The Cumberland Plain Woodland, or Western Sydney woodland,Western Sydney woodland

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government ar ...

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

. Retrieved 4 September 2022. is a grassy woodland community found predominantly in

Western Sydney Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, that comprises an open tree canopy, a groundcover with grasses and herbs, usually with layers of shrubs and/or small trees. Situated in the

Cumberland Plain The Cumberland Plain, an IBRA biogeographic region, is a relatively flat region lying to the west of Sydney CBD in New South Wales, Australia. Cumberland Basin is the preferred physiographic and geological term for the low-lying plain of the P ...

, the community is a

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground ...

that features dry

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct ...

woodlands, grasslands and/or forests, reminiscent of

Mediterranean forest Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in ...

s. According to Office of Environment and Heritage, the community falls predominantly within the ''Coastal Valley Grassy Woodlands'' region, which are part of the ''Grassy Woodlands'' formation found in the eastern corridor of New South Wales. Currently, less than 6% of the Woodlands remain in small parts distributed across the

western suburbs of Sydney Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, and far western sub-regions within Sydney's metropoli ...

, totaling only around 6400 hectares. Cumberland Plain Woodland was listed as an Endangered Ecological Community under the ''Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995'' in June 1997. The greatest threats to the Cumberland Plain Woodland include land clearing for agriculture,

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

and the introduction of harmful weed species.

Geography

In 1877, ''Cumberland Plain Woodlands'' covered 107,000 hectares and filled around 30% of the Sydney Basin. At the time of European land exploration of Australia European settlement, the Cumberland Plain contained 1,070 km² of

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

s and forests. The westward expansion of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

over the plain has placed enormous pressure on the woodlands and other local ecological communities, only 6% of which remain uncleared. The ecoregion contains clay soils derived from Wianamatta Shale to the west of

Sydney CBD The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or city centre is often refer ...

, where it receives 750–900 mm of annual rainfall. The soils of the plain are infertile by world standards, but are not so by Australian standards. The plain is made up of

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', '' Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

woodland with a grassy undergrowth and sclerophyllous (hard-leaved) shrub stratum, demarcating with the

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

and forest communities of the sandstone plateaus that surround the plain. The biotic community is mostly found on flat or hilly terrains up to about 350 m in elevation, but it may also be present on locally precipitous sites and at slightly higher elevations. Some parts of the community may have a

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

structure. The Woodland features an open tree canopy,

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as ...

prevailed by grasses and herbs, sometimes with layers of shrubs and small trees.

Locations

Spanning through the cities of Fairfield,

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

Blacktown Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located west of the Sydney central business district. It is one of the most multicultural places within Great ...

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...

, Campbelltown, Camden and Penrith, with the cities of

Canterbury-Bankstown Canterbury-Bankstown is a customary region of Sydney, Australia, in the south-western suburbs. The area is located around the Bankstown railway line, to the west of the St George region and to the south of the Inner West region. The suburbs ...

, Hawkesbury,

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

and

Wollondilly Wollondilly Shire is a periurban local government area adjacent to the south-western fringe of Sydney, parts of which fall into the Macarthur, Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands regions in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wollondi ...

being on the peripheries, they contain approximately 2000 ha (one-fifth) of the remaining Cumberland Plain Woodland. Its range does not extend to slightly wetter

Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest The Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest (STIF) is dry sclerophyll forest community of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is typically found in the Inner West and Northern region of Sydney. It is also among the three of these plant communities ...

, or high-rainfall ridges (such as Blue Gum High Forest in the upper North Shore), which are geologically on the Hornsby Plateau. Examples of the remnants can be seen at

Scheyville National Park The Scheyville National Park () is a protected national park that is located in the northwestern suburbs of Sydney in New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately northwest of the Sydney central bu ...

, Rosford Street Reserve, Brenan Park,

Central Gardens Nature Reserve The Central Gardens Nature Reserve, also called Central Gardens, is a protected nature reserve located in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1976, the reserve, garden and fauna and wildlife park is situat ...

Fairfield Park Precinct Fairfield Park Precinct, or Fairfield Park, is an urban park situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Situated to the south of Fairfield CBD, the park contains an open grassland, bushland, picnic spots, playgroun ...

, Prospect Hill,

Prospect Nature Reserve Prospect Nature Reserve is a nature reserve and recreational area that is situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, which incorporates the Prospect Reservoir, and also features picnic spots, lookouts, walking tr ...

, Western Sydney Regional Park,

Wetherill Park Nature Reserve Wetherill Park Nature Reserve, also called Wetherill Park Reserve, is an urban park and a nature reserve situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The reserve contains an open woodland and bushland which feature na ...

and Chipping Norton Lake, among other places.

Ecological communities

The Cumberland Plain Woodland, classed under ''Coastal Valley Grassy Woodlands'', includes these

ecological communities In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community ...

, with some overlapping and others plainly being sub-regions of the Woodland: *Cumberland Shale Hills Woodland – It is one of the widespread grassy woodland communities within Cumberland Plain Woodland and is restricted to mean annual rainfall of between 750 and 900 millimetres and elevations between 50 and 350 metres above sea level. An open woodland mainly containing grey box ('' Eucalyptus moluccana'' and '' Eucalyptus microcarpa'') and forest red gum trees, it is mostly prevalent in

Prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (minin ...

near

Prospect Reservoir The Prospect Reservoir is a heritage-listed potable water supply and storage reservoir created by the Prospect Dam, across the Prospect Creek located in the Western Sydney suburb of Prospect, in New South Wales, Australia. The eastern bound ...

, and also on the western edges of Fairfield City, Campbelltown LGA and Liverpool LGA. *Cumberland Moist Shale Woodlands – Located in

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

s that are intermediate between Cumberland Plain Woodland on drier areas and the Western Sydney Dry Rainforest, the community has waxy-leaved shrubs and small trees in the understorey with a ground cover of

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

, fleshy twiners and grasses, which are usually absent in the surrounding grassy woodlands. Similar to its subgroup Western Sydney Dry Rainforest due to its moist habit, some of its species would include hairy clerodendrum ('' Clerodendrum tomentosum'') and slender grape ('' Cayratia clematidea''). Although most of its habitat has been cleared for housing and urbanization, where only 604 ha remain intact, there are pockets of it in the southwest parts of the

Fairfield City Council The Fairfield City Council is a local government area in the west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council was first incorporated as the "Municipal District of Smithfield and Fairfield" on 8 December 1888, and the counc ...

area, northwest of

near Green Valley,

Cecil Hills Cecil Hills is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cecil Hills is located 38 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and is part of the Greater W ...

and the

LGA. ** Western Sydney Dry Rainforest – Predominantly cleared within the Cumberland Plain and a component of Moist Shale Woodlands, it occurs on the secured clay-rich soils of the wavy hills and ranges of western Sydney in around

Abbotsbury Abbotsbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. The settlement is in the unitary authority of Dorset about inland from the English Channel coast. The village, including Chesil Beach, the swannery and subtropic ...

near Calmsley Hill City Farm, and areas in the MacArthur region to the southwest, albeit in a very small isolated pocket. Grey myrtle (''

Backhousia myrtifolia ''Backhousia myrtifolia'' (commonly referred to as ''carrol, neverbreak, iron wood, grey myrtle'' or ''cinnamon myrtle'') is a small rainforest tree species which grows in subtropical rainforests of Eastern Australia. First discovered and subs ...

'') is the most prevalent species with a ground cover being sparsely made up of herbs and ferns. Other salient species include fig ('' Ficus rubiginosa''), wild quince (''

Alectryon subcinereus ''Alectryon subcinereus'', commonly named native quince, wild quince or bird's eye, is a species of shrubs or small trees, constituting part of the plant family Sapindaceae. They are endemic to eastern Australia, from far eastern Victoria nort ...

'') and whalebone tree (''

Streblus brunonianus ''Streblus brunonianus'', known as the whalebone tree, is a small tree in the fig family. Commonly seen in a variety different types of rainforest, particularly by streams. ''Streblus brunonianus'' occurs from near Milton (35° S) in the south ...

''). The rainforest canopy may include spotted gums, wattles and

paperbark ''Melaleuca'' () is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of ''Leptospermum''). They range in size f ...

s. Shrubs such as hairy clerodendrum ('' Clerodendrum tomentosum'') and large mock olive (''

Notelaea longifolia ''Notelaea longifolia'' is a very common shrub or small tree in eastern Australia. Occurring in or adjacent to rainforest from Mimosa Rocks National Park (37° S) to Bamaga (11° S) in far north Queensland. Common names include large mock-ol ...

'') are also present. Rainfall is usually below 900 millimeters per annum in the rainforests within Cumberland Plain. *Cumberland Shale Plains Woodland and Shale-Gravel Transition Forest – Featuring a soft topography, it is an open grassy woodland mainly containing grey boxes,

forest red gum ''Eucalyptus tereticornis'', commonly known as forest red gum, blue gum or red irongum, is a species of tree that is native to eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in grou ...

s, spotted gums and ironbarks. It features shale-influenced, nutrient-poor sandy soils that support a constituents of

ironstone Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...

gravels. It ranges from a woodland to a forest with an understorey that may deviate between dense shrubs and a low thin shrub with an abundant ground cover of

tussock grass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perenni ...

es, shrubs and

forbs A forb or phorb is an herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid (grass, sedge, or rush). The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory. Typically these are dicots without wo ...

. It was once was the most common variety of native vegetation in what is now western Sydney where it occurred on flat to undulating or craggy landscape at elevations reaching approximately 350 m above sea level. Only 10% of it remaining, the community is mostly found in

Wetherill Park Wetherill Park is a suburb in Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wetherill Park is located 34 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield. The ...

, Prospect and

Greystanes Greystanes is a suburb in Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Greystanes is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Cumberland Council. Founded in the late 1790s, Greystan ...

, Cecils Hills, Liverpool LGA,

Marsden Park Marsden Park is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marsden Park is located north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Blacktown local government area and is part of the Greater Western Sydney regio ...

Holsworthy Holsworthy is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Torridge District, Torridge district of Devon, England, some west of Exeter. The River Deer, a tributary of the River Tamar, forms the western boundary of the paris ...

and near

Bankstown Bankstown is a suburb south west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is located in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, hav ...

, albeit in small fragments of less than 5 hectares. The ''Shale-Gravel Transition Forest'' is grouped with the ''Shale Plains Woodlands'' by the

EPBC Act The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...

, although the two have been differentiated. * Cumberland Shale-Sandstone Ironbark Forest – Lying at the edges of the Cumberland Plain, in an area with relatively low rainfall (800mm-900mm), it is a moderately tall eucalyptus forest that is linked with the subtle transition between clay-rich shale soil and the rough sandy matter of the sandstone plateau. It is present on the western bounds of the Woronora Plateau and above the

Nepean Nepean may refer to: Places Australia *Nepean Bay, a bay in South Australia, **Nepean Bay Conservation Park, a protected area in South Australia, **Nepean Bay, South Australia, a locality *Nepean Highway, Victoria *Nepean Island (Norfolk Island) ...

and

Georges river The Georges River, also known as Tucoerah River, is an intermediate tide-dominated drowned valley estuary, located to the south and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The river travels for approximately in a north and then easterly ...

s near

Appin Appin ( gd, An Apainn) is a coastal district of the Scottish West Highlands bounded to the west by Loch Linnhe, to the south by Loch Creran, to the east by the districts of Benderloch and Lorne, and to the north by Loch Leven. It lies northeast ...

, through Ingleburn to the west of the Woronora Plateau and the

defence area. It is a modestly tall eucalyptus forest with a mixed understorey of sclerophyll shrubs and grasses with some sparse blanket of tall

casuarina ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in th ...

s (''

Allocasuarina littoralis ''Allocasuarina littoralis'', commonly known as black sheoak, black she-oak, or river black-oak, is an endemic medium-sized Australian tree (usually up to 8 metres, but sometimes to 15 metres - coarse shrub in exposed maritime areas). A. littoral ...

'' and ''

Allocasuarina torulosa ''Allocasuarina torulosa'', the rose she-oak or forest oak, is a tree which grows in sub-rainforest (just outside the main forest area) of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. There, it is typically found on coastal footslopes, hills, and ...

''). Its ground cover contains varies species of shrubs that are common on shale substrates such as blackthorn (''

Bursaria spinosa ''Bursaria spinosa'' is a small tree or shrub in the family Pittosporaceae. The species occurs mainly in the eastern and southern half of Australia and not in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Reaching 10 m (35 ft) high, i ...

'') and those linked with sandstone soils such as geebungs ('' Persoonia'').

Gallery

File:Cumberlain Plain Woodland.jpg, Shale Plains with

walking track A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

File:Cumberlain Plain Woodland2.jpg, Shale Hills with offroad driving path File:Cumberlain Plain Woodland3.jpg, Shale Plains with a mowed track File:Cumberlain Plain Woodland5.jpg, Shale Hills with a road traversing through it File:Western Sydney Regional Park.jpg, Shale Plains with modified landscape

Vegetation

The sclerophyll woodlands are situated on a nutrient-poor

alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. ...

deposited by the Nepean River from sandstone and shale

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of be ...

in the Blue Mountains. Despite this, they support a tremendous regional biodiversity. Cumberland Plain Woodland are dominated by Grey Box ('' Eucalyptus moluccana'') and Forest Red Gum ( E. tereticornis), with Narrow-leaved Ironbark ('' Eucalyptus crebra''), Spotted Gum ('' Corymbia maculata'') and Thin-leaved Stringybark (''

Eucalyptus eugenioides ''Eucalyptus eugenioides'', commonly known as the thin-leaved stringybark or white stringybark, is a species of tree endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small to medium-sized tree with rough stringy bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, Fl ...

'') occurring sporadically. The ecoregion may have an open layer of small trees that would include such species of '' Acacia decurrens'', ''

Acacia parramattensis ''Acacia parramattensis'', commonly known as Parramatta wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae native to the Blue Mountains and surrounding regions of New South Wales. It is a tall shrub or tree to about in height with phyllodes (flattened ...

'', ''

Acacia implexa ''Acacia implexa'', commonly known as lightwood or hickory wattle, is a fast-growing Australian tree, the timber of which is used for furniture making. The wood is prized for its finish and strength. The foliage was used to make pulp and dye cl ...

'' and ''

Exocarpos cupressiformis ''Exocarpos cupressiformis'', with common names that include native cherry, cherry ballart, and cypress cherry, belongs to the sandalwood family of plants. It is a species endemic to Australia. Occasionally the genus name is spelt "Exocarpus" but ...

''. The shrub layer is mainly contains ''

'', ''

indigofera australis ''Indigofera australis'', the Australian indigo or Austral indigo, is an attractive species of leguminous shrub in the genus '' Indigofera'' (family Fabaceae). The genus name ''Indigofera'' is Neo-Latin for "bearing Indigo" ( Indigo is a purpl ...

'', ''

Hardenbergia violacea ''Hardenbergia violacea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is known in Australia by the common names false sarsaparilla, purple coral pea and waraburra. Elsewhere it is also called purple t ...

'', '' Daviesia ulicifolia'', ''

Lespedeza cuneata ''Lespedeza cuneata'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names Chinese bushclover and sericea lespedeza, or just sericea.Gucker, Corey. (2010) (Revised from Munger, Gregory T., 2004)''Lespedeza cuneata'' In: ...

'', ''

Dillwynia ''Dillwynia'' is a genus of about 20 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, and is endemic to Australia. Plants in this genus are shrubs with simple leaves and yellow or red and yellow flowers similar to others in the family. Desc ...

'', ''

Dodonaea viscosa ''Dodonaea viscosa'', also known as the broadleaf hopbush, is a species of flowering plant in the '' Dodonaea'' (hopbush) genus that has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, sout ...

'', with plenty grasses such as Kangaroo Grass (''

Themeda australis } ''Themeda triandra'' is a species of perennial tussock-forming grass widespread in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Pacific. In Australia it is commonly known as kangaroo grass and in East Africa and South Africa it is known as red grass and re ...

'') and Weeping Meadow Grass (''

Microlaena stipoides ''Microlaena stipoides'', synonym ''Ehrharta stipoides'', is a species of grass. It occurs naturally in all states of Australia as well as in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines.Eucalyptus amplifolia'' (cabbage gum) *'' Eucalyptus sieberi'' (Silvertop Ash) *''

Eucalyptus oblonga ''Eucalyptus globoidea'', commonly known as the white stringybark, is a tree that is endemic to near-coastal areas of south-eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy bark, often furrowed on the trunk, glossy, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, often cu ...

'' (stringybark) *''

Eucalyptus capitellata ''Eucalyptus capitellata'', commonly known as brown stringybark, is a species of tree that is endemic to New South Wales. It is a small to medium-sized tree with rough, stringy bark from the trunk to the thinnest branches, lance-shaped to curved ...

'' (brown stringybark) *''

Corymbia gummifera ''Corymbia gummifera'', commonly known as red bloodwood, is a species of tree, rarely a mallee, that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups o ...

'' (red bloodwood) *''

Eucalyptus racemosa ''Eucalyptus racemosa'', commonly known as snappy gum or narrow-leaved scribbly gum, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth, mottled bark, lance-shaped to curved or egg-shaped adult leaves, ...

'' (scribbly gum) *'' Eucalyptus baueriana'' (blue box) *''

Eucalyptus longifolia ''Eucalyptus longifolia'', commonly known as woollybutt, is a species of medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has thick, fibrous bark on the trunk and larger branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in grou ...

'' (woollybutt) *''

Eucalyptus paniculata ''Eucalyptus paniculata'', commonly known as grey ironbark, is a species of tree that is endemic to New South Wales. It has dark-coloured, deeply furrowed ironbark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in gr ...

'' (grey ironbark) *''

Eucalyptus punctata ''Eucalyptus punctata'', commonly known as grey gum, is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth grey bark that is shed in patches, lance-shaped, curved or egg-shaped adult leaves flower buds in groups of ...

'' (grey gum) *''

Eucalyptus melliodora ''Eucalyptus melliodora'', commonly known as yellow box, honey box or yellow ironbark, is a species of medium-sized to occasionally tall tree that is endemic to south-eastern, continental Australia. It has rough, flaky or fibrous bark on part o ...

'' (yellow box) Non-eucalyptus trees: *''

'' (Parramatta wattle) *''

Acacia longifolia ''Acacia longifolia'' is a species of ''Acacia'' native to southeastern Australia, from the extreme southeast of Queensland, eastern New South Wales, eastern and southern Victoria, and southeastern South Australia. Common names for it include lo ...

'' (Sydney golden wattle) *''

Melaleuca alternifolia ''Melaleuca alternifolia'', commonly known as tea tree, is a species of tree or tall shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Endemic to Australia, it occurs in southeast Queensland and the north coast and adjacent ranges of New South Wales where ...

'' (snow-in-summer) *''

Melaleuca decora ''Melaleuca decora'', commonly known as the white feather honeymyrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to eastern Australia. It is a large shrub to small tree with papery bark, lance-shaped leaves and sweet-smelling, c ...

'' (white feather honeymyrtle) *'' Melaleuca styphelioides'' (prickly-leaved paperbark) *''

'' (native quince) *''

'' (forest oak) *''

Tristaniopsis laurina ''Tristaniopsis laurina'', the water gum or kanooka, is a tree species native to Australia. It usually grows near the eastern coastline and along the banks of streams, where the trunks and branches tend to be shaped in the direction of the cu ...

'' (water gum) *'' Melia azedarach'' (chinaberry tree) *''

'' (carrol ironwood) *''

'' (large mock-olive) *''

Casuarina cunninghamiana ''Casuarina cunninghamiana'', commonly known as river oak or river she-oak, is a she-oak species of the genus ''Casuarina''. The native range in Australia extends from Daly River in the Northern Territory, north and east in Queensland and easte ...

'' *''

Syncarpia glomulifera ''Syncarpia glomulifera'', commonly known as the turpentine tree, or yanderra, is a tree of the family Myrtaceae native to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia, which can reach in height. It generally grows on heavier soils. The cream fl ...

'' (turpentine tree) *'' Clerodendrum tomentosum'' (hairy clairy) *''

'' *''

Melicytus dentatus ''Melicytus dentatus'', the tree violet, is a shrub that is native to south-east Australia. It grows up to 4 metres high and has branchlets that are often armed with spines and have leaves that are 5 to 50 mm long and sometimes toothed. T ...

'' (tree violet) *'' Acacia floribunda'' (white sallow wattle) *''

Angophora bakeri ''Angophora bakeri'', commonly known as the narrow-leaved apple, is a species of tree that is endemic to New South Wales. It has rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, w ...

'' (narrow-leaved) *'' Angophora subvelutina'' (broad-leaved apple) *'' Acacia decurrens'' (black wattle) Shrubs: *'' Pittosporum revolutum'' (yellow pittosporum) *'' Solanum prinophyllum'' (forest nightshade) *''

Breynia oblongifolia ''Breynia oblongifolia'', commonly known as coffee bush, grows naturally in Australia and New Guinea as shrubs up to in height. The species produces Glossary of botanical terms#A, alternate, Phyllotaxis, distichous, Glossary of leaf morphology# ...

'' (coffee bush) *''

Dichondra repens ''Dichondra repens'' is a small, prostrate, herbaceous plant native to New Zealand and many parts of Australia. It is occasionally known as kidney weed in Australia and as Mercury Bay weed in New Zealand. Most commonly called dichondra in Aus ...

'' (kidney weed) *''

Ajuga australis ''Ajuga australis'', commonly known as Austral bugle, is a herbaceous flowering plant native to Eastern Australia. First described by Robert Brown, it is occasionally seen in horticulture. Classification Scottish botanist Robert Brown descri ...

'' (Austral bugle) *'' Daucus glochidiatus'' (Australian carrot) *''

Centella asiatica ''Centella asiatica'', commonly known as gotu kola, kodavan, Indian pennywort and Asiatic pennywort, is a herbaceous, perennial plant in the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and islan ...

'' (Asiatic pennywort) *'' Solanum cinereum'' (Narrawa burr) *''

Crassula sieberiana ''Crassula sieberiana'', the Australian stonecrop is a succulent plant found in a variety of habitats in Australia, New Zealand and Lord Howe Island. Usually seen in rock crevices. It may be found in desert areas such as Sturt National Park, or ...

'' (Australian stonecrop) *'' Aphanopetalum resinosum'' (gum vine) *'' Pandorea pandorana'' (Wonga Wonga vine) *'' Cayratia clematidea'' (native grape) *''

'' (purple coral pea) *'' Cheilanthes distans'' (bristly cloak fern) *''

Chrysocephalum apiculatum ''Chrysocephalum apiculatum'', known by the common names common everlasting and yellow buttons, is a perennial herb native to southern Australia. It is a member of the Asteraceae, the daisy family. The name "everlasting" was inspired by its use ...

'' (yellow buttons) *''

Pratia purpurascens ''Lobelia purpurascens'', commonly known as white root or purplish pratia, is a flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae of eastern Australia. It is a small herbaceous, scrambling plant with white to pale pink flowers. Description ''Lobeli ...

'' (white root) *''

Arthropodium milleflorum ''Arthropodium milleflorum'', the pale vanilla lily, is a species of herbaceous perennial plants native to Australia. It occurs in various habitats including alpine areas and grows to between 0.3 and 1.3 metres high and 0.3 metres wide. ...

'' (pale vanilla lily) *'' Chenopodium hastatum'' (berry Saltbush) *''

Schenkia spicata ''Schenkia spicata'' is a species of annual herb in the family Gentianaceae. It has a very wide old world distribution, ranging from north Africa, through Europe and into Asia. It was first published as ''Gentiana spicata'' by Carl Linnaeus i ...

'' *'' Veronica plebeia'' (trailing speedwell) *'' Stackhousia viminea'' *''

Cestrum nocturnum ''Cestrum nocturnum'', the lady of the night, night-blooming jasmine, night-blooming jessamine, night-scented jessamine, night-scented cestrum or poisonberry, is a species of plant in the potato family Solanaceae. It is native to the West Indies, ...

'' (night-blooming jasmine) *'' Rubus parvifolius'' (Australian raspberry) *'' Ozothamnus diosmifolius'' (rice flower) *''

Glycine tabacina ''Glycine tabacina'', commonly known as variable glycine, is a scrambling plant in the bean family found in Australia. It grows in areas of high rainfall, ranging to semi-arid areas. The leaves are in threes, 7 cm long by 2 cm wide. ...

'' (variable glycine) Grasses and sedge: *'' Cyperus gracilis'' (slender flat sedge) *''

Oplismenus hirtellus ''Oplismenus hirtellus'' (commonly known as basket grass) is a flowering perennial plant from the family Poaceae that can be found on every continent in the world except Antarctica, growing mostly in coastal tropic and subtropic regions as we ...

'' (basket grass) *'' Bothriochloa macra'' (red-leg grass) *''

Fimbristylis dichotoma ''Fimbristylis dichotoma'', commonly known as forked fimbry or eight day grass, is a sedge of the family Cyperaceae that is native to tropical areas. Description The annual or perennial plant, 10–80 cm tall, with numerous long stems abou ...

'' (eight day grass) *''

Panicum effusum ''Panicum effusum'', commonly known as hairy panic, is a grass native to inland Australia. It occurs in every mainland state, as well as New Guinea. In dry conditions, the fast-growing grass can become a tumbleweed. Description Hairy panic is ...

'' (hairy panic) *''

Sorghum leiocladum ''Sorghum leiocladum'' (also known as wild sorghum) is a grass plant in the family Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the ce ...

'' (wild sorghum) *'' Chloris truncata'' (Australian fingergrass)

Wildlife

Bird species in the woodland include (which are mostly vulnerable and/or

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

): * Gang Gang Cockatoo * Glossy Black-cockatoo *

Brown Treecreeper The brown treecreeper (''Climacteris picumnus'') is the largest Australasian treecreeper. The bird, endemic to eastern Australia, has a broad distribution, occupying areas from Cape York, Queensland, throughout New South Wales and Victoria to ...

Painted Honeyeater The painted honeyeater (''Grantiella picta'') is a species of honeyeater in a monotypic genus. Taxonomy A member of the family Meliphagidae, ''Grantiella picta'' is the sole species under this genus. The painted honeyeater was first described ...

Swift Parrot The swift parrot (''Lathamus discolor'') is a species of broad-tailed parrot, found only in southeastern Australia. The species breeds in Tasmania during the summer and migrates north to south eastern mainland Australia from Griffith- Warialda ...

Square-tailed Kite The square-tailed kite (''Lophoictinia isura'') is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers. Taxonomy German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup descr ...

Hooded Robin The hooded robin (''Melanodryas cucullata'') is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic; the male bears a distinctive black-and-white plumage, while the female i ...

Black-chinned Honeyeater The black-chinned honeyeater (''Melithreptus gularis'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to Australia. Two subspecies are recognised. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropi ...

Turquoise Parrot The turquoise parrot (''Neophema pulchella'') is a species of parrot in the genus ''Neophema'' native to Eastern Australia, from southeastern Queensland, through New South Wales and into North-Eastern Victoria. It was described by George Shaw ...

* Barking Owl *

Powerful Owl The powerful owl (''Ninox strenua''), a species of owl native to south-eastern and eastern Australia, is the largest owl on the continent. It is found in coastal areas and in the Great Dividing Range, rarely more than inland. The IUCNRed List ...

Speckled Warbler The speckled warbler (''Pyrrholaemus sagittatus'') is a species of bird in the family (biology), family Acanthizidae. It is Endemism, endemic to eastern Australia. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. Taxonomy The speckled warbler was first ...

Diamond Firetail The diamond firetail (''Stagonopleura guttata'') is a species of estrildid finch that is endemic to Australia. It has a patchy distribution and generally occupies drier forests and grassy woodlands west of the Great Dividing Range from South E ...

* Masked Owl *

Sooty Owl The greater sooty owl (''Tyto tenebricosa'') is a medium to large owl found in south-eastern Australia, Montane rainforests of New Guinea and have been seen on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait. The lesser sooty owl (''T. multipunctata''), ...

Regent Honeyeater The regent honeyeater (''Anthochaera phrygia'') is a critically endangered bird endemic to southeastern Australia. It is commonly considered a flagship species within its range, with the efforts going into its conservation having positive eff ...

Mammals: * Large-eared Pied Bat *

Spotted-tail Quoll The tiger quoll (''Dasyurus maculatus''), also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tail dasyure, native cat or the tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus ''Dasyurus'' native to Australia. With males ...

Eastern False Pipistrelle The eastern false pipistrelle (''Falsistrellus tasmaniensis'') is a vesper bat that occurs in eastern and south-eastern Australia, including the island of Tasmania. Taxonomy A species of genus ''Falsistrellus ''Falsistrellus'' is a genus o ...

* Eastern Bent-wing Bat * Eastern Freetail Bat * Large-footed Myotis *

Yellow-bellied Glider The yellow-bellied glider (''Petaurus australis''), also known as the fluffy glider, is an arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum that lives in native eucalypt forests in eastern Australia, from northern Queensland south to Victoria. Habitat ...

Squirrel Glider The squirrel glider (''Petaurus norfolcensis'') is a nocturnal gliding possum. The squirrel glider is one of the wrist-winged gliders of the genus ''Petaurus''. Habitat This species' home range extends from Bordertown near the South Australia ...

Koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the ...

Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat (''Saccolaimus flaviventris''), also known as the yellow-bellied sheathtail or yellow-bellied pouched bat, is a microbat species of the family Emballonuridae found extensively in Australia and less commonly i ...

* Greater Broad-nosed Bat

Historical description

In April 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip describes the land west of

Joseph Lycett - Residence of John Macarthur Esq near Parramatta N

The country through which they travelled was singularly fine, level, or rising in small hills of a very pleasing and picturesque appearance. The soil excellent, except in a few small spots where it was stony. The trees growing at a distance of from 20 to 40 feet –12 metresfrom each other, and in general entirely free from brushwood, which was confined to the stony and barren spots.

In 1818, author and settler James Atkinson describes the plain as:

One immense tract of forest land extends, with little interruption, from below
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
, on the Hawkesbury to
Appin Appin ( gd, An Apainn) is a coastal district of the Scottish West Highlands bounded to the west by Loch Linnhe, to the south by Loch Creran, to the east by the districts of Benderloch and Lorne, and to the north by Loch Leven. It lies northeast ...
, a distance of 50 miles...Forest means land more or less furnished with timber trees, and invariably covered with grass underneath, and destitute of underwood...The whole of this tract, and indeed all the forest in this county, was thick forest land, covered with very heavy timber, chiefly iron and stringy bark, box, blue and other gums, and mahogany.

In 1819, British explorer

William Wentworth William Charles Wentworth (August 179020 March 1872) was an Australian pastoralist, explorer, newspaper editor, lawyer, politician and author, who became one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures of early colonial New South Wales. Throug ...

describes Cumberland Plain's natural landscape between

and

Nepean River Nepean River (Darug: Yandhai), is a major perennial river, located in the south-west and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Nepean River and its associated mouth, the Hawkesbury River, almost encircles the metropolitan region of ...

:Statistical, Historical, and Political Description of NSW
by William Charles Wentworth, 1819

The soil changes to a thin layer of vegetable mould, resting on a stratum of yellow
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay pa ...
, which is again supported by a deep bed of schistus. The trees of the forest are here of the most stately dimensions. Full sized gums and iron barks, along side of which the loftiest trees in this country would appear as pigmies, with the beefwood tree, or as it is generally termed, the forest oak, which is of much humbler growth, are the usual timber. The forest is extremely thick, but there is little or no
underwood Underwood may refer to: People *Underwood (surname), people with the surname Places United States *Underwood, Shelby County, Alabama *Underwood, Indiana *Underwood, Iowa *Underwood, Minnesota *Underwood, New York *Underwood, North Dakota *Underw ...
. A poor sour grass, which is too effectually sheltered from the rays of the sun, to be possessed of any nutritive and fattening properties, shoots up in the intervals. This description of country, with a few exceptions, however, which deserve not to be particularly noticed, forms another girdle of about in breadth: so that, generally speaking, the colony for about into the interior, may be said to possess a soil, which has naturally no claim to
fertility Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Ferti ...
, and will require all the skill and industry of its owners to render it even tolerably productive. At this distance, however, the aspect of the country begins rapidly to improve. The forest is less thick, and the trees in general are of another description; the iron barks, yellow gums, and forest oaks disappearing, and the
stringy bark A stringybark can be any of the many ''Eucalyptus'' species which have thick, fibrous bark. Like all eucalypts, stringybarks belong to the family Myrtaceae. In exceptionally fertile locations some stringybark species (in particular messmate string ...
s, blue gums, and box trees, generally usurping their stead. When you have advanced about further into the interior, you are at length gratified with the appearance of a country truly beautiful. An endless variety of hill and dale, clothed in the most luxuriant herbage, and covered with bleating flocks and lowing herds, at length indicate that you are in regions fit to be inhabited by civilized man. The soil has no longer the stamp of barrenness. A rich
loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand ( particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...
resting on a substratum of fat red clay, several feet in depth, is found even on the tops of the highest hills, which in general do not yield in fertility to the valleys. The timber, strange as it may appear, is of inferior size, though still of the same nature, i. e. blue gum, box, and stringy bark. There is no underwood, and the number of trees upon an acre do not upon an average exceed thirty. They are, in fact, so thin, that a person may gallop without difficulty in every direction. Coursing the
kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...
is the favourite amusement of the colonists, who generally pursue this animal at full speed on horseback, and frequently manage, notwithstanding its extraordinary swiftness, to be up at the death; so trifling are the impediments occasioned by the forest.

References

External links

Cumberland Plain Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion - profileEcology of Cumberland Plain Woodland
{{Australasia grasslands navbox Endangered ecological communities Geography of Sydney Grasslands of Australia Remnant urban bushland Vegetation of Australia Ecoregions of New South Wales Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Sclerophyll forests

Geography

Locations

Ecological communities

Gallery

Vegetation

Wildlife

Historical description

See also

References

External links