Species profile—Caustis blakei subsp. macrantha
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Cyperaceae → Caustis blakei subsp. macrantha
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Cyperaceae
- Scientific name
- Caustis blakei subsp. macrantha M.E.Johnst. & J.H.Webber
- WildNet taxon ID
- 18196
- Alternate name(s)
- koala fern
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Vulnerable
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Short Notes
- (dup-AQ 597234-Holotype)(probably still at Gatton College, Jul 2000)
- Description
- Caustis blakei has rigid, erect, smooth stems up to 2m tall and 2.5-5.0mm in diameter. Mature leaves are reduced to dark brown, pointed scales. There are 10-18 vegetative nodes per stem, each having 1-6 lateral branches. The young flowering branches are short, narrow and wavy.
There are several to many flowering spikelets per inflorescence. Each spikelet is usually single-flowered and 6-11mm long. The mature fruit is dark brown to black and 6-9mm long, including a beak.
Caustis blakei subsp. macrantha has larger spikelets and fruit than the similar Caustis blakei subsp. blakei. (Johnston et al. 1997) - Map
- View Map
- Distribution
- Caustis blakei subsp. macrantha is found inland near Murphy's Creek and Helidon in south-eastern Queensland. Earlier records of this species are from Fernvale and Gatton, in the same inland area. The other subspecies, Caustis blakei subsp. blakei, is the more widespread coastal population, found from Toolara near Maryborough in Queensland, to Crowdy Bay, New South Wales and on the major islands off south-east Queensland. (Johnston et al. 1997; Herbrecs 2008)
- Distributional limits
- -27.3088687, 152.087188
-27.50237, 152.3115084 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Caustis blakei subsp. macrantha inhabits tall open eucalypt forests with a sparse canopy, on sandstone ridges and soils derived from weathered sandstone. (Johnston et al. 1997)
- Behaviour
- Caustis blakei subsp. macrantha is fire sensitive and regenerates from seed stored in the soil. (Johnston et al. 1997)
- Notes
- Contributors: Ron Booth, Mellisa Mayhew 16/02/2009
- References
- Herbrecs (2008). Caustis blakei subsp. macrantha, in BriMapper version 2.12. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 26/09/2008.
Johnston, M.E., Swarbrick, J.T., Wearing, A.H. & Webber, J.H. (1997). A new subspecies of Caustis blakei Kuk. in Queensland. Austrobaileya 4(4): 615-7. - Profile author
- Tom Mumbray (16/02/2009)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=18196.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
