Woody Meadows Plant List

By Gabrielle Stannus

If you would like to know which plants the University of Melbourne planted in each layer of the Woody Meadow experimental plots in Royal Park and Birrarung Marr, then read on …
 

BASE LAYER
The base layer included groundcover plants that typically grow to ~50 cm in height. Base layer species included:
 

Astartea fascicularis

(Type: shrub; Common name: none; Family: Myrtaceae)

Banksia spinulosa subsp. spinulosa

(Type: shrub; Common name: Hairpin Banksia; Family: Proteaceae)
 

Beaufortia sparsa

(Type: shrub; Common name: Swamp Bottlebrush; Family: Myrtaceae)
 

Callistemon 'Little John'

(Type: shrub; Common name: none; Family: Myrtaceae)

Dampiera alata

(Type: perennial herb; Common name: Winged-stem Dampiera; Family: Goodeniaceae)
 

Goodenia ovata 'Gold Cover'

(Type: perennial herb; Common name: Groundcover Goodenia; Family: Goodeniaceae)
 

Grevillea lanigera 'Mini Prostrate'

(Type: shrub; Common name: none; Family: Myrtaceae)
 

Melaleuca thymifolia 'Pink Lace'

(Type: shrub; Common name: Thyme-leaf Honey-myrtle; Family: Myrtaceae)
 

Philotheca myoporoides subsp. myoporoides 'Profusion'

(Type: shrub; Common name: Waxflower; Family: Myrtaceae)
 

Veronica arenaria

(Type: perennial herb / subshrub; Common name: none; Family: Plantaginaceae)

Veronica perfoliata

(Type: perennial herb; Common name: Digger’s Speedwell; Family: Plantaginaceae)

Xanthosia rotundifolia

(Type: subshrub; Common name: Southern Cross; Family: Apiaceae)

BUMP LAYER
The bump layer is the dominant layer in the Woody Meadow, with species growing to ~100cm in height. Bump layer species included:
 

Acacia acinacea

(Type: shrub; Common name: Gold-dust Wattle; Family: Fabaceae)

Calothamnus quadrifidus

(Type: shrub; Common name: One-sided Bottlebrush; Family: Myrtaceae)
 

Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon'

(Type: shrub; Common name: none; Family: Myrtaceae)

Grevillea 'Coconut Ice'

(Type: shrub; Common name: none; Family: Proteaceae)
 

Leptospermum polygalifolium 'Cardwell'

(Type: shrub; Common name: none; Family: Myrtaceae)
 

Melaleuca nesophila 'Little Nessie'

(Type: shrub / tree; Common name: Showy Honey-myrtle; Family: Myrtaceae)

EMERGENT LAYER
The emergent layer included small trees and large shrubs that grow to above 150cm in height, with some such as the Eucalyptus caesia reaching 4-5 metres. Emergent layer species included:
 

Alyogyne huegelii

(Type: shrub; Common name: Lilac or Satin Hibiscus; Family: Malvaceae)

Eucalyptus caesia

(Type: tree; Common name: Silver Princess or Gungurru; Family: Myrtaceae)

Eucalyptus preissiana

(Type: shrub Common name: Bell-fruited Mallee; Family: Myrtaceae)

NB. Species in bold were used in both the low and high diversity plots, whereas the rest were used only in the high diversity plots.