Gibson: Flora and vegetation of Middle and South Ironcap, Digger Rock and Hatter Hill 
Table 4 
Comparison of the floras of the southern Forrestania greenstone belt (Middle Ironcap to Hatter Hill), the Parker Range, the Bremer 
Range, the Highclere Hills, the Jaurdi uplands, the Helena and Aurora Range, and the Mt Manning Range. Note data from Bremer and 
Parker Ranges were collect in a dry year and underestimate the annual floras (data from Gibson et al. 1997; Gibson & Lyons 1998a,b; 
Gibson & Lyons 2001a,b; Gibson unpublished data). 
Southern 
Forrestania belt 
Parker 
Range 
Bremer 
Range 
Highclere 
Hills 
Jaudi 
uplands 
Helena & 
Aurora Range 
Mt Manning 
Range 
Flora 
345 
254 
267 
242 
288 
324 
238 
Weeds 
3 
10 
8 
25 
15 
21 
4 
Local endemic taxa 
10 
5 
3 
- 
- 
4 
- 
Taxa - first collections 
1 
2 
2 
- 
- 
1 
— 
Eucalyptus spp 
38 
29 
30 
12 
20 
19 
17 
Acacia spp 
25 
20 
17 
9 
15 
17 
10 
Melaleuca spp 
22 
14 
19 
2 
4 
5 
5 
Eremophila spp 
5 
7 
11 
8 
16 
14 
11 
endemics are in fact restricted to the banded ironstone 
and laterite outcrops of the range. 
Mining and exploration has been and continues to be 
extremely active in the study area and rehabilitation has 
generally been poor. There is an urgent need for the 
adoption of high standard environmental management 
of both exploration and mining operations. Almost none 
of the Forrestania greenstone belt is currently in the 
conservation reserve system. Work outlined here and 
previously reported by Beard (1972) and Newbey & 
Hnatiuk (1988) indicate a number of plant communities 
and at least 10 species are restricted to this area. The 
small Lake Cronin Nature Reserve (1016 ha) which lies 
between Middle Ironcap and Mt Holland is the only 
reserve covering the Forrestania vegetation system. None 
of the banded ironstone or associated lateritic areas are 
currently reserved. There is an urgent need for a series of 
nature reserves along the Forrestania belt. 
CN 
X 
CO 
CO 
1.0 
0.5 
□ 
□ 
♦ ♦ 
0.0 
□□ 
-0.5 
- 1.0 
° Rock 
o o 
o 
o 
o 
o group la 
l group 1 b 
■ group 1c 
□ group 2 
♦ group 3 
a group 4 
-1.0 -0.5 
0.0 
0.5 
1.0 
1.5 
SSH 1 
Figure 4. Ordination of the 38 quadrats coded by community type. Arrow shows the direction of the best fit linear correlation with 
percent surface rock. No other site parameter showed a significant correlation with the ordination. 
55 
