Other grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands

Dominated by non-woody or herbal species (e.g. grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns or a mixture of these). The sedgelands and rushlands are wetlands communities that support a large range of species, partly as a result of geographical range and partly as a result of the variation in soils and site conditions
Occur on a range of sites from shallow soils to seasonally inundated areas both saline and freshwater (e.g. sedgelands are located on seasonally or periodically inundated waterlogged and wet areas). Ferns tend to dominate specific humid areas where the environment is less variable between seasons
Although these communities can be found in many different areas on the Australian continent, they are generally localised in their extent. As such, many are not mapped individually on broadscale maps. Nevertheless they provide a variety of environments that are critical for many rare and endangered species.

Many of these communities are intact because they occur on extreme sites. Changes tend to be related to the effects of different hydrological conditions, changes to fire regimes, impacts from feral animals and localised development.

Photos from the Australian Plant Image Index

Sources: Australia's Native Vegetation - from rainforest to spinifex, map and information poster produced by the National Land & Water Audit, Natural Heritage Trust, Australian Government, 2001
Australia's Native Vegetation - A summary of Australia's Major Vegetation Groups, 2007, Australian Government website
https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/a9897cf2-9d38-4201-bea2-13dadf3af9a8/files/major-veg-summary.pdf

GROWING AUSTRALIAN PLANTS

ACT (CANBERRA) REGION