former extent remaining 
< 10%
Bioregions the community occurs in 
Characteristic flora species 

Acacia brownii, Acacia dealbata, Acacia gunnii, Acacia siculiformis, Acaena echinata, Acaena ovina, Acaena spp., Acrotriche serrulata, Adiantum aethiopica, Ajuga australis, Ammobium alatum, Amphibromus neesii, Amphibromus nervosus, Amphibromus pithogastrus, Anthropodium fimbriatusAnthropodium strictumAphanes australiana, Aristida behriana, Aristida ramosa, Arthropodium milleflorum, Arthropodium minus, Asperula ambleia, Asperula conferta, Asperula scoparia, Asplenium flabellifolium, Astroloma humifusum, Austrofestuca eriopoda, Austrofestuca spp., Austrostipa bigeniculata, Austrostipa blackii, Austrostipa densiflora, Austrostipa nodosa, Austrostipa scabra, Austrostipa spp., Axonopus affinis, Baekia utilis, Baloskion australe, Boerharvia dominii, Bossiaea buxifolia, Bossiaea prostrata, Bossiaea riparia, Bothriochloa macra, Botrichium australe, Brachyscome aculeata, Brachyscome decipiens, Brachyscome dentata, Brachyscome diversifolia, Brachyscome graminea, Brachyscome heterodonta, Brachyscome ptychocarpa, Brachyscome radicans, Brachyscome rigidula, Brachyscome scapigera, Brachyscome spathulata, Brachyscome willisii, Brachyloma daphnoides, Brunonia australis, Bulbine bulbosa, Bulbine glauca, Burchardia umbellata, Caesia calliantha, Calocephalus citreus, Calotis anthemoides, Calotis glandulosa, Calotis lappulacea, Calotis scabiosifolia, Calotis scapigera, Cardamine paucijuga, Carex appressa, Carex bichenoviana, Carex breviculmis, Carex inversa, Cenchrus purpurascens, Centella asiatica, Centipeda cunninghamii, Centipeda minima, Centrolepis strigosa, Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia, Cheilanthes distans, Cheilanthes sieberi, Chenopodum glaucum, Chloris truncata, Chrysocephalum apiculatum, Chrysocephalum semipapposum, Commersonia prostrata, Convolvulus angustissimus, Cotula alpina, Cotula australis, Cotula coronopifolia, Craspedia spp., Craspedia variabilis, Crassula helmsii, Crassula sieberiana, Crassula spp., Cryptandra amara, Cullen microcephalum, Cullen parvum, Cullen tenax, Cymbonotus lawsonianus, Cymbonotus preissianus, Cymbopogon refractus, Cynoglossum australe, Cynoglossum suaveolens, Cyperus spp., Daucus glochidiatus, Daviesia genistifolia, Daviesia ulicifolia, Desmodium varians, Deyeuxia quadriseta, Dianella longifolia, Dichanthium sericeum, Dichelachne hirtella, Dichelachne inaequiglumis, Dichelachne micrantha, Dichelachne parva, Dichelachne rara, Dichondra repens, Dichondra sp., Dillwynia prostrata, Dillwynia sericea, Diplarrena moraea, Discaria pubescens, Diuris behrii, Diuris chryseopsis, Diuris dendrobioides, Diuris punctata, Diuris semilunulata, Diuris sulphurea, Dodonaea procumbens, Drosera peltata, Dysphania pumilio, Einadia nutans, Eleocharis acuta, Enneapogon nigricans, Epilobium billardierianum, Epilobium hirtigerum, Eragrostis brownii, Eragrostis leptostachya, Eragrostis parviflora, Eragrostis trachycarpa, Eriochilus cucullatus, Erodium crinitum, Eryngium ovinum, Eryngium vesiculosum, Euchiton japonicus, Euchiton involucratus, Euchiton sphaericus, Euchiton spp., Euphorbia drummondii, Euphrasia collina, Eutaxia diffusa, Fimbristylis dichotoma, Galium gaudichaudii, Genoplesium spp., Gentiana bredboensis, Geranium antrorsum, Geranium graniticola, Geranium homeanum, Geranium neglectum, Geranium potentilloides, Geranium solanderi, Gingidia harveyana, Glycine clandestina, Glycine tabacina, Gompholobium minus, Gonocarpus micranthus, Gonocarpus tetragynus, Goodenia bellifiolia, Goodenia hederacea, Goodenia humilis, Goodenia pinnatifida, Goodenia stelligera, Grevillea lanigera, Gypsophila tubulosa, Hakea microcarpa, Haloragis heterophylla, Helichrysum rutidolepis, Hemarthria uncinata, Hovea linearis, Hydrocotyle algida, Hydrocotyle calicarpa, Hydrocotyle laxiflora, Hydrocotyle peduncularis, Hypericum gramineum, Hypericum japonicum, Hypericum spp., Hypoxis hygrometrica, Hypoxis vaginata, Imperata cylindica, Isoetopsis graminifolia, Isolepis spp., Isotoma fluviatilis, Joycea pallidaJuncus australis, Juncus flavidus, Juncus spp., Juncus subsecundus, Kennedia prostrata, Kunzea ericoides, Kunzea parvifolia, Lachnagrostis filiformis, Laxmannia gracilis, Lepidium ginninderense, Lepidium hyssopifolium, Leptorhynchos elongatus, Leptorhynchos squamatus, Leucochrysum albicans, Leucopogon fraseri, Liliopsis polyantha, Linum marginaleLobelia pedunculataLomandra bracteata, Lomandra filiformis, Lomandra multiflora, Lotus australis, Luzula densiflora, Luzula flaccida, Lythrum hyssopifolia, Melichrus urceolatus, Mentha diemenica, Mentha satureoides, Microlaena stipoides, Microseris lanceolata, Microtis parviflora, Microtis unifolia, Mirbelia oxylobioides, Mitrasacme serpyllifolia, Montia fontana, Muehlenbeckia axilaris, Montia australasica, Ophioglossum lusitaniacum, Oreomyrrhis argentea, Oreomyrrhis eriopoda, Oxalis perennans, Panicum effusum, Paspalum distichum, Pellaea falcata, Pentapogon quadrifidus, Persicaria prostrata, Pimelea curviflora, Pimelea glauca, Pimelea linifolia, Plantago antarctica, Plantago euryphylla, Plantago gaudichaudii, Plantago hispida, Plantago varia, Pleurosorus rutifolius, Poa labillardierei, Poa meionectes, Poa sieberiana, Podolepis hieracioides, Podolepis jaceoides, Polygala japonica, Poranthera microphylla, Portulaca oleracea, Prasophyllum canaliculatum, Prasophyllum petilum, Prasophyllum spp., Prasophyllum wilkinsoniorum, Prunella vulgaris, Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum, Pteridium esculentum, Pterostylis bicolor, Pterostylis cycnocephala, Pterostylis mutica, Ptilotis sp., Pultenaea spp., Ranunculus inundatus, Ranunculus lappaceus, Ranunculus papulentus, Ranunculus sessiliflorus, Rhodanthe anthemoides, Rhytidosporum procumbens, Rubus parvifolius, Rumex brownii, Rumex dumosus, Rumex tenax, Rutidosis leiolepis, Rutidosis leptorhynchoides, Rytidosperma erianthum, Rytidosperma penicillatum, Rytidosperma pilosum, Rytidosperma laeve, Rytidosperma carphoides, Rytidosperma caespitosum, Rytidosperma racemosum, Rytidosperma tenuius, Schoenus apogon, Scleranthus biflorus, Scleranthus diander, Sebaea ovata, Selliera radicans, Senecio quadridentatus, Sida corrugata, Solenogyne dominii, Solenogyne gunnii, Sorghum leiocladum, Spiranthes australe, Sporobolus creber, Stackhousia monogyna, Stellaria angustifolia, Stellaria multiflora, Stuartina hamata, Stuartina muelleri, Stylidium graminifolium, Swainsona monticola, Swainsona behriana, Swainsona recta, Swainsona sericea, Thelymitra pauciflora, Thelymitra rubra, Themeda triandra, Thesium australis, Thysanotus patersonii, Thysanotus tuberosus, Trachymene humilis, Tricoryne elatior, Triptilodiscus pygmaeus, Utricularia dichotoma, Velleia montana, Velleia paradoxa, Veronica calycina, Veronica gracilis, Veronica plebeia, Veronica subtilis, Viola betonicifolia, Vittadinia cuneata, Vittadinia gracilis, Vittadinia muelleri, Wahlenbergia communis, Wahlenbergia gracilis, Wahlenbergia graniticola, Wahlenbergia stricta, Wilsonia rotundifolia, Wurmbea dioica, Xerochrysum palustre, Xerochrysum subundulatum, Zornia dyctiocarpa