Benson & Fallding, Brisbane Water National Park 
87 
Shrubs: Diverse, including Phyllota phylicoides, Petrophile pulchella, Dillwynia 
spp., Persoonia spp. Leptospermum spp., Acacia spp., Bossiaea spp., Pultenaea spp. 
and various Epacridaceae. 
Ferns: Pteridium esculentum, Culcita dubia. 
Monocotyledons: Entolasia stricta, Lepidosperma spp., Lomandra spp., Pater- 
sonia spp., Lepyrodia scariosa, Gahnia clarkei, Xanthorrhoea media. 
Others: Climbers such as Cassytha spp. and a variety of herbs. 
Comments: Variation is due to aspect, fire history and drainage. Drainage 
changes caused by geology and topographic position influence species composition. 
In wet areas a moist scrub understorey (described as 4/8 on the vegetation map) is 
often found. This is dominated by Banksia ericifolia and Hakea teretifolia (see 
Community 8). 
Creek banks are characterized by shrubs, Tristania neriifolia, T. laurina, Baeckea 
linifolia, Callicoma serratifolia, Leptospermum flavescens, Logania albiflora, Lomatia 
myricoides, Phebalium dentatum, Ceratopetalum apetalum, Bauera rubioides, ferns 
such as Gleichenia spp., Todea barbara and Sticherus flabellatus and climbers such as 
Cassytha spp. and Smilax spp. On dry aspects the understorey is sparse and consists 
mainly of members of the families Fabaceae and Proteaceae. Areas recently or 
frequently burned tend to have an open understorey dominated by monocotyledons 
and shrubs which have regenerated from lignotubers. 
Community 4P OPEN-FOREST to LO W OPEN-FOREST—plateau tops. 
Structure: Trees 10-20 m high with a mid-dense canopy cover. Understorey 
dry, mid-dense to dense, with tall shrubs, shrubs, monocotyledons and herbs (Figure 
4). 
Habitat: Plateaux on deep yellow earthy soils. The soils grade from a surface 
horizon of medium sand to a yellow sandy clay. The depth varies, but is usually 
1 m deep; above Warrah Lookout on the Patonga road, it is at least 2 m deep and 
also noticeably more yellow. 
Distribution: Restricted to plateaux. Within the Park, it is found near Warrah 
Trig in the south and near Kariong in the north. In the upper Mooney Mooney 
Creek catchment it is locally common northward from Somersby Falls. Formerly 
more widespread in the Somersby area but much of it has been cleared for orchards 
and grazing land. 
Main species present: 
Trees: Angophora costata, Syncarpia glomulifera, Eucalyptus gummifera, E. 
haemastoma, E. sieberi, E. punctata, E. oblonga, E. capitellata, Banksia serrata. 
Tall shrubs and shrubs: Leptospermum spp., Petrophile pulchella, Hakea spp., 
Acacia spp., Bossiaea spp., Lambertia formosa, Banksia spinulosa, Gompholobium 
spp., Persoonia spp. Members of the Proteaceae are important e.g. Telopea specio- 
sissima, Xylomelum pyriforme, Grevillea spp. 
Monocotyledons: Xanthorrhoea media, Lepyrodia scariosa, Tetrarrhena juncea, 
Patersonia spp., Lomandra spp., Doryanthes excelsa, Entolasia stricta. 
Herbs: Actinotus minor, Dampiera stricta, Gonocarpus teucrioides. 
Comments: Variation is due to fire history, and soil and water-table depth. 
Areas to the north (Kariong to Mangrove Mountain Road) have shallower and 
less yellow soils than near Warrah in the south. Doryanthes excelsa is found only 
in the north. Eucalyptus sieberi is also more common in the north than the south; 
the other tree species are found throughout. On deeper soils and near watercourses 
the trees are taller. 
