Rainforests and vine thickets are a major vegetation group in Australia. It consists of temperate to tropical rainforests, monsoon forests, and vine thickets. Rainforests and vine thickets are generally found in small pockets across the eastern and northern portions of the continent, including western Tasmania, eastern New South Wales, eastern Queensland, the northern portion of the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley Region of northeastern Western Australia .
21-592: The Big Scrub was the largest area of lowland subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia. It was intensively cleared for agricultural use in the 19th century (1801–1900) by settlers. Less than 1% now remains. Located on the North Coast of New South Wales , between what is now the towns of Byron Bay (east) and Lismore (west), the core Big Scrub area consisted of an estimated 900 square kilometres of subtropical rainforest. It primarily grows on fertile basalt and floodplain derived soils. The Big Scrub existed in
42-745: A few small climatic refuges along the Great Dividing Range as far north as the McPherson Range of south-east Queensland. There are an estimated 545,000 ha in Tasmania, 3,000 ha in Victoria, and 15,000 ha in New South Wales. Typical genera include Nothofagus , Eucryphia , Atherosperma , Athrotaxis , Dicksonia , and Tmesipteris . Predominant trees in Tasmania include myrtle beech ( Nothofagus cunninghamii ) and
63-405: A pronounced dry season. They are typically semi-deciduous, with many canopy trees losing their leaves during the dry season, and becoming 'raingreen' during the rainy monsoon season. They tend to have a lower canopy than evergreen rain forests, and are rich in woody lianas and herbaceous epiphytes. Isolated patches of semi-deciduous monsoon forest occur across tropical northern Australia, including
84-1351: Is 50,743 km . Prior to 1750, the largest area of rainforest and vine thicket was in the South Eastern Queensland bioregion, which is part of the Eastern Australian temperate forests ecoregion. Rainforests and vine thickets typically: Non- sclerophyllous species dominate rainforests and vine thickets. Many of these species are representatives of the so-called ‘primitive’ flowering plant families such as Winteraceae , Eupomatiaceae , Monimiaceae , Lauraceae , and Cunoniaceae . Other typical plant families include Capparaceae , Celastraceae , Dilleniaceae , Ebenaceae , Euphorbiaceae , Meliaceae , Myrtaceae , Pittosporaceae , Rubiaceae , Rutaceae , Sapindaceae , Sterculiaceae , and Verbenaceae . Major rainforest and vine thicket communities include cool temperate rainforest, tropical or sub-tropical rainforest, warm temperate rainforest, dry rainforest or vine thickets. They can be structured as closed forest (low, mid, and tall), closed fernland (low and mid), closed palmland (low and mid), closed vineland (low and mid), and closed shrubland (tall). Tropical rainforests are tropical evergreen mesophyll closed-canopy forests. Humid evergreen rainforest
105-566: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Rainforests and vine thickets Rainforests and vine thickets have a present extent of 36,469 km , of which 22,694 km is in protected areas. Rainforests and vine thickets are present in 36 of Australia's bioregions . The largest extent of rainforest in Australia is in the Queensland tropical rain forests ecoregion (Wet Tropics bioregion). The estimated pre-1750 extent
126-557: Is a subtropical rainforest endemic which dwells in rainforest enclaves in south-east Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. Semi-deciduous vine thicket, also known as semi-evergreen vine thicket, communities occur in drier environments, like the Brigalow Belt on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in south-central Queensland and north-central New South Wales. Monsoonal vine thickets are found on
147-520: Is detoxified before eating. The Big Scrub was dominated by white booyong ( Heritiera trifoliolata ) and Australian red cedar ( Toona australis ). The latter was eagerly sought by the 'cedar getters' for its fine quality timber. The cedar getters were the first non-indigenous people to exploit the Big Scrub area. Later, the Government of New South Wales gave allotments to potential farmers on
168-574: Is in the Wet Tropics bioregion of northern Queensland, covering more than 20,000 km . Tropical rainforests which have been extensively cleared include the Atherton Tableland and Eungella Plateau , and coastal Wet Tropics floodplains of Daintree , Barron , Johnstone, Tully–Murray, Herbert, Proserpine and Pioneer River, and tropical lowlands from Cairns to Cooktown. Monsoon forests grow in tropical areas of northern Australia with
189-557: Is mostly limited to northeastern Queensland. These forests are species-rich, with hundreds of tree species growing in Queensland's Wet Tropics , and no one species dominates the canopy. Characteristic genera include Ficus , Toona , Sloanea , Araucaria , Cryptocarya , Diospyros , Syzygium , Archontophoenix , Arthropteris , Linospadix , Calamus , Smilax , Cissus , Platycerium , Adiantum , Asplenium , and Dendrobium . Australia's largest remaining tropical rainforest area
210-540: The Brassicaceae , the mustard family (APG, 1998), in part because both groups produce glucosinolate ( mustard oil ) compounds. Subsequent molecular studies support Capparaceae sensu stricto as paraphyletic with respect to the Brassicaceae. However Cleome and several related genera are more closely related to members of the Brassicaceae than to the other Capparaceae. These genera are now either placed in
231-611: The Bundjalung Aboriginal Nation. Traditionally the Bundjalung (particularly those that spoke the Widgjabal language of the Bundjalung nation) traversed it via walking trails, and maintained a few grassed clearings for camping and hunting within the rainforest. Rainforest bushfood were a regular part of the traditional Bundjalung diet, including staples like black bean, Castanospermum australe , which
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#1732765438926252-692: The Cape York Peninsula (from Princess Charlotte Bay southwards), Wet Tropics , Central Mackay Coast , South Eastern Queensland , NSW North Coast , Sydney Basin , and South East Corner bioregions. Warm temperate and subtropical forests are scattered throughout the mid-latitudes. Typical plant genera include Ceratopetalum , Doryphora , Acmena , Quintinia , Endiandra , Caldcluvia , Orites , Marsdenia , Cissus , Blechnum , and Lastreopsis . Subtropical rainforests have been extensively cleared for timber, dairying or agriculture. They include: The mountain frog ( Philoria kundagungan )
273-694: The Brassicaceae (as subfamily Clemoideae) or segregated into the Cleomaceae . Several more genera of the traditional Capparaceae are more closely related to other members of the Brassicales, and the relationships of several more remain unresolved. Based on morphological grounds and supported by molecular studies, the American species traditionally identified as Capparis have been transferred to resurrected generic names. Several new genera have also been recently described. Based on recent DNA-analysis ,
294-926: The Northern Territory's Top End and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Habitats are diverse, including sandstone gorges and rock outcrops, lowland springs and stream margins, coastal beach ridges, and lateritic formations. Patches are from 10 to 100 km in size in the Arnhem Land tropical savanna ecoregion of the northern Top End, and generally smaller than 10 km across the Kimberley , Victoria Plains , and Carpentaria ecoregions further south. They are typically surrounded by flammable Eucalyptus/Corymbia open woodlands and savannas. The Kimberley region has over 1,500 patches of monsoon rainforest totaling 7,000 hectares. Patches average less than four hectares in area, with about 3% greater than 20 ha and
315-511: The Tasmanian endemic conifers huon pine ( Lagarostrobos franklinii ), celery top pine ( Phyllocladus aspleniifolius ), and King Billy pine ( Athrotaxis selaginoides ). Sassafras ( Atherosperma moschatum ) and leatherwood ( Eucryphia spp.) are common broadleaf canopy trees. Deciduous beech ( Nothofagus gunnii ) is common at high elevations. In eastern Victoria Atherosperma moschatum and black olive berry ( Elaeocarpus holopetalus ) are
336-616: The basis that they cleared it of rainforest. Hence, most of the Big Scrub was cleared, and the surviving Bundjalung were placed into reservations. In the 20th century, interest in rainforest and conservation resulted in a greater effort to conserve the few remaining remnants of the Big Scrub. The major remnants are: the Booyong Flora Reserve , Victoria Park Nature Reserve , Davis Scrub Nature Reserve , Boatharbour, and Hayters Hill Nature Reserve . These remnants have been subject to ecological restoration projects which involves
357-717: The dominant canopy trees. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text by Commonwealth of Australia available under the CC BY 4.0 license. Capparaceae See text The Capparaceae (or Capparidaceae ), commonly known as the caper family, are a family of plants in the order Brassicales . As currently circumscribed, the family contains 15 genera and about 430 species. The largest genera are Capparis (about 140 species), Morisonia (87 species), Maerua (70 species), Boscia (30 species), and Cadaba (30 species). The Capparaceae have long been considered closely related to and have often been included in
378-794: The eastern coast in the transitional zone between the coast and semi-arid areas, and in the seasonal tropics of northern Australia. Vine thickets grow in dune swales in the Dampier Peninsula of Western Australia's Kimberley region, and are sustained by groundwater from the Broome aquifer and coastal fog during the dry season. Characteristic genera include Brachychiton , Cassine , Flindersia , Alectryon , Alphitonia , Aphanopetalum , Backhousia , Diospyros , Claoxylon , Clerodendrum , Mallotus , Wilkiea , Celastrus , Pyrrosia , and Pellaea . Extensive areas of vine thickets have been substantially cleared for agriculture and grazing, including
399-432: The largest at 200 ha. Littoral rainforest is scattered along the coast in areas influenced by moist maritime winds, and include elements of tropical and subtropical or warm temperate rainforest. Typical littoral rainforest genera include Pisonia , Cupaniopsis , and Euroschinus . Littoral rainforests and coastal vine thickets occur along the eastern coast of Australia from northern Queensland to eastern Victoria, in
420-449: The removal of invasive non-native weeds. Big Scrub remnants have become a source of native foods for cropping, especially in recent years. These include the macadamia nut, riberry and finger lime . Macadamia nut is now grown commercially over much of the former Big Scrub area, but the main species used in cropping, Macadamia integrifolia , did not naturally occur in the Big Scrub. This Northern Rivers geography article
441-570: The softwood scrubs in the Brigalow Belt. Cool temperate rainforests include both deciduous and evergreen forests, typically beech forests dominated by only one or two canopy species at high latitudes and elevations. The most extensive cool temperate rainforests are the Tasmanian temperate rainforests of western Tasmania, particularly in the north-west. Smaller areas are also found in favourable higher-elevation sites in eastern Victoria and
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