Plants of Central Queensland

Identification and Uses of Native and Introduced Species

Eric Anderson

• Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781486302277
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Biology
• Index: Biological Sciences

Conservation and sustainable productivity are vital issues for Australia. In order to manage vegetation well from an agricultural, recreational or conservation point of view, an understanding of individual plant species is important. Plants of Central Queensland provides a guide for identifying and understanding the plants of the region so that pastoralists and others can be better equipped to manage the vegetation resource of our grazing lands.

Central Queensland straddles the Tropic of Capricorn, although many of the plants in the book will also be found outside this area, as shown by their distribution maps. The book provides information on the habit, distribution, foliage and fruits of 525 plant species. Informative notes highlighting declared, poisonous, weed and medicinal plants are included, and plants useful for bees and bush tucker are also noted. These are the most important plants you might see if you live in or travel through central Queensland.

This book has an easy-to-read, non-botanical format, with helpful photographs and distribution maps that greatly aid anyone interested in the vegetation of central Queensland. It is based on a previous work of the same title but is greatly expanded, incorporating information on an additional 285 plant species.

1. Ferns

Mangrove fern (Acrostichum speciosum)

Common maidenhair fern (Adiantum aethiopicum)

Rock fern (Cheilanthes sieberi)

Basket fern (Drynaria rigidula)

Short-fruit nardoo (Marsilea hirsuta)

Ox tongue (Microsorum punctatum)

Bracken fern (Pteridium esculentum)

Mangrove fern

Acrostichum speciosum (Pteridaceae)

Description

Habit: tall, coarse fern forming large spreading clumps from creeping rhizomes, 1–1.5 m tall.

Fronds: dark or dull green, thick, leathery, up to 2 m long, made up of smaller leaflets (up to 15 cm long); spores produced on the backs of fertile fronds as a dark brown mass throughout the year.

Habitat

In mangroves and along coastal estuaries, tolerating partial immersion by salt water; usually on the landward edges of mangrove forests, high in the intertidal zone where there is a large freshwater input.

Distribution

Northern New South Wales around the tropical coast to north-western Western Australia; also in tropical Asia.

Notes

The mangrove fern is not strictly a mangrove as a mangrove is commonly accepted as a woody intertidal plant. The only fern to inhabit the mangrove forest floor. Other ferns in mangrove forests are epiphytic (growing attached to the trunks and branches of trees).

The mangrove fern often dominates in areas that have been cleared or disturbed.

Stems were used as food, after roasting, by Aborigines. In some islands of the South Pacific the fronds have been woven to make thatch. The presence of plentiful insects make it a perfect habitat for birds such as scrubwrens and fantails.

Mangrove fern: Large spreading clumps 1–1.5 m tall

Dark brown spore mass on back of frond

Common maidenhair fern

Adiantum aethiopicum (Adiantaceae)

Other common names: small maidenhair fern, bush maidenhair fern

Description

Habit: small, delicate, soft fronded terrestrial fern, 20–60 cm tall; forms spreading patches by wiry branched rhizomes creeping near the soil surface or spreading extensively underground; stems very slender, dark brown, shiny.

Fronds: bright green, prostrate or erect, up to 40 cm long and 30 cm wide, two or three times divided; segments thin, pale green, heart or fan-shaped, outer margins lobed and finely toothed.

Habitat

River and creek banks and in damp, often semi-shady situations.

Distribution

Tropical and temperate regions in all Australian states; also New Zealand and South Africa.

Notes

This is an adaptable fern that will tolerate a wide range of conditions, although strong sunlight, low temperatures and frost will damage the fronds.

Aborigines made from the fronds a syrup that was used as a soothing medicine for coughs and colds.

A closely related and not dissimilar terrestrial fern is the rough maidenhair fern (Adiantum hispidulum). Its dull dark green fronds are harsh textured, two or three times divided, up to 35 cm long with fan shaped segments 1–2 cm long and toothed on the upper margins. New fronds are a delicate pink colour. It is found in eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Northern Territory; also New Zealand, Pacific Islands, tropical Asia and Africa. It grows in a variety of situations ranging from shaded rainforest to open rocky areas.

Rough maidenhair fern: Dull dark green fronds

Common maidenhair fern: Delicate pale green fronds with fan-shaped segments

Rock fern

Cheilanthes sieberi (Sinopteridaceae)

Other common name: mulga fern

Description

Habit: small fern 20–40 cm tall, forming spreading clumps; stalks dark brown to almost black.

Fronds: 15–40 cm long, narrowly triangular in outline, dark green on the upper surface, somewhat paler underneath. Under dry conditions, the fronds curl up and may look dead, but they usually expand again when it rains.

Habitat

Rocky situations in coastal and mountainous areas; also alluvial flats of fine sandy loam in the western areas of Queensland, where the plant frequently grows abundantly.

Distribution

Widespread in eastern Australia, extending from coastal areas to far inland.

Notes

Fronds of rock fern are poisonous to cattle and sheep. Most cases of poisoning occur during late winter and spring. Generally, poiso...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. Ferns
• 2. Palms and cycads
• 3. Aerial plants
• 4. Trees and shrubs
• 5. Vines and creepers
• 6. Cacti
• 7. Herbaceous plants
• 8. Water plants
• 9. Sedges and matrush
• 10. Grasses
• Further reading
• Index of common names
• Index of scientific names