Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act1988

Action statement No.47

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act1988

Australian Anchor Plant / Hairy Anchor Plant Discariapubescens

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Action Statement No.47

Australian Anchor Plant / Hairy Anchor Plant Discariapubescens

Description

The Australian Anchor Plant, or Hairy AnchorPlant (Discaria pubescens (Brongn.) Druce), is adensely- branched, spiny shrub that grows to around 1 min height. Plants are often multi-stemmed atground level or may produce a main trunk that canreach

a diameter of 15 cm (Humphries 1993). Theleaves are short-lived, so plants are virtually leafless,with stout spines up to 4 cm long. Flowers aresmall (approximately 3 mm long) and white withfive sepals and five petals and occur at the base ofthe spines either solitary or in few to manyflowered clusters (10–50 flowers). Flowers are producedfrom November to January. The seeds are producedin small lobed capsules, 4-5 mm in diameter(Walsh and Entwisle 1999). They are brown, shinyand numerous and are dispersed by explosive splittingof the capsule (Hall and Parsons1987).

Distribution

The Australian Anchor Plant formerly hada widespread distribution in all easternAustralian states. It has not been recorded in Queenslandsince 1898 (Willis 1955) and is consideredendangered

in Tasmania (Coates 1991) and in NewSouth Wales (Harden 1990). In Victoria, the speciesis now restricted to fragmented populations inthe eastern highlands and to the west ofMelbourne (Willis 1973, Beauglehole 1980, AVH 2014).The

easternVictorianpopulationsarescatteredthrough the Snowy Range, Benambra,Wulgulmerang, Cobberas and Bendoc areas (Walsh andEntwisle 1999). Populations were previously recordedfrom the Delatite area, near Mansfield in 1853, buthave not been recorded there since 1895 (N.Walsh

Australian Anchor Plan / Hairy Anchor Plant(DELWP)

pers. comm. 2008). It was also formerlyknown from the Wodonga and Mitta Mitta areas(Walsh and Entwisle 1999). In western Victoria,small populations and individual plants occur alongthe Campaspe River (north of Kyneton), alongBirch Creek (at Smeaton and near Clunes) and on LalLal Creek and Moorabool River West Branch (nearLal Lal Reservoir). In western Victoria mostpopulationsare critically low in numbers. The populationsin eastern Victoria are larger. Severalpopulationsoccur in the Bendoc Nature ConservationReserve, the largest consisting of up to 500 plants (K.Seaton pers. comm.2010).

Habitat

The Australian Anchor Plant usually occurs ingrassy open woodlands and forests in the east ofVictoria (Hall and Parsons 1987) and in stream andriver valleys in western Victoria (Lunt 1987). Inwestern Victoria, it typically occurs in high rainfall areason rocky, basalt-based soils. In the easternhighlands, plants are usually associated with basalticsubstrate near streams, in cool, elevated areas (Walshand Entwisle 1999). Occasionally populationsoccur some distance from drainage lines and streams(K. Seaton pers. comm.2010).

Life History andEcology

Lunt (1987) and Humphries (1993) reportedthat seedlings of Australian Anchor Plant have notbeen recorded in the wild in Victoria, despitedetailed surveys over many years. However, morerecently several seedlings were found at WindmillBridge, following weed control work (B. Smith pers.comm. 2010) and at Bendoc (A. Trumbull-Wardpers.

Distribution in Victoria (DELWP,2015)

comm. 2008). The rarity of seedlings is notlikely to be due to problems with seed productionor germination (Hall and Parsons 1987). Viableseed has been collected from plants in westernVictoria and germinated readily in a glasshouse aftercold treatment (Humphries 1993). B. Smith(pers.

comm. 2008) found that seeds germinatedreadily, irrespective of treatment with heat, boiling wateror stratification. Very young and old seeds areslower to germinate and less viable (B. Smith pers.comm. 2008).

Hall and Parsons (1987) and Downe (pers.obs. 2007) report that mature plants resproutafter low intensity burns. B. Smith (pers. comm.2010)

observed that mature plants burnt by highintensity wildfire in 2009, along the CampaspeRiver,

had resprouted vigorously. However,seedlings transplanted to the area in 2007 showed only10% survival. The Bendoc area was burnt by wildfirein 2003. Post-fire surveys indicated thatAustralian Anchor Plant successfully regenerated, howeverthe size of monitored populations reduced byalmost half between 2004 and 2007. This may be dueto theeffectsofdroughtconditions(A.Trumbull-Ward pers. comm.2007).

Plants are known to have a life span exceeding30 years (Humphries 1993) and possibly up to 60years (B. Smith pers. comm. 2008). Willis (1955)noted that the general trend for most naturalpopulationshas been a reduction in plant number asmature plants senesce anddie.

Conservationstatus

Victorian conservationstatus

The Australian Anchor Plant is listed asthreatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act1988.

The Australian Anchor Plant is consideredrare in Victoria according to the Departmentof

Environment, Land, Water and Planning(DELWP)’s

Advisory List of Rare or Threatened Plants inVictoria

- 2014 (DEPI2014).

Threats

Grazing by stock, predominantly cattle(Bos taurus) and sheep (Ovis aries), and byintroduced herbivores, particularly Europeanrabbits (Oryctoloagus cuniculus), European hares(Lepuseuropeaus) and feral horses (Equuscaballus), poses a major threat, especially as themajority of plants grow where such animalscommonly graze (roadsides, paddocks and watercourses).

Competition by exotic species is of seriousconcern for all populations. Habitat loss andaccidental damage during weed eradication programsor construction and maintenance work(especially roadsides and streams) are ongoing issues.Some populations have recently been burnt bywildfire. The effect of inappropriate fire regimes(intensity, season or frequency) on long term survival isnot known and may be exacerbated by climatechange. Also of concern is erosion of road batters,especially in the Bendoc area, and stream banks particularlyto the west of Melbourne. It has been observedthat unseasonal frosts have severely burnt plants inthe Bendocarea.

Importantlocations

Past managementactions

Conservationobjectives

Long termobjective

To ensure that the Australian Hairy Anchor Plant can survive, flourish and retain its potentialfor evolutionary development in thewild.

Objectives of this ActionStatement

•To maintain or improve condition ofhabitat

•To secure populations or habitat from potentially incompatible land use or catastrophicloss

•To increase the number of populations orindividuals

•To increase community awareness andsupport

•To increase knowledge of biology, ecology or managementrequirements

Intended managementactions

The intended management actions listed below are further elaborated in DELWP’s Actions forBiodiversity Conservation (ABC) system. Detailed information about the actions and locations, including priorities,is held in this system and will be provided annually to land managers and otherauthorities.