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Central Ranges Xeric Scrub
The Central Ranges xeric scrub is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of Australia. Location and description The region consists of sandy plains with some areas of rocky highland. These plains have a dry climate but do get some rain in both summer and winter. This area contains the remote city of Alice Springs while the grasslands are home to a number of Indigenous Australian communities or are used for cattle grazing. This ecoregion contains four Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) bioregions – Burt Plain, Central Ranges, Finke, and MacDonnell Ranges. Flora This ecoregion includes the Central Australian Mountain Ranges Centres of Plant Diversity. The habitats consists of thick, tough spinifex grassland with some wooded areas of myall and desert oak ''(Acacia coriacea)''. The region and the MacDonnell Ranges in particular are home to a number of specialised endemic plant species including the cabbage palms of Palm Valley in Finke Gorge Nati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Finke Gorge National Park
Finke Gorge National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia located about south of the territory capital of Darwin. The national park covers an area of , and includes the impressive desert oasis Palm Valley, home to a diverse range of plant species, many of which are rare and unique to the area. There are good opportunities for bushwalking and bushcamping in the national park. Heritage The national park is noted for its ancient palms and Aboriginal cultural sites. The Central Australian Cabbage Palm is found only in Palm Valley and prolifically here. There are around 3000 full grown palms and thousands of small seedlings sprinkled across the park which can get easily trampled by the visitors. Thus the visitors are required to walk along the marked paths to avoid destroying the seedlings. The Finke River is claimed to be one of the oldest catchments in the world, with areas dating back 350 million years. The national park and nearby areas hold cultura ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation For Australia
The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. It was developed for use as a planning tool, for example for the establishment of a national reserve system. The first version of IBRA was developed in 1993–94 and published in 1995. Within the broadest scale, Australia is a major part of the Australasia biogeographic realm, as developed by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Based on this system, the world is also split into 14 terrestrial habitats, of which eight are shared by Australia. The Australian land mass is divided into 89 bioregions and 419 subregions. Each region is a land area made up of a group of interacting ecosystems that are repeated in similar form across the landscape. IBRA is updated periodically based on new data, mapping improvements, and review of the existing scheme. The most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spinifexbird
The spinifexbird (''Poodytes carteri'') is endemic to inland Australia. Also known as Carter's desertbird, it is named after Thomas Carter, an English ornithologist and pastoralist active in Western Australia from 1887 to 1928. Description It has a rich brown cap, golden brown streaked wings, and a long tail. Both sexes are alike. Behaviour Its diet comprises a variety of insects and seeds collected in "spinifex" or '' Triodia'' grass. This species flies weakly, with its tail drooping. It tends to be solitary and sedentary. The breeding season of the spinifexbird stretches from August to November. Its nest is a shallow cup built in clumps of ''Triodia'' grass close to the ground, usually with a clutch of two eggs. Not globally threatened, the species may be common in suitable habitats, although it is rarely seen due to the remote and arid nature of its habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
The red-tailed black cockatoo (''Calyptorhynchus banksii'') also known as Banksian- or Banks' black cockatoo, is a large black cockatoo native to Australia. Adult males have a characteristic pair of bright red panels on the tail that gives the species its name. It is more common in the drier parts of the continent. Five subspecies are recognised, differing chiefly in beak size. Although the more northerly subspecies are widespread, the two southern subspecies, the forest red-tailed black cockatoo and the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo are under threat. The species is usually found in eucalyptus woodlands, or along water courses. In the more northerly parts of the country, these cockatoos are commonly seen in large flocks. They are seed eaters and cavity nesters, and as such depend on trees with fairly large diameters, generally ''Eucalyptus''. Populations in southeastern Australia are threatened by deforestation and other habitat alterations. Of the black cockatoos, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palm Valley (Northern Territory)
Palm Valley, within the Finke Gorge National Park, is an east-west running valley in the Krichauff Range 123 km (138 km by road) southwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia. Palm Valley and the surrounding area is the only place in Central Australia where Red Cabbage Palms ('' Livistona mariae'') survive. The nearest specimens are 850 kilometres away in Queensland. The surrounding region is largely dry Central Ranges xeric scrub. The average rainfall for Palm Valley is only 200 mm per year. Although the gorge usually appears dry, there are some small pockets of semi-permanent spring-fed pools that allow the unique flora in this region to survive. During significant rainfall in the region, expanses of water can be witnessed flowing through the valley gorge. During such events, a variety of aquatic life such as desert fish, shield shrimps ('' Triops australiensis''), tadpoles and frogs can flourish. Origins of the palms It had been assumed th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Livistona Mariae
''Livistona mariae'', also known as the central Australian or red cabbage palm, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found only in Australia with the best-known occurrence found in Palm Valley in Finke Gorge National Park, Northern Territory. There are more than 3,000 cabbage palms in Palm Valley, many of which are several hundred years old and form a lush oasis among the rugged rocks and gorges. This region is now largely dry Central Ranges xeric scrubland. The palms are not relics from a previous age when Central Australia was much wetter, as previously thought. Aboriginal legend recorded in 1894 by Carl Strehlow describes "gods from the north" bringing the seeds to Palm Valley, which accords with the more modern research. Common names Vernacular names which have been applied to this species include: cabbage palm, central Australian cabbage palm, and red cabbage palm. Taxonomy A species of '' Livistona'', palm trees of the family Arecacea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acacia Coriacea
''Acacia coriacea'', commonly known as river jam, wirewood, desert oak, wiry wattle or dogwood, is a tree in the family Mimosoideae of family Fabaceae. Indigenous Australians know the plant as Gunandru. Description River jam grows to a height of about eight metres. It usually has just one or two main trunks. Like most ''Acacia'' species, it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. These are thick and leathery, between twenty and thirty centimetres long, and narrow. The flowers are yellow, and held in spherical clusters about five millimetres in diameter. The pods are usually curled up, but are around twenty centimetres long when straightened. They are greatly constricted between the seeds. Indigenous Australians used the seeds of the plant as a food source. Distribution ''Acacia coriacea'' occurs throughout northern Australia, growing as a tall tree on the banks of rivers. It can also occur as a spreading, low tree behind coastal dunes and on 'spinifex' plains. Common na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myall
Myalls are any of a group of closely related and very similar species of ''Acacia'': * ''Acacia binervia ''Acacia binervia'', commonly known as the coast myall, is a wattle native to New South Wales and Victoria. It can grow as a shrub or as a tree reaching 16 m in height. This plant is reportedly toxic to livestock as the foliage (phyllodes) conta ...'', commonly known as coast myall; * '' A. papyrocarpa'', commonly known as western myall; ** a weeping form of the species, commonly known as water myall; * '' A. pendula'', commonly known as weeping myall, true myall, or myall; * '' A. sibilans'', commonly known as northern myall. ;Note Hostile Aboriginal groups were called Myalls in the early days of Australian colonization, and probably came from a word meaning "men". According to C. Lumholtz (1890), the European usage was picked up by "civilized" Aboriginals and used as a term of contempt for their less sophisticated brethren. Quoted in {{Plant common name Australia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triodia (plant)
''Triodia'' is a large genus of hummock-forming bunchgrass endemic to Australia. They are known by the common name spinifex, although they are not a part of the coastal genus '' Spinifex''. Many of the soft-leaved members of this species were formerly included in the genus ''Plectrachne''. It is known as ''tjanpi'' in central Australia, and is used for basket weaving by the women of various Aboriginal Australian peoples. A multiaccess key (SpiKey) is available as a free application for identifying the ''Triodia'' of the Pilbara (28 species and one hybrid). Description ''Triodia'' is a perennial Australian tussock grass that grows in arid regions. Its leaves (30–40 centimetres long) are subulate ( awl-shaped, with a tapering point). The leaf tips, that are high in silica, can break off in the skin, leading to infections. Uses Spinifex has traditionally had many uses for Aboriginal Australians. The seeds were collected and ground to make seedcakes. Spinifex resin was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centres Of Plant Diversity
Centres of Plant Diversity (CPD) was established in 1998 as a joint classification initiative between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature intended to identify the areas in the world that are of the highest conservation value in terms of protecting the highest number of plant species. In 1998 there were 234 Centers of Plant Diversity registered across the globe, each bearing a rich diversity of endemic plant species that are of great value to humans and their native ecosystems that tend to be under unique edaphic conditions. Many CPD's are enlisted as a part of a legally [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central Australian Mountain Ranges
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as Middle Africa * Central America, a region in the centre of America continent * Central Asia, a region in the centre of Eurasian continent * Central Australia, a region of the Australian continent * Central Belt, an area in the centre of Scotland * Central Europe, a region of the European continent * Central London, the centre of London * Central Region (other) * Central United States, a region of the United States of America Specific locations Countries * Central African Republic, a country in Africa States and provinces * Blue Nile (state) or Central, a state in Sudan * Central Department, Paraguay * Central Province (Kenya) * Central Province (Papua New Guinea) * Central Province (Solomon Islands) * Central Pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MacDonnell Ranges
The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an interim Australian bioregion broadly encompassing the mountain range, with an area of .IBRA Version 6.1 data The range is a long series of mountains in central , consisting of parallel ridges running to the east and west of . The mountain range contains many spectacular gaps and gorges as well as areas of A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
