Friends of Sturt Gorge

Laughing Kookaburra

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 Flora...

Plant communities
Full native species list
Weeds

Plants grouped by characteristics

Trees
Shrubs
Wildflowers
 Orchids
Grasses
Sedges & Rushes
Ferns
Fungi

 

Overview of plant communities

The Sturt Gorge contains a diverse range of plant communities from grasslands to open woodlands. The distribution varies according to topography, soil and previous land use.

Gray box open forest originally covered much of the area, however is now limited to the south eastern section. The steep slopes of the gorge are characterised by drooping sheoak and grey box woodlands. Mt lofty grass trees, native hops and kangaroo thorn form a colorful understorey.

Along the Sturt River large river red gums line the banks and several species of sedge and rushes grow in the damp soil to form the Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Red Gum) Woodland (Riverflat)

The most densely vegetated area in the park is a tall shrubland of large twiggy daisy bush and drooping sheoak known as the Olearia ramulosa  / Allocasuarina verticillata  Tall Shrubland

See the plant associations page for more details on the main vegatation groups found in the park.

There are also many introduced species found in the park. A full list can be found on the weeds page.

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List of native plants:

The following list of plants found in Sturt Gorge Recreation Park was assembled during the winter and early spring of 1980 and was published in the 1990 management plan. Identification was made with assistance from David E. Symon (Waite Agricultural Research Institute) and the State Herbarium.

MP indicates listed in 1990 management plan
FS indicates discovered by Friends of Sturt Gorge since 2001

Acacia acinacea

A. longifolia
A. melanoxylon
A.  paradoxa
A. pycantha
A. retinodes
A. rotundifolia
Acaena ovina
Albizia lophantha
Allocasaurina verticillata
Amyema pendula
Anguillaria dioica
Arctotheca calendula
Arthropodium fimbriatus 
Asphodelus fistulosus
Astroloma humifusum
Bothria chloa
Bulbine bulbosa 
Callistemon humifusum
Caesia vittata
Calostemma purpureum
Chamaescilla corymbosa
Cheilanthes tenuifolia
Convolvus erubescens
Convolvus sp.
 Cymbopogoa Abectus
Cyperus vaginatus
Danthonia sp.
Dianella Longifolia
Dianella revoluta
Diuris maculata
Dodonaea viscosa
Drosera peltata
D. planchonii
D. whittakeri
Enneapogon nigricans
Eucalyptus camaldulensis
E. foecunda
E. leucoxylon
E. microcarpa
E. odorata
Eutaxia sp.
Exocarpos cupressiformis
Gonocarpus mezianus
Grevillea lavanduclea
Hardenbergia violacea
Hibbertia stricta
Hordeum leporinum
Hypoxis glabella
Isolepis nodosa
Juncus krausii
Kennedia Prostata
Lepidosperma sp.
Lolium rigidum
Lomandra sp.
Lomandra densiflora
Lomandra multiflora subsp. dura
Logania Saxatilis
Lysiana exocarpi
Malaleuca decussata
Neurachne sp.
Olearia ramulosa
Oxalis corniculata
Paspalidium basicladum
Paspalidium constrictum
Paspalum distichum
Phragmites australia
Pinus halepensis
Plantago lanceolata
Pleurosorus rutifolius
Poa tenera
Prunus cerasifer
Psoralea patens
Pterostylis nana
Pultenaea largiflorens
Scabiosa atropurpurea
Scaevola sp
Schoneus apogon
Senecio odoratus
Solanum hermanni
Stipa sp.
Themeda australis
Thelimytra sp.
Thelymitra  pauciflora
Typha sp.
Vittadinia triloba
Wahlenbergia sp.
Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata
Zantedeschia aethipica		 Gold dust Wattle, Round Leaf wattle
Sallow Wattle
Blackwood
Kangaroo Thorn
Golden Wattle
Swamp Wattle
Round-leaf Wattle
Sheeps Burr
Crested Wattle
Drooping She-oak
Drooping Mistletoe
Early Nancy
Cape weed
Nodding Chocolate Lily
Wild Onion
Native Cranberry

Bulbose Lily, Native Leek

Blue Gass Lily
Garland Lily
Blue Stars
Rock Fern



Flat-sedge
Wallaby-grass
Pale Flax-lily
Black-anther Flax-lily
Spotted Bulldog Orchid
Native Hop
Sundew
Sundew
Sundew
Nigger-heads
River Red Gum
Narrow-leafed Red Mallee
South Australian Blue Gum
Grey Box
Peppermint Box

Native Cherry


Native Lilac
Guinea flower
Barley Grass
Yellow Star
Knobbly Club-rush
Sea Rush
Running Postman

Wimmera Rye-grass
Iron grasses
pointed mat-rush
Stiff Iron-grass

Harlequin Mistletoe



Creeping Oxalis


Salt-water Couch-grass
Common Reed
Aleppo Pine
Ribwort Plantain

Slender Tussock Grass


Dwarf Green-hood

Purple Pincushion

Common Bog-rush
Daisy bush
Apple of Sodom
Spear Grass
Kangaroo Grass
Sun Orchid
Blue Sun Orchid
Bulrushes

Australian Bluebell
Grass Tree
White Arum Lily		 FS

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Trees:

Allocasaurina verticillata Drooping She-oak

sheoak young.jpg (417818 bytes) sheoak mature.jpg (335557 bytes) sheoak forest.jpg (332921 bytes)

Food source for the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoo project. This is a bird which cohabited with the Yellow-tailed Cockatoo both on Kangaroo Island and Fleurieu Peninsula, both eating the cones of the local Allocasuarina verticillata. However, whereas the Yellow-tails have adapted to eating the cones of the exotic pines, the Glossy Blacks have not, and as the number of local pines have dwindled, so have the Glossy Blacks. Another reason to restore our Sturt Gorge to its former floral state.

  Eucalyptus camaldulensis River Red Gum

redgum.jpg (300906 bytes) Eucalyptus camaldulensis.jpg (228671 bytes) redgum2.jpg (267755 bytes)

Eucalyptus microcarpa Grey Box

107 mature grey box.jpg (77874 bytes)   108 young grey box.jpg (86422 bytes) 109 black cockatoos on dead tree.jpg (38101 bytes) greybox flowers.jpg (147893 bytes) greybox leaves.jpg (97980 bytes)

Amyema pendula Drooping Mistletoe

mistletoe.jpg (338137 bytes)  Amyema pendula flowering.jpg (367928 bytes)

Lysiana exocarpi Harlequin Mistletoe

Lysiana exocarpi red.jpg (267182 bytes)  Lysiana exocarpi yellow.jpg (274412 bytes)

Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata Mount Lofty Grass Tree

Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata.jpg (227381 bytes) Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata 2.jpg (387778 bytes) Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata 3.jpg (235185 bytes) Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata flower spike.jpg (90812 bytes)

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Shrubs:

Acacia acinacea

110 small acacia.jpg (63219 bytes)

Dodonaea viscosa Sticky hop bush or Native Hop  
123 dodonea.jpg (58876 bytes)  dodonea.jpg (446198 bytes)  dodonea forest.jpg (344966 bytes)

Logania Saxatilis

114 rare shrub.jpg (85625 bytes)  115 rare shrub flower closeup.jpg (32021 bytes)

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Climbers:

Hardenbergia violacea Native Lilac

Hardenbergia violacea.jpg (182623 bytes) Hardenbergia violacea closeup.jpg (108921 bytes) Hardenbergia violacea2.jpg (248822 bytes)

Wildflowers:

 

Acaena ovina Sheeps Burr

sheeps burr.jpg (133612 bytes)

Anguillaria dioica Early nancy (wurmbia dioica?)

Anguillaria dioica.jpg (110537 bytes)

Arthropodium fimbriatus Nodding CHocolate Lily

406.jpg (115408 bytes)   

Astroloma humifusum Native Cranberry

native cranberry.jpg (324679 bytes) native cranberry flowers.jpg (273228 bytes) astraloma.jpg (26753 bytes)

Bulbine bulbosa Bulbose Lily

715.jpg (60672 bytes)

Caesia vittata Blue Gass Lily  

  caesia vittata.jpg (107142 bytes) caesia vittata closeup.jpg (108106 bytes)

Calandrinia sp.

521.jpg (321652 bytes) 524.jpg (176101 bytes)

Cymbonotus laginifera

325.jpg (174658 bytes) 

Dianella Longifolia Pale Flax Lily

113 rare grass 3.jpg (72586 bytes) Dianella Longifolia.jpg (253441 bytes)

Drosera whittakeri Sundew

sundew.jpg (161118 bytes)

Eutaxia sp.

 eutaxia.jpg (239395 bytes) eutaxia closeup.jpg (221177 bytes)

Hibbertia stricta Guinea flower

hibertia 2.jpg (188250 bytes) hibertia 3.jpg (118947 bytes) hibertia.jpg (67657 bytes)

Kennedia Prostata Running Postman

102 red flower.jpg (48085 bytes)  Kennedia Prostata.jpg (79634 bytes) Kennedia Prostata leaves.jpg (142335 bytes)

Oxalis corniculata Creeping Oxalis

116 yellow oxalis.jpg (32757 bytes)

Plantago lanceolata Ribwort Plantain

plantago.jpg (184751 bytes)


Pultenaea largiflorens

401.jpg (297392 bytes) 402.jpg (160893 bytes)

Scaevola sp.

706.jpg (245154 bytes) 707.jpg (283273 bytes)

Stackhousia monogyna Creamy Candles

stackhousia monogyna.jpg (155170 bytes) Stackhousia monogyna 2.jpg (137242 bytes) Stackhousia monogyna closeup.jpg (61558 bytes)

Stellaria sp.

522.jpg (243628 bytes) 523.jpg (51805 bytes)

Wahlenbergia sp. Australian Bluebell

112 purple flower.jpg (28218 bytes) 712.jpg (112023 bytes) 713.jpg (174680 bytes) wahlenbergia.jpg (92533 bytes)

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Orchids:

New orchids emerging in spring:

new orchids.jpg (160170 bytes)

Diuris corymbosa Bulldog Orchid

diuris corymbosa.jpg (70692 bytes) diuris corymbosa 2.jpg (57857 bytes)

Pteryostylis nana Dwarf Green-hood Orchid

pteryostylis nana.jpg (60455 bytes)

Thelymitra sp. Sun Orchid

709.jpg (60596 bytes)  

Thelymitra  pauciflora Blue Sun Orchid

710.jpg (79825 bytes) 714.jpg (40404 bytes)

Grasses:

Bothria Chloa

Bothria Chloa (83025 bytes)

Cymbopogoa Abectus

cymbopogoa_abectus.jpg (73264 bytes) cymbopogoa_abectus_seed_head.jpg (21681 bytes)

Lomandra sp. Iron Grasses

  lomandra.jpg (75091 bytes)

Lomandra multiflora (subspecies dura)

lamandra dura.jpg (271576 bytes)

Neurachne sp ?

723.jpg (254261 bytes) 724.jpg (146795 bytes)

Paspalidium basicladum

106 black head grass edge enhanced.jpg (51270 bytes) 

Paspalidium constrictum

708.jpg (267200 bytes)  

Stipa sp. Spear Grass

717.jpg (241870 bytes) 716.jpg (125054 bytes)

Themeda australis Kangaroo Grass

kangaroograss.jpg (362835 bytes) kangaroograss2.jpg (48768 bytes)

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Sedges & Rushes

Unidentified sedge:

 811.jpg (351207 bytes)

Ajuncus sp Rush

 812.jpg (290978 bytes)  

Cyperus vaginatus Flat-sedge

813.jpg (222981 bytes)

Typha sp. Bullrush

810.jpg (186451 bytes)  typha.jpg (233538 bytes)

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Ferns:

Cheilanthes tenuifolia

fern.jpg (320778 bytes)

Pleurosorus rutifolius

rockfern.jpg (181455 bytes)

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Moss & Lichen

moss&lichen.jpg (246393 bytes)

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Fungi:

124 fungi 1.jpg (62584 bytes)    white fungi.jpg (46175 bytes)

126 fungi 2.jpg (78412 bytes)    126a fungi 2 closeup.jpg (23665 bytes)

brown fungi.jpg (122953 bytes) fungi3.jpg (57449 bytes)

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Last modified: March 13, 2005