Scleranthus fasciculatus

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Scleranthus fasciculatus
S.fasciculatus up close.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Scleranthus
Species:
S. fasciculatus
Binomial name
Scleranthus fasciculatus
S.fasciculatus distribution map ALA.png

Scleranthus fasciculatus, commonly known as spreading knawel, is a rare, spreading, non-woody herb found in the south-eastern states of Australia and introduced to New Zealand. [1] [2] The species is found in dry grassland habitats [1] and requires the maintenance of inter-tussock spaces for its establishment and persistence. [2] A number of anthropogenic factors have contributed to the species decline such as impacts from land clearing, road construction and maintenance, and herbicide application. [2]

Contents

Description

Scleranthus fasciculatus growth habit Scleranthus fasciculatus growth habit.jpg
Scleranthus fasciculatus growth habit

Scleranthus fasciculatus is a prostrate spreading perennial herb. Stems are non-woody and tend to be hairy, up to 30 cm (12 in) in length. Leaves are commonly hairy, linear, and papillose, tapering to a point and occur in clusters. The inflorescence consists of a pair of small pedunculate yellow/light green sub-sessile flowers [3] held by bracts. [2] Flowers have five sepals (0.4–0.7 mm (0.016–0.028 in) long) that overlap at the base and no obvious petals. Flowering occurs in September to March. The fruit is enclosed within a perigynium and calyx and takes the form of an ovate indehiscent nutlet containing one ovoid seed. [4] [5]

Flower heads of S. fasciculatus S.fasciculatus flower heads (2).png
Flower heads of S. fasciculatus

Scleranthus fasciculatus is similar in form to Scleranthus biflorus , an Australian native and commonly cultivated landscaping plant, but it does not form dense cushion-like mats characteristic of the latter species. [1]

Habitat and distribution

Scleranthus fasciculatus grows as a native in the Australian states of Victoria, New South Wales (NSW), the Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania. [4] It has been introduced to New Zealand. [6]

In Tasmania S. fasciculatus is common to silver tussock ( Poa labillardierei ) [7] grasslands and grassy woodlands where it grows in gaps between the tussocks alongside many other herbaceous plants that are native to these habitats. Silver tussock grasslands are a subcategory of Tasmanian Lowland Native Grasslands, found in the Midlands, east Coast, Derwent Valley, and southeast of Tasmania. These grasslands are typically common in areas of low rainfall where the soils are deep and fertile, and occur in areas with basalt or dolerite geology. [2]

On mainland Australia the species occurs in Montaine forest and woodlands. It has been observed in the Victorian Tablelands, Kosciuszko National Park, and the western mountains of NSW. [4]

Threats and conservation

Scleranthus fasciculatus is classified as vulnerable in Tasmania and endangered in Victoria. [8]

Tasmanian Lowland Native Grasslands and are classified as a nationally threatened ecological community, and critically endangered in Tasmania. Since European settlement in Tasmania in 1803 [9] there has been extensive clearing of Lowland Native Grasslands amounting to the decline of many species found within them, including S. fasciculatus. Remnants of this vegetation type are located on private property, in some local reserves, in cemeteries or along roadsides. Fire plays a large role in the species persistence as it maintains inter-tussock gaps where the species persists. [7] Threats to S. fasciculatus include land clearing, inappropriate regulations of fire regimes, inappropriate grazing, invasion of weeds, and adverse impacts from herbicide and road construction and maintenance. [2]

Conservation efforts focus on the implementation of appropriate fire and grazing regimes that benefit the ecological community. [2] [7] There is also a focus on controlling introduced deer populations in the Australian Alps to preserve S. fasciculatus and other species and communities that are threatened by their presence. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freycinet National Park</span> Protected area in Tasmania, Australia

Freycinet National Park is a national park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, 125 kilometres (78 mi) northeast of Hobart. It occupies a large part of the Freycinet Peninsula, named after French navigator Louis de Freycinet, and Schouten Island. Founded in 1916, it is Tasmania's oldest park, along with Mount Field National Park. Bordering the national park is the small settlement of Coles Bay, and the largest nearby town is Swansea. Freycinet contains part of the rugged Tasmanian coastline and includes the secluded Wineglass Bay. Features of the park include its red and pink granite formations and a series of jagged granite peaks in a line, called "The Hazards".

<i>Threatened Species Protection Act 1995</i> Act of the Parliament of Tasmania, Australia

The Threatened Species Protection Act 1995, is an act of the Parliament of Tasmania that provides the statute relating to conservation of flora and fauna. Its long title is An Act to provide for the protection and management of threatened native flora and fauna and to enable and promote the conservation of native flora and fauna. It received the royal assent on 14 November 1995.

<i>Callitris oblonga</i> Species of conifer

Callitris oblonga, also known as the South Esk pine, pygmy cypress pine, pigmy cypress pine, river pine, or Tasmanian cypress pine, is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is endemic to Australia, where it is native to New South Wales and Tasmania, with one subspecies introduced in Victoria. It is considered vulnerable and faces a number of threats including land clearing, habitat degradation, and damage from or competition with invasive species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land clearing in Australia</span>

Land clearing in Australia describes the removal of native vegetation and deforestation in Australia. Land clearing involves the removal of native vegetation and habitats, including the bulldozing of native bushlands, forests, savannah, woodlands and native grasslands and the draining of natural wetlands for replacement with agriculture, urban and other land uses.

Scottsdale Reserve is a 1,328-hectare (3,280-acre) nature reserve on the Murrumbidgee River in south-central New South Wales, Australia. It is 79 kilometres (49 mi) south of Canberra, and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Bredbo. It is owned and managed by Bush Heritage Australia (BHA), which purchased it in 2006. The purchase was supportive of projects aiming to connect existing fragmented remnant habitat such as K2C. Since the 1870s up until 2006, the land was used for agriculture – primarily sheep grazing with some minor cropping. A significant component of the Reserve has been cleared of native vegetation.

<i>Scleranthus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Scleranthus, the knawels, are a genus of herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. It includes 12 species native to Europe, Siberia, western Asia, north Africa, Ethiopia, New Guinea, and Australia.

<i>Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus</i> Species of plant

Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, commonly known as buttongrass, is a species of tussock-forming sedge from southeastern Australia. It forms part of a unique habitat in Tasmania.

<i>Gahnia grandis</i> Species of plant

Gahnia grandis is a tussock-forming perennial plant found in southeastern mainland Australia and Tasmania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecology of Tasmania</span>

The biodiversity of Tasmania is of exceptional biological and paleoecological interest. A state of Australia, it is a large South Pacific archipelago of one large main island and a range of smaller islands. The terrain includes a variety of reefs, atolls, many small islands, and a variety of topographical and edaphic regions on the largest island, all of which promote the development of unusually concentrated biodiversity. During long periods geographically and genetically isolated, it is known for its unique flora and fauna. The region's climate is oceanic.

<i>Scleranthus biflorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Scleranthus biflorus is a cushion-bush found in Australia and New Zealand. Other common names include the knawel and two-flowered knawel or twin-flower knawel.

<i>Agastachys</i> Monotypic genus of flowering shrub in the family Proteaceae

Agastachys odorata, commonly known as the white waratah or fragrant candlebush, is the sole member of the genus Agastachys in the protea family. It is an evergreen shrub to small tree and is endemic to the heaths and buttongrass sedgelands of western Tasmania.

<i>Poa labillardierei</i> Species of tussock grass

Poa labillardierei, also known as common tussock-grass, is a species of tussock grass that is endemic to Australia. It is found in southern and eastern Australia, including Tasmania. There are differing variations, Poa labillardierei var. acrisVickery and Poa labillardierei var. labillardierei.

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<i>Carex archeri</i> Species of grass-like plant

Carex archeri, known as Archer's sedge, is a species of sedge in the genus Carex, endemic to south-eastern Australia.

<i>Gonocarpus montanus</i> Species of flowering plant

Gonocarpus montanus is a perennial, terrestrial herb in the family Haloragacae. It is native to N.S.W, Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand. Common names include mountain raspwort and mat raspwort. Its synonym is Haloragis montana.

<i>Lomandra effusa</i> Species of plant

Lomandra effusa is a perennial, dioecious, rhizomatous herb native to Australia. It is a perennial tussock with bluish green, large, arching leaves which are distinctive by the two toothed leaf tip. It has white, cream or pink fragrant flowers during the months of June to October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowland Native Grasslands of Tasmania</span> Ecoregion in Tasmania

The Lowland Native Grasslands of Tasmania are a temperate grassland situated in the eastern portion of Tasmania, Australia. Listed as a critically endangered ecological community listed under the national environment law, they are dominated by kangaroo grass, velvet tussock grass and/or silver tussock grass.

<i>Scleranthus diander</i> Species of flowering plant

Scleranthus diander commonly known as tufted knawel, is a flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, it grows in eastern states of Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. It is a small, spreading herb with white or light green flowers.

<i>Euchiton traversii</i> Species of flowering plant

Euchiton traversii, commonly known as mat cudweed, is a small, woolly, alpine rosette herb. It forms a mat-like habit, hence the common name, in alpine wet heath and grasslands. The species is found in Australia—in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory—and the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

<i>Poa clivicola</i> Species of grass

Poa clivicola, commonly known as fine-leaved snow grass, is an endangered Australian grass species, restricted to alpine grassy vegetation. Poa from the Greek poa (grass), clivicola- from the Latin clivus (hill) and -cola (dweller).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Key to Tasmanian Vascular Plants". University of Tasmania. 2019. Retrieved 27-03-2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Threatened Species Section (2024). spreading knawel (Scleranthus fasciculatus): Species Management Profile for Tasmania's Threatened Species Link. https://www.threatenedspecieslink.tas.gov.au/Pages/Scleranthus-fasciculatus.aspx Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. Accessed on 27/3/2024.
  3. VicFlora (2024). Scleranthus fasciculatus. Flora of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Available online: https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au (accessed on: 27 Mar. 2024).
  4. 1 2 3 PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System). Scleranthus fasciculatus. Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au [27/03/2024]
  5. Schmid, Rudolf; Walsh, N. G.; Entwisle, T. J. (May 2000). "Flora of Victoria. Vol. 4. Dicotyledons: Cornaceae to Asteraceae". Taxon. 49 (2): 344. doi:10.2307/1223869. ISSN   0040-0262. JSTOR   1223869.
  6. Breitwieser I., Heenan P.J.; Nelson W.A., Wilton A.D. eds. (2010–2024) Flora of New Zealand Online – Weed Profile – Scleranthus fasciculatus (based on Heenan 2010). Accessed at http://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/Weed/Hypericum_androsaemum.html, 02/04/24
  7. 1 2 3 Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (2010). Lowland Native Grasslands of Tasmania — a nationally threatened ecological community. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Policy Statement 3.18. Australian Government, Canberra.
  8. Atlas of Living Australia website. Specie page: https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2917818. Accessed 3 Apr. 24
  9. "Early colonial administration records - Introduction". libraries.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 1 April 2024
  10. Claridge, A.W. (2016) Threatened flora at potential risk from introduced deer in the Australian Alps. A final report to the Australian Alps Liaison Committee. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Queanbeyan NSW 2620, Australia.