Sage & Pigott: Conservation status of Goodenia 
Table 3 
CALM categories of Priority Flora according to the degree of perceived threat (after Atkins 1998). 
Category 
R: Declared Rare Flora 
Extant taxa (= Threatened Flora = Endangered 
+ Vulnerable) 
Taxa that have been adequately searched for, and are deemed to be in the wild 
either rare, in danger of extinction, or otherwise in need of special protection 
X: Declared Rare Flora 
Presumed Extinct taxa 
Taxa that have not been collected or otherwise verified over the past 50 years etc 
1: Priority One 
Poorly Known Taxa 
Taxa that are known from one or a few (generally < 5) populations which 
are under threat 
2: Priority Two 
Poorly Known Taxa 
Taxa that are known from one or a few (generally < 5) populations, at least some of 
which are not believed to be under immediate threat (i.e. not currently endangered) 
3: Priority Three 
Poorly Known Taxa 
Taxa that are known from several populations, at least some of which are not 
believed to be under immediate threat (i.e. not currently endangered) 
4: Priority Four 
Rare Taxa 
Taxa that are considered to have been adequately surveyed and which, while being 
rare (in Australia), are not currently threatened by any identifiable factors 
after fire and adequate rain only to decline in the 
following years (S van Leeuwen, CALM, personal 
communication). 
Nearly 80% of perennial species on granite habitats at 
Chiddarcooping Hill Nature Reserve were obligate 
seeders likely to be killed by fire (Hopper 2000). This is 
relevant to the CALM Priority listed taxa on granite 
outcrop habitats such as Goodenia drummondii subsp 
megaphylla (CALM Priority Three) and G. scapigera subsp 
graniticola (CALM Priority Two). 
Goodenia species can generally be classed in terms of 
life history strategy as annuals ( e.g . Goodenia 
berringbinensis), resprouters (e.g. Goodenia stellata) and 
disturbance opportunists (e.g. Goodenia decursiva). Similar 
numbers of annual and perennial species occur in the 
threatened or poorly known groups as in the abundant 
categories. 
Phytogeography 
The total number of Goodetiia taxa recorded from 
material at the Western Australian Herbarium (PERTH) 
for the Interim Biogeographical Regions of Australia or 
IBRA (Thackway & Cresswell 1995) are shown in Fig 1. 
The highly species-rich South-West Botanical Province is 
reflected in Goodenia with over 40 taxa occurring in the 
region (Carolin 1992). Highest diversity occurs on the 
sand plain heaths of the Avon Wheatbelt, Mallee and 
Esperance Plains IBRA (or bioregion) rather than the 
wetter forest areas of the lower south-west or the arid 
interior. This is consistent with that observed for the 
general floristic pattern of the province (Hopper 1979). 
The nearby Murchison IBRA of the Eremaean Botanical 
Province shows diversity equal to that of these regions. 
The intervening Yalgoo and Coolgardie bioregions have 
fewer species (11-15 and 26-30 taxa respectively). This 
may indicate a low level of collector effort in these 
regions, although the Murchison IBRA is significantly 
larger in area. 
Less diversity is found in the species-rich Geraldton 
Sandplains IBRA (16-20 taxa). This compares with 
Darwinia and Stylidium, which also have less diversity in 
the Geraldton Sandplains compared with higher levels in 
regions such as the Avon Wheatbelt (Paczkowska & 
Chapman 2000). 
The highest diversity in the Eremaean province occurs 
in the Murchison IBRA (31-35 taxa). The Pilbara 
bioregion (26-30 taxa) has the next highest number of 
species, with the central and north-west bioregions of 
Carnarvon, Gascoyne and the Little Sandy Desert closely 
following (21-25 taxa). This may be due to the diversity 
of habitat in these regions and a factor of higher collector 
effort in these regions compared to the rest of the 
province. The level of diversity declines in the east of the 
province to 0-5 taxa for the Nullarbor Hampton 
bioregions in the extreme south-east, though this is only 
for the Western Australian component of these 
bioregions. 
In the Northern Botanical province diversity is highest 
in the Northern Kimberley bioregion, gradually 
decreasing to the south-east. Only the Western Australian 
components of the Tanami, Victoria Bonaparte and Ord- 
Victoria Plains were taken into account. 
Goodenia in Western Australia is 60% endemic (Hopper 
et al. 1996, based on Carolin 1992). This is less than the 
average of 75% endemism for Western Australia and 
lower than other herbaceous genera such as Dampicra 
(91%), Scaevola (95%) and Drosera (80%). The number of 
Goodenia in the Eremaean and Northern Botanical 
Province whose range extends into the Northern 
Territory and South Australia may account for this lower 
level of endemism. 
Threatened, rare or poorly known 
Of 22 Goodenia species listed by CALM as Priority flora 
prior to this study, only one is threatened and none are 
presumed extinct (K Atkins, CALM, personal 
communication). As a result of this work a further 25 
taxa were added to the CALM's Priority listings, 
resulting in over 40% of the genus in the state being 
conservation-listed. The low number of Goodenia species 
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