EVC/Bioregion Benchmark for Vegetation Quality Assessment Murray Mallee bioregion EVC 103: Riverine Chenopod Woodland (syn. Black Box Chenopod Woodland) Description: Eucalypt woodland to 15 m tall with a diverse shrubby and grassy understorey occurring on most elevated riverine terraces. Confined to heavy clay soils on higher level terraces within or on the margins of riverine floodplains (or former floodplains), naturally subject to only extremely infrequent incidental shallow flooding from major events if at all flooded. Large trees: Species Eucalyptus largiflorens DBH(cm) 40 cm #/ha 5/ha Tree Canopy Cover: %cover Character Species Common Name 10% Eucalyptus largiflorens Acacia stenophylla Black Box River Coobah Understorey: Life form Immature Canopy Tree #Spp 5% LF code IT Medium 3 30% MS Small Shrub 5 25% SS Prostrate 1 1% PS Medium Herb 5 5% MH or Prostrate Herb* 5 10% SH Medium to Tufted Graminoid 2 5% MTG Largely seasonal life form Total understorey projective foliage cover 55% LF Code MS Species typical of at least part of EVC range Atriplex nummularia Common Name Old-man Saltbush MS Chenopodium nitrariaceum Nitre Goosefoot MS Eremophila divaricata ssp. divaricata Spreading Emu-bush SS Sclerolaena tricuspis Streaked Copperburr SS Enchylaena tomentosa var. tomentosa Ruby Saltbush SS Atriplex lindleyi Flat-top Saltbush SS Rhagodia spinescens Hedge Saltbush PS Sclerochlamys brachyptera Short-wing Saltbush MH Einadia nutans ssp. nutans Nodding Saltbush MH Calocephalus sonderi Pale Beauty-heads MH Senecio glossanthus Slender Groundsel MH Brachyscome lineariloba Hard-head Daisy SH Disphyma crassifolium ssp. clavellatum Rounded Noon-flower SH Maireana pentagona Hairy Bluebush Ecological Vegetation Class bioregion benchmark
EVC/Bioregion Benchmark for Vegetation Quality Assessment Murray Mallee bioregion EVC 295: Riverine Grassy Woodland Description: Occurs on the floodplain of major rivers, in a slightly elevated position where floods are rare, on deposited silts and sands, forming fertile alluvial soils. River Red Gum woodland to 20 m tall with a groundlayer dominated by graminoids and sometimes lightly shrubby or with chenopod shrubs. Large trees: Species Eucalyptus spp. DBH(cm) 80 cm #/ha 15 / ha Tree Canopy Cover: %cover Character Species Common Name 20% Eucalyptus camaldulensis Eucalyptus largiflorens River Red-gum Black Box Understorey: Life form #Spp %Cover LF code Immature Canopy Tree 5% IT Small Shrub 4 10% SS Herb 4 10 LH Medium Herb 2 10% MH or Prostrate Herb 5 10% SH Large Tufted Graminoid 1 1% LTG Medium to Small Tufted Graminoid 5 20% MTG Medium to Tiny Non-tufted Graminoid 2 5% MNG Bryophytes/Lichens na 10% BL understorey projective foliage cover 75% LF Code SS Species typical of at least part of EVC range Sclerolaena muricata var. villosa Common Name Grey Roly-poly SS Enchylaena tomentosa var. tomentosa Ruby Saltbush SS Maireana decalvans Black Cotton-bush SS Chenopodium curvispicatum Cottony Saltbush LH Wahlenbergia fuminalis Bluebell LH Rumex brownii Slender Dock LH Senecio quadridentatus Cotton Fireweed MH Einadia nutans ssp. nutans Nodding Saltbush MH Atriplex semibaccata Berry Saltbush MH Atriplex eardleyae Small Saltbush MH Sida corrugata Variable Sida MTG Austrodanthonia setacea Bristly Wallaby-grass MTG Austrostipa scabra Rough Spear-grass MTG inversa Knob Sedge MTG Juncus subsecundus Finger Rush Recruitment: Continuous Organic Litter: 10 % cover Logs: 20 m/0.1 ha. Ecological Vegetation Class bioregion benchmark
EVC/Bioregion Benchmark for Vegetation Quality Assessment Murray Mallee bioregion EVC 816: Sedgy Riverine Forest Description: Eucalypt forest to 25 m tall with understorey dominated by larger sedges. Understorey composition indicative of at least occasional shallow flooding and a tolerance of gaps between floods of several years. Typically on heavy soils which can become wet in winter. It is considered to occupy areas infrequently flooded and in which flood duration may be short, typically areas that are the last to flood and the first from which floods quickly recede. Soils are typically heavy clays. The major understorey species Carex tereticaulis is intolerant of total immersion (at least in turbid water). trees: Species Eucalyptus spp. DBH(cm) 80 cm #/ha 20 / ha Tree Canopy Cover: %cover Character Species Common Name 30% Eucalyptus camaldulensis River Red-gum Understorey: Life form #Spp %Cover LF code Immature Canopy Tree 5% IT Medium Shrub 1 10% T Medium Herb 2 5% MH Small or Prostrate Herb 2 5% SH Large Tufted Graminoid 1 50% LTG Medium to Small Tufted Graminoid 2 10% MTG Medium to Tiny Non-tufted Graminoid 2 10% MNG Total understorey projective foliage cover 90% LF Code MS Species typical of at least part of EVC range Exocarpos strictus Common Name Pale-fruit Ballart LH Wahlenbergia fluminalis River Bluebell LH Senecio quadridentatus Cotton Fireweed LH Brachyscome basaltica var. gracilis Woodland Swamp-daisy MH Marsilea drummondii Common Nardoo SH Lobelia concolor Poison Pratia SH Chamaesyce drummondii Flat Spurge LTG Carex tereticaulis Rush Sedge MTG Setaria jubiflora Warrego Summer-grass MTG Lachnagrostis filiformis Common Blown Grass MNG Eleocharis acuta Common Spike-sedge MNG Eleocahris pusilla Small Spike-sedge Recruitment: Episodic/Flood. Desirable period between disturbances is 10 years. Organic Litter: 10 % cover Logs: 20 m/0.1 ha. Ecological Vegetation bioregion benchmark
EVC/Bioregion Benchmark for Vegetation Quality Assessment Murray Mallee bioregion EVC 824: Woorinen Mallee Description: Widespread mallee woodland to 12 m tall, associated with the east-west orientated calcareous dunefields of the Woorinen Formation with a low, open chenopod dominated understorey. A diverse array of sub-shrubs, herbs and grasses are also present. Typically occurs on fine textured red-brown sandy loam and clay loam soils. Large trees: Species Eucalyptus spp. DBH(cm) 15 cm #/ha 30/ha Tree Canopy Cover: % 25% Character Species Eucalyptus oleosa ssp. oleosa Common Name Oil Mallee Eucalyptus dumosa Dumosa Mallee Eucalyptus gracilis Yorrell Eucalyptus calycogona Red Mallee Eucalyptus socialis Grey Mallee Eucalyptus cyanophylla Blue-leaved Mallee Understorey: Life form Medium Shrub #Spp 6 %Cover 10% LF code MS Shrub 6 20% SS Medium Herb* 6 10% MH or Prostrate Herb 7 10% SH Medium to Small Tufted Graminoid 1 1% MTG Bryophytes/Lichens na 10% BL Soil Crust na 15% S/C Largely seasonal life form Total understorey projective foliage cover 60% LF Code MS Species typical of at least part of EVC range Santalum acuminatum Common Name Sweet Quandong MS Exocarpos aphyllus Leafless Ballart MS Acacia oswaldii Umbrella Wattle MS Eremophila glabra Common Emu-bush SS Enchylaena tomentosa var. tomentosa Ruby Saltbush SS Chenopodium curvispicatum Cottony Goosefoot SS Olearia muelleri Mueller Daisy-bush SS Maireana pentatropis Erect Bluebush MH Zygophyllum apiculatum Pointed Twin-leaf MH Stenopetalum lineare Narrow Thread-petal MH Eriochiton sclerolaenoides Wooly-fruit Bluebush MH Brachyscome ciliaris Variable Daisy SH Calandrinia eremaea Small Purslane SH Ptilotus seminudus Rabbit Tails SH Rhodanthe pygmaea Sunray SH Isoetopsis graminifolia Grass Cushion MTG Austrostipa elegantissima Feather Spear-grass Ecological Vegetation Class bioregion benchmark
EVC/Bioregion Benchmark for Vegetation Quality Assessment Murray Mallee bioregion EVC 829: Chenopod Grassland Description: Open to sparse shrubland with a more or less continuous tussock grass sward found on heavy somewhat sodic clay plains fringing the active floodplains of major watercourses such as the Loddon and Avoca Rivers. Life Forms: Life form #Spp %Cover LF code Medium Shrub 1 10% MS Shrub 6 30% SS Large Herb 1 1% LH Medium Herbs* 5 15% MH Small or Prostrate Herbs* 4 5% SH Medium to Small Tufted Graminoid 3 20% MTG Bryophytes/Lichens na 10% BL Soil Crust na 20% S/C * Largely seasonal life form LF Code MS Species typical of at least part of EVC range Lycium australe Common Name Australian Box-thorn MS Nitraria billardierei Nitre-bush SS Sclerolaena diacantha Grey Copperburr SS Maireana aphylla Leafless Bluebush SS Minuria cunninghamii Bush Minuria SS Lawrencia squamata Thorny Lawrencia PS Sclerochlamys brachyptera Short-wing Saltbush PS Atriplex semibaccata Berry Saltbush LH Podolepis canescens Grey Podolepis MH Rhodanthe stuartiana Clay Sunray MH Teucrium racemosum s.s. Grey Germander MH Maireana excavata Bottle Bluebush MH Sida corrugata Variable Sida SH Hyalosperma glutinosum ssp. glutinosum Golden Sunray SH Hyalosperma semisterile Orange Sunray SH Rhodanthe pygmaea Pygmy Sunray SH Pogonolepis muelleriana Stiff Cup-flower LTG Austrostipa aristiglumis Plump Spear-grass MTG Austrostipa spp. Spear-grass MTG Whalleya proluta Rigid Panic MTG Enteropogon acicularis Spider MTG Austrodanthonia setacea Bristly Ecological Vegetation Class bioregion benchmark