Dichelachne crinita | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Poaceae |
Subfamily: | Pooideae |
Genus: | Dichelachne |
Species: | D. crinita |
Binomial name | |
Dichelachne crinita | |
Dichelachne crinita , commonly known as the longhair plume grass, is a type of grass found in Australia, New Zealand and islands of the Pacific Ocean. It is often seen on sandy soils near the sea as well as woodlands. The flowering panicles are open and feathery at maturity. The grass may grow up to 1.5 metres (5 ft) tall. Crinita, the specific epithet, is derived from Latin (hairy). [1]
Carolus Linnaeus the Younger described the longhair plume grass in his Supplementum Plantarum in 1781 as Anthoxanthum crinitum. Crinita is derived from the verb crinio "I cover with hair" and refers to the hairy panicles. Joseph Dalton Hooker gave it its current name in 1853. [2] Longhair plumegrass is the common name in Australia, [3] while clovenfoot plumegrass is a name recorded in America. [4]
The longhair plume grass is a tufted perennial plant which can reach 1.5 m (5 ft) high. The flowers are roughly oblong-shaped or cylindrical panicles and appear in spring. [5]
The longhair plume grass is native to all states of Australia, New Guinea, Norfolk Island, the Kermadec Islands and New Zealand. It is unclear whether it is native or naturalised on Lord Howe Island. [2] It has become naturalised on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. [6] It grows on sandy or sandstone-based soils. [5]
Within the Sydney region, it is found in grassland to open forest communities, associated with woodland trees such as smooth-barked apple ( Angophora costata ), Sydney peppermint ( Eucalyptus piperita ), silvertop ash ( E. sieberi ) and red bloodwood ( Corymbia gummifera ), in scrub with coastal banksia ( Banksia integrifolia ) and broad-leaved apple ( Angophora subvelutina ). [7] It is a component of the Endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub, [8] and shale/sandstone transition forest. [9]
In Victoria it is common near coastal regions and on volcanic plains. [10]
In South Australia, it is associated with such trees as drooping sheoak ( Allocasuarina verticillata ), pink gum ( Eucalyptus fasciculosa ), sugar gum ( E. cladocalyx ), messmate ( E. obliqua ), and shrubs such as golden wattle ( Acacia pycnantha ) and peach heath ( Lissanthe strigosa ). [11]
The Brisbane Water National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 11,506-hectare (28,430-acre) national park is situated 47 kilometres (29 mi) north of Sydney, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Woy Woy, and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) southwest of Gosford.
The Royal National Park is a protected national park that is located in Sutherland Shire in the Australian state of New South Wales, just south of Sydney and is situated on Dharawal country.
Grevillea longifolia, the fern-leaf spider flower, is a plant of the family Proteaceae, formerly known as Grevillea aspleniifolia. Commonly growing in the Sydney basin of central New South Wales, Australia Grevillea longifolia is recognizable by its deep red "toothbrush" flowers which appear in spring, and narrow, sawtoothed leaves. It is fairly readily grown in gardens.
The greater Brisbane area of Queensland Australia, has many species of indigenous flora. This article links the flora to its geography with:
Angophora costata, commonly known as Sydney red gum, rusty gum or smooth-barked apple, is a species of tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. Reaching 30 m (100 ft) in height, the species has distinctive smooth bark that is pinkish or orange-brown when new and fades to grey with age. Its lance-shaped leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the stems, with white or creamy white flowers appearing from October to December. The flower buds are usually arranged in groups of three, followed by ribbed, oval or bell-shaped fruit.
Eucalyptus botryoides, commonly known as the bangalay, bastard jarrah, woollybutt or southern mahogany, is a small to tall tree native to southeastern Australia. Reaching up to 40 metres high, it has rough bark on its trunk and branches. It is found on sandstone- or shale-based soils in open woodland, or on more sandy soils behind sand dunes. The white flowers appear in summer and autumn. It reproduces by resprouting from its woody lignotuber or epicormic buds after bushfire. E. botryoides hybridises with the Sydney blue gum in the Sydney region. The hard, durable wood has been used for panelling and flooring.
Angophora hispida grows as a mallee, or as a tree to about 7 m (25 ft) in height. A. hispida's small size, especially when compared to its Angophora and Eucalyptus relatives, leads to it being known by the common name dwarf apple. It is native to a relatively small patch of central New South Wales – from just south of Sydney up to the Gosford area. The plant's leaves are sessile (stalk-less) and hug the stem with heart-shaped bases. Its previous name – A. cordifolia – referred to these cordate leaves. Another distinctive feature are the red bristly hairs that cover the branchlets, flower bases and new growth. This leads to the specific epithet hispida.
The flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 20,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens. The flora has strong affinities with the flora of Gondwana, and below the family level has a highly endemic angiosperm flora whose diversity was shaped by the effects of continental drift and climate change since the Cretaceous. Prominent features of the Australian flora are adaptations to aridity and fire which include scleromorphy and serotiny. These adaptations are common in species from the large and well-known families Proteaceae (Banksia), Myrtaceae, and Fabaceae.
Dichelachne is a genus of Australian, Indonesian, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family. They are known commonly as plumegrasses.
Lomatia silaifolia, commonly known as crinkle bush or parsley fern, is a plant of the family, Proteaceae native to eastern Australia. Naturally found in open forest, it grows as a small shrub 1–2 m high with highly pinnate leaves reminiscent of parsley. The white inflorescences appear in summer.
Persoonia myrtilloides, commonly known as myrtle geebung, is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect to spreading shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves and yellow flowers in groups of up to forty on a rachis up to 170 mm (6.7 in) long.
Persoonia bargoensis, commonly known as the Bargo geebung, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is an erect shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves, yellow, tube-shaped flowers and green, pear-shaped fruit.
Haemodorum corymbosum, commonly known as the rush-leaf bloodroot, is a shrub native to southeastern Australia. Danish-Norwegian naturalist Martin Vahl described this species in his 1805 work Enumeratio Plantarum.
Veronica plebeia, commonly known as creeping- or trailing speedwell, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. It is native to Australia and New Zealand.
Caravan Head Bushland Reserve is a reserve approximately 2.2ha located in Sutherland Shire, southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
The Cumberland Plain Woodland is one of six main indigenous woodland communities of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that comprises an open tree canopy, a groundcover with grasses and herbs, usually with layers of shrubs and/or small trees. Situated in the Cumberland Plain, it is made up of dry sclerophyll woodlands, grasslands and/or forests, reminiscent of Mediterranean forests and temperate grasslands.
The ecology of Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia, is diverse for its size, where it would mainly feature biomes such as grassy woodlands and some sclerophyll forests, with a few pockets of mallee shrublands, subtropical and temperate rainforests (evergreen), heathlands, and wetlands. The combination of climate, topography, moisture, and soil influence the dispersion of these ecological communities across a height gradient from 0 to 200 metres. There are many hiking trails, paved and unpaved roads for exploring the many different biomes and ecosystems.
Wikispecies has information related to Dichelachne crinita . |