White-flowered Wax Plant - profile

Scientific name: Cynanchum elegans
Conservation status in NSW: Endangered
National conservation status: Endangered

Description

A climber or twiner with a highly variable form. Mature stems have a fissured corky bark and can grow to 10 metres long and 3.5 cm thick. The leaves are paired (or rarely in threes), ovate to broadly ovate in shape, 1.5 to 10.5 cm long, and 1.5 to 7.5 cm wide. The flowers are white, tubular, and up to 4 mm long and 12 mm wide. The fruit is a dry pointed pod to 8 cm long, which contains up to 45 seeds with long silky hairs attached to one end.

Location and habitat

Distribution
Restricted to eastern NSW where it is distributed from Brunswick Heads on the north coast to Gerroa in the Illawarra region. The species has been recorded as far west as Merriwa in the upper Hunter River valley.

Habitat and ecology

The White-flowered Wax Plant usually occurs on the edge of dry rainforest vegetation. Other associated vegetation types include littoral rainforest; Coastal Tea-tree Leptospermum laevigatum – Coastal Banksia Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia coastal scrub; Forest Red Gum Eucalyptus tereticornis aligned open forest and woodland; Spotted Gum Eucalyptus maculata aligned open forest and woodland; and Bracelet Honeymyrtle Melaleuca armillaris scrub to open scrub.
Flowering occurs between August and May, with a peak in November. Flower abundance on individual plants varies from sparse to prolific.
The fruit can take up to six months to mature.
Seed production is variable and unreliable. Seeds are wind dispersed. It is considered to be unlikely that a soil seed bank for this species exists.
Plants are capable of suckering from rootstock in response to occasional slashing or grazing. The fire response of the species is unknown.

Regional information
This species is found in the following catchment management authority regions. Click on a region name to see more details about the distribution, vegetation types and habitat preference of the species in that region.

Threats

Further loss and fragmentation of habitat, particularly through clearing for agriculture, quarries and residential development.
Habitat degradation resulting from weed invasion, grazing, rubbish dumping, landfill, urban run-off, track construction/widening, and inappropriate fire management.
Small numbers put the species at risk of extinction through natural catastrophes or environmental changes

Recovery strategies

Priority actions are the specific, practical things that must be done to recover a threatened species, population or ecological community. The Department of Environment and Conservation has identified 9 priority actions to help recover the White-flowered Wax Plant in New South Wales.

What needs to be done to recover this species?

Determine and implement appropriate fire management practices.
Consider off-site impacts in the assessment of nearby developments.
Prevent inappropriate water run-off entering sites.
Install fencing to exclude livestock and machinery, and control access where required.
Protect areas of known and potential habitat from clearing and further fragmentation.
Restore degraded habitat using bush regeneration techniques (note that it is crucial that workers are able to distinguish the species from the exotic Moth Plant Araujia sericifera).
Monitor the health of known populations.
Monitor the populations for changes.
Mark sites and potential habitat onto maps used for planning maintenance work.
Map known sites and conduct searches of potential habitat for new sites.

References

Harden, G.J. (ed.) (1992) Flora of New South Wales Vol. 3. UNSW Press, Kensington, NSW.