TNC - Tarkine Flora

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biodiversity - flora

To date 444 species of plants have been recorded (Askey-Doran et al 1992) in the Tarkine. Of these, 207 are vascular and 239 non-vascular. No published surveys of fungal species for the Tarkine Wilderness could be found, but anecdotal evidence suggests that numbers of fungal species are high.

The Tarkine Wilderness is host to a high diversity of plant communities with expressions of most broad vegetation types found in Tasmania.

Twenty-seven species of flora found in the Tarkine Wilderness have been identified as in some way threatened or representing a significant population.

Latin Name	Common Name	Status*

Acacia mucronata var. dependens	Variable Sallow Wattle	Rare (T)
Caladenia pusilla	Tiny Caladenia	Rare (T)
Centrolepis plaudicola	Madam Howardís Centrolepis	Rare (T)
Cyathea cunninghamii	Slender Tree Fern	Single specimen
Deyeuxia densa	Bent Grass	Rare (T)
Dichelachne inaequiglumis	Asymetrical Plume Grass	Rare (T)
Diuris palustris	Swamp Diurus	Rare (T)
Ehrhata juncea		Rare (A)
Epacris curtisiae	Curtisí Heath	Rare (T)
Epacris glabella		Endangered (A)
Helichrysum bicolor	Everlasting Daisy	Rare (T)
Lagarostrobus franklinii	Huon Pine	Northern population
Lindsaea trichomanoides	Oval Wedge-fern	Rare (A)
Lotus australis	Austral Trefoil	Rare (T)
Micrantheum serpentinum	Serpentine Micrantheum	Endangered (T)
Persoonia muelleri var. augustifolia	Muellerís Geebung	Rare (T)
Pimelia filiformis	Trailing Rice-flower	Rare (T)
Pneumatopteris penningera	Lime Fern	Vulnerable (T)
Psoralea adscendens	Mountain Psoralea	Rare (T)
Pterostylis falcata	Sickle Greenhood Orchid	Rare (T)
Ranunculus acaulis	Dune Buttercup	Rare (T)
Senecio squarrosus	Rigid Grassland Groundsel	Rare (T)
Senecio velleioides	Forest Groudsel	Rare (T)
Spyridium vexilliferum	Winged Spyridium	Rare (A)
Stackhousia viminea	Slender Stackhousia	Rare (T)
Stylidium inundatum	Swamp Trigger Plant	Rare (T)
Thelymitra circumsepta	Naked Sun Orchid	Rare (T)
Veronica novÊ-hollandiae	New Holland Veronica	Vulnerable (T)

Threatened Animal Species (*A = Australian status, T = Tasmanian Status)

With regard to threatened species of flora, it is worth noting the Slender Tree Fern (Cyathea cunninghamii), and the Huon Pine (Lagarostrobus franklinii).

The Slender Tree-Fern is represented in the Tarkine by two solitary specimens - one on the north bank of the Pieman River a short walk from Corinna, and the other in the Pedder Forests inland from Sandy Cape on the west coast. The Slender Tree-Fern grows a trunk some 20cm (8") or so in diameter and can a height of some 6m (20').

The southern Tarkine just north of the Pieman River represents the Huon Pines northern range. These are extremely slow growing conifers, increasing their girth by only 2mm (1/8") or so per annum. The timber has a high oil content and because of their relative scarcity and slow growth, timber prices for Huon Pine are a premium. These trees are extremely fire sensitive but otherwise may live to a very old age, one specimen has been estimated at 10,000 years of age, making it the oldest tree in the world. The Huon Pine's longevity and ability to withstand rot has also provided scientists with dendrochronological sequences of outstanding importance (Bird et al 1990 cited in Askey-Doran, M et al 1992), especially from a climatological perspective.

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biodiversity - flora

Latin Name

Common Name

Status*