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Camfield's (Heart-leaved) Stringybark
Eucalyptus camfieldii
Family: Myrtaceae
Conservation Status
Vulnerable species in NSW (TSC Act). Also listed as a vulnerable species at national level in the Endangered Species Protection Act.
Distribution
Rare and localised, usually in coastal scrub or heath, from Norah Head south to Bulli Pass and west to Peats Ridge and Hornsby. It has been recorded in Brisbane Water, Ku-ring-gai Chase, Royal and Sydney Harbour National Parks (Briggs and Leigh 1996).
Pittwater Population
As yet, not recorded in the Pittwater Council area. However, it occurs just outside the area in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, west of Elvina Bay (Lembit 1997, Atlas of NSW Wildlife). It is a potential inhabitant of ridges and plateaus on Hawkesbury Sandstone geology in the western and southern parts of Pittwater.
Habitat
Eucalyptus camfieldii is found on sandstone ridgetops with shallow, low-nutrient soils, often where drainage is restricted. Soils are sandy or loamy, often lateritic.
Typically these ridgetops support heath which includes species such as Allocasuarina distyla, Angophora costata, A. hispida, Banksia oblongifolia, Corymbia gummifera, Eucalyptus haemastoma, E. oblonga, E. sieberi and Leptospermum trinervium (Pryor 1981, Benson and McDougall 1998).
Ecology
Eucalyptus camfieldii is a mallee or small tree that is usually only 3-5 m high, although the bigger specimens may reach about 10 m (Pryor 1981, Benson and McDougall 1998). The plants live for more than 100 years and develop extensive lignotubers which may be up to 25 m across. What appears to be a large number of plants may be only one or a few individuals, and consequently population sizes are difficult to measure.
The flowering period is variable and extends between April and December. The woody seed capsules are retained for up to one year before the seed is shed. Seed is dispersed locally by wind or gravity and there is no dormancy mechanism. Seeds are able to germinate without treatment, but seedlings are rarely reported.
Following fire the species resprouts from the lignotuber and epicormic buds. Plants at North Head during the 1980's appeared to be dying in the absence of fire (30 years unburnt) due to competition from taller vegetation (Benson and McDougall 1998).
Management Issues
- Lack of knowledge of the species in Pittwater (likely to occur in the area, but no known sites)
- Conservation of remnant bushland
- Habitat degradation in remnant bushland
- Fire management
- Bushrock removal - identified as adversely affecting this species by NSW Scientific Committee (1999a)
- Preservation of remnant individuals in urban areas
- Translocation (as an alternative to conservation in situ)
- Unauthorised collection of plant material
- Community education
- Recovery plan (no plan has yet been prepared for this species)
Updated: 06 Dec 2011