The Sydney Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland, also known as Coastal Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland and Hornsby Enriched Sandstone Exposed Woodland, is a shrubby woodland and mallee community situated in northern parts of Sydney, Australia, where it is found predominantly on ridgetops and slopes of the Hornsby Plateau, Woronora Plateau and the lower Blue Mountains area. It is an area of high biodiversity, existing on poor sandstone soils, with regular wildfires, and moderate rainfall.
Geography
The Ridgetop Woodland is a low eucalypt forest having a diverse sclerophyll shrub layer, mallees and open groundcover of sedges that sit on the Triassic Hawkesbury sandstone plateaux, which encircle the Sydney Basin. The community is found in areas where the average annual rainfall ranges from 850mm to 1650mm. Ridgetop Woodland is a distinctive component of the Sydney landscape, recognised for its prominent visibility and scenic characteristics, including the knotted forms of stunted trees, the reflective tones of smooth bark, and the distinctive shapes of heathland flora.
Vegetation mapping of the Cumberland Plain conducted by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (2002) indicates that the study area contains Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland. Around one-quarter of this community has been cleared for urban development, though many areas still remain in conservation reserves.DSF p131: Coastal Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland 75-90% of the vegetation zone remains.DSF p131: Coastal Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland Cunninghamia 11(3): 2010
Scope It incorporates Coastal Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland, which is found up to 600m above sea level in areas receiving an average annual rainfall ranging from 850 to 1650 mm. It then grades into heath (e.g. Coastal Sandstone Plateau Heath) where soils become more shallow.
In the upper Blue Mountains it is supplanted by Blue Mountains Ridgetop Woodland on the more raised Narrabeen Sandstone, on sandy loams, where there it will grade into the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands Basalt Forests further west. Coastal Sand plain Heath occurs at Wottamolla, Royal National Park.
Flora The area is dominated by Corymbia eximia and Eucalyptus sieberi, which shape a sporadic overstorey enclosed with large shrubs such as Banksia serrata, Leptospermum trinervium and Hakea dactyloides. Smaller shrubs including Leucopogon setiger and Dillwynia floribunda are salient towards the edge of the rock shelf.
+ Selected plant species of Sydney Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland Common name Botanical name Approx. height PlantnetTree speciesNarrow-leaved AppleAngophora bakerito 6 metresdetailsSydney red gumAngophora costatato 15 metresdetailsYellow bloodwood Corymbia eximiato 15 metresdetailsRed bloodwood Corymbia gummiferato 15 metresdetailsScribbly GumEucalyptus haemastomato 12 metresdetailsDwarf AppleAngophora hispidato 5 metresdetailsSydney peppermintEucalyptus piperita to 15 metresdetailsScribbly GumEucalyptus racemosa to 15 metresdetailsScalybarkEucalyptus squamosa to 15 metresdetailsStringybarkEucalyptus oblonga to 12 metresdetailsGrey gumEucalyptus punctata to 15 metresdetailsStringybarkEucalyptus oblonga to 15 metresdetailsNarrow-leaved StringybarkEucalyptus sparsifolia to 15 metresdetailsSunshine wattleAcacia terminalis to 6 metresdetailsBlack she-oakAllocasuarina littoralis to 6 metresdetailsOld man banksiaBanksia serratato 8 metresdetailsSilver banksiaBanksia marginata to 8 metresdetailsShe-oakAllocasuarina distyla to 4 metresdetailsShrub speciesSweet scented wattleAcacia suaveolens to 2.5 metresdetailsHeath banksiaBanksia ericifolia to 5 metresdetailsHairpin banksiaBanksia spinulosa to 3 metresdetailsSydney boroniaBoronia ledifolia to 1.5 metresdetails BossiaeaBossiaea rhombifolia to 2 metresdetails BossiaeaBossiaea lenticularis to 1 metredetailsLong Leaf SmokebushConospermum longifolium to 2 metresdetailsEggs and BaconDillwynia retorta to 3 metresdetailsWedge peaGompholobium grandiflorum to 1 metredetailsRed spider flowerGrevillea speciosa to 3 metresdetailsTea treeLeptospermum trinervium to 4 metresdetailsPink kunzeaKunzea capitata to 2 metresdetailsMountain devilLambertia formosa to 2 metresdetailsRed rusty petalsLasiopetalum rufum to 1 metredetailsPhebaliumPhebalium squamulosum to 7 metresdetailsCrinkle bushLomatia silaifolia to 2 metresdetailsStalked ConestickPetrophile pedunculata to 2.5 metresdetailsPurple mirbeliaMirbelia speciosa to 1 metredetailsGround coversFlannel flowerActinotus helianthi detailsSedgeCyathochaeta diandra detailsSreading flax lilyDianella revoluta detailsWiry panicEntolasia stricta detailsScale rushLepyrodia scariosa detailsPale mat rushLomandra glauca detailsTwisted mat rushLomandra obliqua detailsSilky Purple-flagPatersonia sericeadetailsOther species (amongst hundreds of others) Actinotus minor Monotoca elliptica Acacia myrtifolia Acacia hispidula Hovea linearis Monotoca elliptica Isopogon anemonifolius Leucopogon muticus Persoonia levis Persoonia linearis Hovea linearis Kunzea rupestris Schizaea bifida Eucalyptus luehmanniana Eucalyptus sieberi Angophora hispida Persoonia levis Petrophile sessilis Phebalium squamulosum Ptilothrix deusta Caladenia minorata Cryptostylis hunteriana Phyllanthus hirtellus Grevillea buxifolia Hakea sericea
See also Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub Chaparral Garrigue
References