The Grange - Flora (Under Construction)

The Grange Flora Communities

Vegetation Communities in The Grange

The Grange contains three different floristic communities:

Manna Gum Heath in the west,
Silverleaf Stringybark/Scented Paperbark Wet Heath, and
Swamp Paperbark Scrub in the east.

The soil types determine the differences in plant communities in The Grange (see Types of Soils in The Grange).

Vegetation Communities in The Grange

Manna Gum Heathland

Manna Gum Heath occurs in the west end of The Grange, where the soil is very sandy. See Geological History of The Grange.

There are large areas of high quality Manna Gum heathland in The Grange, which have regenerated after a fire in 1991. As many plants and seeds require fire to germinate, a variety of species have emerged that were not recorded in the reserve prior to fire, but must have been present at some time in the past, such as the Leafless Globe Pea.

Manna Gum Heathland
in The Grange

This community supports a huge diversity of plants. The Coast or Gippsland Manna Gum, Eucalyptus pryoriana has white flowers in the autumn months, and it is only found in Victoria. The other trees here include the Swamp Gum E. ovata, and Tree Everlasting Ozothamnus ferrugineus.

There are many under-storey shrubs in this community. There are large shrubs such as Spike Wattle Acacia oxycedrus, Hop Wattle A. stricta and Yellow Hakea; Hakea nodosa. Smaller shrubs here include Bent Goodenia; Goodenia geniculata, Common Hovea; Hovea linearis and Common Heath Epacris impressa and an enormous diversity of ground cover species, which include 20 different orchid species.

Silverleaf Stringybark/Scented Paperbark Wet Heathland

The Silver-leafed Stringybark/Scented Paperbark Community occurs where there is a gradual transition between the crest of the sand dune in the west and the swale in the east. See Types of Soils in The Grange.

One of the two dominant plants in this community is the Silver leafed or Mealy Stringybark, Eucalyptus cephalocarpa; a medium tree, found only in Victoria. Young saplings of this species have silver leaves. The other dominant plant is the Scented Paperbark, Melaleuca squarrosa, which is a shrub growing to 2m, with stiff triangular leaves. It has scented yellow bottlebrush flowers in Spring and Summer. Other plants found here include, The Tree Everlasting, Ozothamnus ferrugineus, Prickly Tea Tree; Leptospernum continentale, Weeping Grass; Microlaena stipoides, and Bidgee Widgee; Acaena novae-zelandiae.

Silver Leaved Stringybark and Scented Paperbark
Wet Heathland Vegetation Community

Swamp Paperbark Scrub

Swamp Paperbark Scrub is found on the low lying east side of The Grange. Here the soil is prone to water inundation, and contains the most organic matter of all the vegetation communities present. See Types of Soils in The Grange

The Swamp Paperbark, Melaluca ericifolia that dominates this vegetation community, is a spreading tree, which grows to 3m. It has papery bark and bottlebrush flowers in Spring. It creates a dense canopy which shades the ground below.

The other plants in this community are generally much smaller than the Swamp Paperbark, and all tolerate waterlogging. They include the Sword Sedge Gahnia radula and the Common Reed Phragmites australis. The purple flowered, Bottle Daisy Lagenifera stipitata also survives in this moist environment.

Swamp Paperbark Scrub Vegetation Community

Bracken: A Dominant Feature of The Grange

The Bracken plant (Pteridium esculentum) is a native plant and occurs in much of The Grange. It is known as a colonising plant because it adapts well to any disturbance, especially grazing and fire. It does this because it has rhizomes, which help it spread rapidly when competition from other plants is reduced. It is able to tolerate dry and moist conditions, and it contains chemicals which are harmful to stock.

Bracken in The Grange
Bracken is a dominant plant, after fire,
in some parts of The Grange