Backwater Grevillea - profile

Scientific name: Grevillea scortechinii subsp. sarmentosa
Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable
National conservation status: Vulnerable

Description

Backwater Grevillea is a low spreading shrub, which is usually a groundcover but sometimes is a shrub up to 1.5 m high. Its leaves are stiff and leathery with sharply-toothed edges and its flowers are black and green. Field observations of Grevillea scortechinii subsp. sarmentosa note that the plants often have a very sprawling and mat-forming habit, with some plants spreading up to 2.5 m wide with a very thick and woody main stem. The flowering branches are often laid close to or directly on the ground or bare rocks.

Location and habitat

Distribution
Restricted to granite country on the New England Tablelands, including granitic outcrops, slabs and slopes. It is known from Baldersleigh, Backwater and Warra National Park in the Guyra district and Mann River Nature Reserve east of Glen Innes.

Habitat and ecology

Grows in shrubby sclerophyll woodland, on granitic slabs and slopes in sandy loam soils. It often grows amongst low granite outcrops.
Associated species recorded at sites include Eucalyptus radiata subsp. sejuncta, Eucalyptus dalrympleana subsp. heptantha, Eucalyptus pauciflora, Eucalyptus caliginosa, Eucalyptus nova-anglica, Eucalyptus campanulata, Eucalyptus acaciiformis, Petrophile canescens, Leptospermum polygalifolium, Bursaria spinosa, Hakea dactyloides, Persoonia cornifolia, Banksia integrifolia, Melichrus procumbens, Lomandra longifolia, Lomatia sialifolia, Poa sieberiana, Pteridium esculentum, Oxylobium, Hibbertia, Themeda and Calochilus species.
Grevillea scortechinii subsp. sarmentosa plants have been recorded in the Backwater area with a scattered distribution. Plants are also recorded as locally occasional to locally abundant in populations, with one population of about 500 plants noted.
Plants are probably killed by fire, with the species regenerating from soil-stored seed.
Flowers from spring to autumn.

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

Clearing and fragmentation of shrubby woodland and heath habitat for agriculture and rural subdivision.
Roadworks.
Frequent fires.
Blackberry invasion.
Disturbance by feral pigs.
High risk of local population extinction through catastrophic events such as fire, due to the scattered distribution of small populations of the taxon.
Plants have also been observed to be grazed by cattle.

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 12 priority actions to help recover the Backwater Grevillea in New South Wales.

What needs to be done to recover this species?

Control feral pigs.
Protect areas of habitat from frequent fire.
Identify roadside populations and protect during roadworks and roadside management activities.
Assist with the control of Blackberry.
Protect habitat from clearing and fragmentation.
Report new occurrences of Backwater Grevillea to the DEC.

References

Briggs, J.D. and Leigh, J.H. (1996) Rare or Threatened Australian Plants. Revised Edition. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Harden, G.J. (ed.) (2002) Flora of New South Wales Volume 2 Revised Edition. UNSW, Sydney.
Makinson, R.O. (2000) Proteaceae 2, 41. Grevillea. 23b. Grevillea scortechinii subsp. sarmentosa (Blakely & McKie) McGill. In Wilson, A.J.G. (Ed) Flora of Australia 17A: 68-69.
Makinson, R.O. (2002) Grevillea. In Harden, G.J. (ed.) Flora of New South Wales. Revised Edition Volume 2 (University of New South Wales Press Ltd: Sydney).
McGillivray, D.J. (1986) New Names in Grevillea (Proteaceae): 14.
McGillivray, D.J. and Makinson, R.O. (1993) Grevillea, Proteaceae. A taxonomic revision (Melbourne University Press: Melbourne).
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (2003) Threatened Species of the New England Tablelands and North West Slopes of NSW. NPWS, Coffs Harbour.