Monday, August 29, 2011

Classification Format

The Regeneration Trail is about a one kilometer walk through twenty years of rainforest regeneration. The farther one walks on the trail, the older the planted vegetation. Aside from slight variation due to cyclones, the rainforest gets taller and denser as one progresses. Trees identified on the regeneration walk are labeled "Regeneration Trail".

The Dubuji Boardwalk is a one kilometer track through rainforest, mangrove forest and swamp. Because the boardwalk winds through natural, untouched rainforest, there are old plant species that can't be seen on the Reforestation Trail. Plants identified on the Dubuji Boardwalk path are labeled "Dubuji Boardwalk".

Titles of plant entries include species name and common name.
Tags on plant entries include species name, synonyms of species name, and more widely used (yet sometimes incorrect) species names.
Plants are labeled "Pioneer species", "Primary successional", and "Secondary Successional" when appropriate

List of Native Species

Compiled by Professor Philip McCarty

Trees
Cassowary Plum (Cerbera floribunda)
Blue Quandongs (Elaeocarpus angustifolius)
Kauri Pine (Agathis robusta)
Bull Kauri (Agathis microstachya)
Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii)
Brown Pine (Podocarpus grayae)
Black Pine (Sundacarpus amara)
Rose Gum (Eucalyptus grandis)
Red Cedar (Toona ciliata)
Milky Pine (Alstonia scholaris)
Damson (Terminalia seriocarpa)
Pink Ash (Alphitonia petriei)
Black Walnut (Endiandra palmerstonii)
Brown Tulip Oak, Black Booyong (Argyrodendron)
Silver maple (Flindersia acuminate)
Candlenut (Aleurites rockhinghamensis)
Wheel-of-Fire (Stenocarpus sinuatus)

Figs
Fig (Ficus virgata)
Variegated Fig (Ficus variegate)
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
Cluster Fig (Ficus racemosa)
Hairy Fig (Ficus hispida)
Watkins Fig (Ficus watkinsiana)
Red Leaf Fig (Ficus congesta)
Rusty Fig (Ficus destruens)
Banan Fig (Ficus pleurocarpa)
Septic Fig (Ficus septic)
White Fig (Ficus virens)

Ferns
Basket Fern (Drynaria rigidula)
King Fern (Angiopteris evecta)
Filmy Fern (Hymenophyllum walleri)
Fern (Nephrolepis hirsutula)
Filmy Maindenhair (Adiantum diaphanum)
Rough Maindenhair (Adiantum hispidulum)
Umbrella Fern (Sticherus flabellatus)
Dwarf Hare’s Foot Fern (Humata repens)
Coral Fern (Lycopodiella cernua)
Selaginella (Selaginella longipinna)
Gristle Fern (Blechnum cartilagineum)
Rebecca’s tree fern (Cyathea rebeccae)
Scaly Tree Fern (Cyathea cooperi)
Tree Fern (Cyathea woollsiana)

Palms
Grey Palm (Oraniopsis appendiculata)
Solitaire Palm (Ptychosperma elegans)
Alexandra Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae)
Wedge Leaflet Fan palm (Licuala ramsayi)
Fishtail Lawyer Cane (Calamus caryotoides)
Foxtail Palm (Wodyetia bifurgata)
Minor Walking Stick Palm (Linospadox minor)
Myola Palm (Archontophoenix myolensis)

Vines
Small Leaved Fire Vine (Tetracera nordtiana)
Common Pepper (Piper caninum)
Variegated Grape (Cissus repens)
Smilax (Smilax blumei)
Austral Sarsapilla (Smilax australis)
Christmas Vine (Turbina corymbosa)
Climbing Guinea Flower (Hibbertia scandens)
Lacewing Vine (Adenia heterophylla)
Pumpkin Vine (Stephania tuberosa)
Native Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia acuminate)
Wild Raspberry (Rubus alceifolius)
Rose Leaf Bramble (Rubus queenslandicus)
Native Monstera (Epipremnum pinnatum)
Common Hoya (Hoya australis)
Blood Vine (Austrosteenisia blackii)
Pothos (Pothos longipes)
Glory Vine (Faradaya splendid)
Climbing Bamboo (Bambusa moreheadiana)
Carronia (Carronia protensa)
Vandasina (Vandasian retusa)
Scrambling Lily (Geitonoplesium cymosum)

Regeneration Trail Data

Three other students (Cory Baker, Tanya Bitcon, Elizabeth Eck) and I collected data about the regeneration process. Every 20 meters, in a straight line through the land Dr. Spencer reforested, we randomly selected a 4x4 meter plot, staked it out for measuring, and recorded information about the trees in each. We did this for 16 plots, extending approximately one kilometer from the first plot in 1992 to the most current plot of 2011. Although it is not exact, each plot represents about one year of growth. Each year, Dr. Spencer planted new vegetation roughly every 20 meters. Plot #1 is the first plot planted in 1992; Plot #16 is the last (most recent) plot planted in 2011.

We focused on total number of trees, number of saplings/seedlings (young trees under 2 cm), and the circumference of each tree (categorized into three groups: Under 5 cm, Under 20 cm, and Under 100 cm). This gave us an estimate of the total growth of the area. The following is a summary of our findings. In the graphs and photo series it is easy to notice the gradual decline of vegetation, aside from a few outlier plots primarily due to cyclone damage. Graphs are courtesy of Tanya Bitcon. The x-axis is the number of meters along the regeneration trail, with 0 meters marking the beginning of the trail (vegetation planted in 1992) and 300 marking the end of the trail (vegetation planted in 2011). Pictures of each plot are courtesy of Tanya Bitcon and Elizabeth Eck.

Plot 1
Plot 2
Plot 3
Plot 4
Plot 5
Plot 6
Plot 7
Plot 8
Plot 9
Plot 10




Plot 11



Plot 12



Plot 13



Plot 14



Plot 15



Plot 16

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Bumpy Satinash (Syzygium cormiflorum)

http://keys.trin.org.au:8080/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Syzygium_cormiflorum.htm
http://nicolamoss.blogspot.com/2009/07/flowering-in-july-bumpy-satin-ash.html
Syzygium cormiflorum
Common Names: White Apple; Apple, White; Apple, Wild; Wild Apple; Watergum; Satinash, Bumpy; Ramiflorus Satinash; Cairns Satinash; Bumpy Satinash

The Bumpy Satinash is a myrtle related to the eucalyptus.

White Ash (Alphitonia petriei)

http://keys.trin.org.au:8080/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Alphitonia_petriei.htm
Alphitonia petriei
Common Names: Pink Almond; Whiteleaf; White Ash; Soap Tree; Sarsaparilla; Red Ash; Red Almond; Foambark; Ash, White; Ash, Pink; Ash, Red; Pink ash

The White Ash has big fruit and big divided leaves. It is a pioneer species.

Davidson's Plum (Davidsonia pruriens)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidson%27s_Plum
Davidsonia pruriens
Common Names: Do-rog; Davidson's Plum; Davidsonia Plum; Davidsonian Plum; Ooray; Plum, Davidsonia; Plum, Davidsonian; Plum, Davidson's

The Davidson's Plum tree is a successional tree. The pruriens means itchy because the big black plums the tree produces have golden hairs on them.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Red Cedar (Toona ciliata)

http://keys.trin.org.au:8080/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Toona_ciliata.htm
Toona ciliata
Common Names: Cedar, Red; Cedar; Red Cedar

The Red Cedar, or sometimes called Red Gold in Australia, is one of the most sought after mahogany trees in existence. From the 1870s-1890s the Australian colonial government put a bounty on it. It can suffer attacks from the tip moth. Its low population makes regeneration difficult.