Amazing Flora of the Daintree
Amazing Flora of the Daintree
Posted by Callum Goodall: 11 Feb 2015 @ 17:23:58 - Comments
Many articles talk about the wonderful range of wildlife that lives within the stunning Daintree Rainforest, but there aren’t as many that discuss the amazing range of flora that forms the rainforest itself, giving shelter to the wildlife that lives here.
The plant species within the Daintree are more diverse, more intricate and older than any other Australian – as well as many international – ecosystems in existence. In fact, there is not an area with as many rare and endangered plant species anywhere else on the planet, meaning that this beautiful natural environment is extremely important for conservation purposes.
The Daintree really is a relic from the ancient past, with the highest population of primitive flowering plants on Earth. Similar to the numbers in all of South America’s rainforests – including the Amazon – there are 12 of the world’s 19 species of primitive plants in the Daintree. By studying these amazing ancient species, scientists hope to answer questions about the origins of flowering plants – which today we rely on for food and medicine. Researcher also hopes to discover further uses for some of the plant species within the Daintree.
Thankfully, the majority of the Daintree Rainforest is protected by a UNESCO Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage listing, as the area is recognised as universally valuable. The listing regarding flora states that these Daintree species preserve major stages of the Earth’s evolutionary history:
- Psilotopsida (whisk ferns) and Lycopsida (club mosses / tassel ferns) are ancient plants and some of the earliest land plants
- The Marattiaceae (giant or king ferns), Osmundaceae (royal ferns), Schizaeaceae (comb ferns) and Gleicheniaceae (coral ferns) are all ancient families of true ferns
- Polystichum (shield ferns), Leptopteris, Tmesipteris (fork ferns), Todea, Lycopodiella and Huperzia (club mosses / tassel ferns) are fern species of East Gondwanan origin.
- Bowenia spectabilis (zamia fern) and other cycads such as Cycas, and Lepidozamia hopei (zamia palm) are all ancient types of cycad
- Podocarpus (plum pine or brown pine), Araucaria (hoop and bunya pines), Prumnopitys (brown pine or southern yew) and Agathis (kauri) are all ancient conifers and are living equals of Jurassic-age fossils!
- Austrobaileyaceae, Idiospermaceae, Eupomatiaceae and Himantandraceae are all small primitive angiosperms (flowering plants) that are part of 12 primitive angiosperm families.
- Cunoniaceae, Proteaceae (banksia and macadamia family), Myrtaceae (eucalypt and lilly pilly), Winteraceae, Rutaceae, Sapindaceae, Monimiaceae, Aquifoliaceae (holly family), Chloranthaceae, Trimeniaceae, Epacridaceae (heath family), Olacaceae and Loranthaceae (mistletoes) are all relict angiosperm plant families that match fossils from the Cretaceous period (last age of the dinosaurs)
- There are 153 species from within 43 families of angiosperms and these are believed to represent the longest continuous history associated with the Gondwanan landmass.
These are obviously extremely important relic plants, but even the less ancient species are extremely important as each plant grows in relation to other species, serving a particular role in aiding the survival of its fellow plant. An example would be taller tree species sheltering smaller, more delicate species, or a deep-rooted species bringing nutrients to the surface for species that have shallow root systems.
Of course, it would be impractical to list all of the important plant species within the Daintree here, but here are a few interesting (and often deadly) examples:
Mangroves
An amazing 28 of Australia’s 36 mangrove species are found within the Daintree region!
Idiot Fruit
Presumably named because of its scientific name, Idiospermum, this unique plant is one of the most primitive flowering plants in the Daintree. The plant was only discovered in 1970 after a local farmer kept losing cattle to the seedpods, which contain a strychnine-like poison.
Blue Quandongs
This majestic tree plays an integral part in forming the Daintree’s canopy, shielding delicate forest floor plants from the sun. The tree has an attractive 3cm wide blue fruit.
Burrawang Palm
This member of the cycad family produces highly toxic seeds. A good reminder never to eat indiscriminately if you ever find yourself lost in the bush!
Wild Ginger
Sounds tasty, but some plants in the ginger family do contain poison. This type grows up to six metres high! Has been used to source water in the past, as moisture collects in the stem near the ground.
Wait-A-While Vine
These amazingly tenacious vines hang from large trees throughout the forest and dangle along the forest floor. Bushwalkers are often injured from encountering this vine’s nasty little spikes.
Stinging Tree
Another species that is the bane of hikers and bushwalkers – this tree has beautiful large leaves that are covered in microscopic spurs. If you brush up against them, you will find yourself in a lot of pain and itching like crazy for a very long time. The rainforest sure knows how to protect itself!
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