The Gippsland Plains Grassy Woodland is an

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

temperate grassland Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The predominant vegetation in this biome consists of grass and/or shrubs. The climate is temperate and ranges from semi-arid to semi ...

community located in the

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...

region in southern

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. Stretching from

Bairnsdale Bairnsdale () ( Ganai: ''Wy-yung'') is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia in a region traditionally owned by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people. The estimated population of Bairnsdale urban area was 15,411 at Ju ...

in the east to the eastern portion of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in the west, they typify one of Victoria's most threatened and disconnected indigenous ecosystems. The ''Gippsland Red Gum Grassy Woodland'' is the most prominent community in the system situated in the centre.Gippsland Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Associated Native Grassland
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Retrieved 6 September 2022. CC-BY icon

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Situated in the South East Coastal Plain, the Gippsland grasslands consist of ''South Gippsland Plains Grassland'' (east), ''Central Gippsland Plains Grasslands'' (centre) and ''Forest Red Gum Grassy Woodland'' (west) in southern Victoria, where they border Victorian Volcanic Plain grasslands in the west.Central Gippsland Plains Grassland, Forest Red Gum Grassy Woodland, Northern Plains Grassland, South Gippsland Plains Grassland, Western (Basalt) Plains Grassland
Action Statement, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 No. 182, Department of Sustainability and Environment. Retrieved 6 September 2022.

Geography

The vegetation community was once ubiquitous across the Gippsland plain, but now only less than five per cent of its original extent remains, partly consisting of sporadic vegetation areas encircled by a mostly cleared, farming landscape. The zone is bounded by the

Strzelecki Ranges The Strzelecki Ranges (pronounced STREHZ leckee) is a set of low mountain ridges located in the West Gippsland and South Gippsland regions of the Australian state of Victoria. The Ranges are named after Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, a Polish expl ...

to the west, the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

to the north and the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...

to the east, reaching Cranbourne and Westernport in Melbourne's east. The community caters to many nationally and state-listed threatened plants and animals.Gippsland Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Associated Native Grassland
Grasslands Biodiversity of South-Eastern Australia. Retrieved 6 September 2022. The open grasslands of the Central Gippsland Plains used to cover about 600 km² of land and the Forest Red Gum Grassy Woodland around 1200 km² at the time of European settlement, but are now most likely nonexistent. The Forest Red Gum Grassy Woodland is situated on

Lower Pleistocene The Early Pleistocene is an unofficial sub-epoch in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, being the earliest division of the Pleistocene Epoch within the ongoing Quaternary Period. It is currently estimated to span the time ...

gravels, sands,

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when ...

s and clays, with some

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

. The community is situated on undulating to generally flat plains that are less than 100 metres above sea level, with some presence on low hills up to 220 metres. There used to be a

tree canopy In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns an ...

, but it has mostly been cleared. Shrubs are thinly distributed in both forms, with a cover of less than 10 per cent. However, despite being mostly cleared, the community is still sparsely present on roadsides or railways, cemeteries and

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s. Annual rainfall typically ranges between 570 mm and 650 mm, and elevation is relatively low at 20–40 m above sea level.

Ecology

Trees

The Gippsland Red Gum Grassy Woodland ecoregion is so named because

Eucalyptus tereticornis ''Eucalyptus tereticornis'', commonly known as forest red gum, blue gum or red irongum, is a species of tree that is native to eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in grou ...

is prevalent, in addition to

Eucalyptus bridgesiana ''Eucalyptus bridgesiana'', commonly known as apple box, apple, apple gum or but-but, is a medium to large sized tree. It has rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth grey bark above, glossy green, lance-shaped adult leaves, f ...

Eucalyptus camaldulensis ''Eucalyptus camaldulensis'', commonly known as the river red gum, is a tree that is endemic to Australia. It has smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers an ...

Eucalyptus globoidea ''Eucalyptus globoidea'', commonly known as the white stringybark, is a tree that is endemic to near-coastal areas of south-eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy bark, often furrowed on the trunk, glossy, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, often cur ...

, Eucalyptus angophoroides,

Eucalyptus bosistoana ''Eucalyptus bosistoana'', commonly known as the coast grey box or Bosisto's box, is a tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, flaky bark at the base of its trunk, smooth cream yellow or grey bark above and sometimes thr ...

Eucalyptus pauciflora ''Eucalyptus pauciflora'', commonly known as snow gum, cabbage gum or white sally, is a species of tree or mallee that is native to eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped to elliptical leaves, flower buds in clusters of between sev ...

Eucalyptus melliodora ''Eucalyptus melliodora'', commonly known as yellow box, honey box or yellow ironbark, is a species of medium-sized to occasionally tall tree that is Endemism, endemic to south-eastern, continental Australia. It has rough, flaky or fibrous bark ...

and

Eucalyptus polyanthemos ''Eucalyptus polyanthemos'', commonly known as red box, is a species of small to medium-sized tree, that is native to eastern Australia but has been introduced into other countries. It has fibrous bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth gr ...

, as well as patches of

Allocasuarina littoralis ''Allocasuarina littoralis'', commonly known as black sheoak, black she-oak, or river black-oak, is an endemic medium-sized Australian tree (usually up to 8 metres, but sometimes to 15 metres - coarse shrub in exposed maritime areas). A. littoral ...

Acacia implexa ''Acacia implexa'', commonly known as lightwood or hickory wattle, is a fast-growing Australian tree, the timber of which is used for furniture making. The wood is prized for its finish and strength. The foliage was used to make pulp and dye cl ...

Acacia mearnsii ''Acacia mearnsii'', commonly known as black wattle, late black wattle or green wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is usually an erect tree with smooth bark, bipinnate lea ...

and

Allocasuarina verticillata ''Allocasuarina verticillata'', commonly known as drooping she-oak or drooping sheoak, is a nitrogen fixing native tree of southeastern Australia. Originally collected in Tasmania and described as ''Casuarina verticillata'' by French naturalist ...

. The South Gippsland Plains Grassland is located at wetter sites with poor soil to the south and west of the central Gippsland plain, from coastal Gippsland in the south to

Traralgon Traralgon ( ) is a town located in the east of the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia and the most populous city of the City of Latrobe. The urban population of Traralgon at the was 26,907. It is the largest and fastes ...

, where it features thinly scattered eucalypts, such as

Eucalyptus ovata ''Eucalyptus ovata'', commonly known as swamp gum or black gum, is a small to medium-sized tree species that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has mostly smooth bark, glossy green, lance-shaped to egg-shaped adult leaves, green flower bu ...

and

Eucalyptus viminalis ''Eucalyptus viminalis'', commonly known as the manna gum, white gum or ribbon gum, is a species of small to very tall tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, sometimes with rough bark near the base, lance-shaped to c ...

. Furthermore, the New Zealand native

Kunzea ericoides ''Kunzea ericoides'', commonly known as kānuka, kanuka, white tea-tree or burgan, is a tree or shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to New Zealand. It has white or pink flowers similar to those of ''Leptospermum'' and from its ...

has invaded some parts of the grassland.

Groundcover

The groundcover features many different wildflowers, including Arthropodium strictum, Chrysocephalum apiculatum and

Xerochrysum ''Xerochrysum'' ( syn. ''Bracteantha'') is a genus of flowering plants native to Australia. It was defined by Russian botanist Nikolai Tzvelev in 1990, preceding (and taking precedence over) ''Bracteantha'' which was described the following year ...

palustre, Dianella revoluta, Diuris punctata, Acaena echinata, Hypericum gramineum, Dianella amoena, Chrysocephalum apiculatum,

Dichondra repens ''Dichondra repens'' is a small, prostrate, herbaceous plant native to New Zealand and many parts of Australia. It is occasionally known as kidney weed in Australia and as Mercury Bay weed in New Zealand. Most commonly called dichondra in Austr ...

Drosera peltata ''Drosera peltata'', commonly called the shield sundewSalmon, Bruce. 2001. ''Carnivorous Plants of New Zealand''. Ecosphere Publications. or pale sundew,Erickson, Rica. 1968. ''Plants of Prey in Australia''. Lamb Paterson Pty. Ltd.: Osborne Park, ...

, Hydrocotyle laxiflora, Poranthera microphylla, Thysanotus patersonii, Tricoryne elatior and Wurmbea dioica, which inhabit the areas between tussocks. Grasses include

tussock grass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial ...

es such as

Themeda triandra } ''Themeda triandra'' is a species of perennial tussock-forming grass widespread in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Pacific. In Australia it is commonly known as kangaroo grass and in East Africa and South Africa it is known as red grass and re ...

, and as well as

Austrodanthonia ''Rytidosperma'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Most of the species occur in Australasia, with a few in insular Southeast Asia, southern South America (Chile + Argentina), and certain islands of the Pacific (Hawaii + Easter Island).

laevis, Pentapogon quadrifidus, Wahlenbergia gracilis,

Austrostipa ''Austrostipa'' is a primarily Australian genus of plants in the grass family, commonly called speargrass. The genus includes species formerly included in the genus ''Stipa.'' All known species are native to Australia, most of them found nowher ...

, Hypoxis hygrometrica,

Lomandra filiformis ''Lomandra filiformis'', commonly known as wattle mat-rush, is a tussock forming perennial herb that is native to Australia. It is sparsely tufted, with strap-like leaves and yellow flowers. It grows in dry sclerophyll forest and grassy wood ...

, Carex breviculmis, Microlaena stipoides, Schoenus apogon,

Hemarthria ''Hemarthria'' is a genus of herbaceous plants in the grass family. They occur in the tropical and subtropical Old World, especially in China and Southeast Asia, with some species in Africa, Australia, and southern Europe.

uncinata var. uncinata,

Lachnagrostis ''Lachnagrostis'' is a genus of African, Australian, Pacific Island, and South American plants in the grass family. They are often treated as members of genus ''Agrostis''. ; SpeciesRúgolo de Agrasar, Z. & A. M. Molina. 2002. El género ''Lachn ...

spp. and

Juncus subsecundus ''Juncus subsecundus '', the fingered rush, is a species of rush found in many parts of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the isl ...

Animals

Animals include

Lathamus discolor The swift parrot (''Lathamus discolor'') is a species of broad-tailed parrot, found only in southeastern Australia. The species breeds in Tasmania during the summer and migrates north to south eastern mainland Australia from Griffith- Warialda ...

, Anthochaera phrygia, Litoria raniformis,

Dasyurus maculatus The tiger quoll (''Dasyurus maculatus''), also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tail dasyure, native cat or the tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus ''Dasyurus'' native to Australia. With males ...

and Isoodon obesulus.

References

{{Australasia grasslands navbox Geography of Melbourne Grasslands of Australia Remnant urban bushland Vegetation of Australia Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Gippsland Environment of Victoria (Australia)