Long Grass Nature Refuge
Fauna and Flora Detail
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Wildlife Management System
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Scientific Name
Common Name
Type
Notes
Small to medium tree sometimes to 35 m but more commonly to 20 m from Manning River, NSW to Herberton, Nth QLD, also New Guinea and Melanesia. Bark dark brown, scaly, shed in irregular patches. Leaves are simple, alternate and sharply toothed margins (especially in juveniles) and a sandpapery texture, 3-6cm long, dark green above, paler below. Young and stressed plants have much smaller leaves. Lateral veins are strongly raised below. Flowers are cream/green cymes arising from leaf axils and old leaf scars from September-November. Separate male and female plants on the same plant (monoecious) Conifers In the Araucaceae are also monoecious, an advantage intough conditions, as they can recolonise an area from a single remaining plant. In north Queensland Aphananthe philippinensis grows alongside Queensland Kauri Pine (Agathis robusta, a member of the Araucaceae. Fruit is a, green, yellowish-green then blackish, fleshy drupe, egg shaped to 6mm long. Ripe October-January. Has ornamental (though small) leaves and a dense shape when young but can become a large tree on a good site. Very hardy, this slow growing member of the elm family was cut down to make axe and other tool handles. The axes were then used to cut down everything else remotely usable, as white settlers cleared the land for farms. Uncommon in reveg plantings but appearing more frequently in remnants as the slower growing species emerge. Can withstand cold. A similar tree in its ecological role is Whalebone Tree, Prickly Fig (Streblus brunonianus) which has milky sap (a member of the Moreaceae while Aphananthe Is Ulmaceae) Pronounced Aff-an-ANTH-ee. Common names Include Rough leaved elm/hickory, grey/axe handle wood, native elm, asbestos tree, wild elm/holly, elm, mail, mallban, monduar gourabie Aphananthe from Greek “aphanes” invisible, “anthos” a blossom, in reference to the insignificant flowers; philippinensis from Latin “ensis”, indicating origin or place and Philippines, the country, referring to the species being first described from the island of Luzon in the Philippine Islands.
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