Glossary
Remnant Fragment that remains after most of the original has been lost.	back
Communities A distinct group of plants and animals growing in a given area.	back
Indigenous Belonging naturally to that region.	back
Flora Another word for plants.	back
Sun-Dews (Drosera) Small carnivorous plants that trap insects on sticky hairs on their flowers.	back
Vulnerable Term that describes the status, or rarity of a native organism. Vulnerable is a serious classification, just below endangered, and warrants priority in conservation management.	back
Carnivorous Eating flesh or meat.	back
Habitat Home, or external environment of a living thing.	back
Nomadic A wandering bird, following food availability.	back
Migratory To come and go with the seasons.	back
Pollination Transfer of pollen from male part of flower to the female part of the flower to create a seed.	back
Seed-Dispersal To take seeds away from the mother plant.	back
Soil Profile The layers of soil that are built up over long periods of time. The layers are known as horizons.	back
Ice Age Periods in the history of the Earth when the general temperature was much lower than present. This lead to more glaciers and frozen water in the ice-caps.	back
Crest The ridge, or top of a hill.	back
Swale A swale is a depression in the ground, or trough between hills.	back
Organic Matter The remains of living organisms, for example, leaf litter, mulch.	back
Sand Small particles usually the result of weathering of siliceous rocks, found near the sea, deserts etc.	back
Nutrient Substance that can provide nourishment; food.	back
Clay A type of rock made of very fine particles, which is sticky when wet; tough and cloddy when dry.	back
Plant Communities A distinct group of plants that grow in a given area, at a given time.	back
Epacridaeceae Family of plants that grow in open habitats, and tolerate poor soils. The leaves are often stiff and leathery and flowers are generally tubular.	back
Sclerophyllous Hard leaved. Having leaves with a thick cuticle, making them drought resistant.	back
Storey Layer of vegetation type.	back
Lignotuber A woody swelling at the base of a trunk, where plant stores food and buds.	back
Geophyte Is a land plant with dormant, underground parts, such as bulbs, tubers or rhizomes.	back
Rhizome An underground stem.	back
Stomata Small opening or pore on leaf through which passes oxygen, carbon dioxide and water. (Stoma is singular.)	back	Sunken leaf stoma
Tannins Complex substance in plant barks and leaves, used in preparing leather.	back
Ericoid Leaves that are usually, stiff, thin and sharp.	back
Mutualistic When two unrelated organisms live together, so that they both benefit.	back
Mycorrhiza Association of fungi hyphae(roots) with plant roots. The fungi receive sugars and the plant receives nutrients.	back
Phosphate and orthophosphate Form of phosphorus (P), a vital element used in almost every plant function. Australian soils are low in available phosphorus.	back
Bradysporous Hard seed cases, needing fire to crack and release seeds for germination.	back
Elaisome Attachment on seed, which contains oils that, attracts ants so those ants take seeds to their nests thus dispersing the seed away from the parent plant.	back
Floristic: In relation to members of vegetation community or flora (plants).	back
Communities A dynamic system of plants, living in relationship with one another and their environment.	back
Stringybark A Eucalypt with thick, spongy bark, which consists on the tree in long fibres. The bark is usually dark and can be stripped from the tree in long fibrous ribbons.	back
Taxonomy The study of classification, and creation of rules to guide classification. From the Greek word, Tasso: arrange.	back
Binomial Consisting of two terms.	back
Species Classification of organism. The members of the species group can inter-breed. Sometimes cross-species breeding occurs, but an infertile, or hybrid organism is the result.	back
Genus Category above species, but below family. Groups of species linked by similar characters, or species with no living relatives.	back
Variety Occurs when some species can be further divided into subspecies, or varieties, when they show distinct characteristics.	back
Leaching In this case, the loss of dissolvable nutrients from soil as they are washed away by rain.	back
Perennial A plant that lives for three or more years.	back
Herbaceous A plant that has no woody parts.	back
Foliage Leaves.	back
Rhizomes Horizontal underground shoot. In some plants rhizomes store starch, for example, Ginger and Bracken.	back
Tubers Underground storage stem, swollen with food (starch). Tubers differ from Rhizomes in that each year a plant produces a separate tuber, whereas rhizomes are added onto the existing rhizome.	back
Indigenous Organisms that belong naturally to that region.	back
Ecotone Areas that lie between two distinct vegetation communities.	back
Vegetation Community A dynamic system of plants, living in relationship with one another and their environment. replanted with a blend of plants best suited to these conditions.	back
Camouflage Disguise to blend into surroundings, with colour or pattern.	back
Nocturnal Animals that are active at night, that is, feeding and hunting, but rest by day.	back