KILLCARE WAGSTAFFE TRUST
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Bouddi plant life

We have an abundant variety of plant communities on Bouddi peninsula - grassland, heath, mangroves, rain forest and various other kinds of woodland and forest. Some communities are relatively undisturbed, as in parts of Bouddi National Park, while others have been heavily influenced by human habitation.

We hope that this part of the website will help open your eyes to the variety of plant life that exists on the peninsula and its relationship to the landscape. This section is very much a work in progress. We welcome any help in adding to and improving it. Your observations, photos, corrections etc. will contribute to the value of this resource. Use the contact form to submit your contributions.

What grows where is determined by a range of important variables. These include:
  • Soil type – determines nutrients
  • Aspect - determines exposure to wind, salt, sunshine, rainfall
  • Fire history – affects different plants in different ways
  • Human interference – changes drainage, introduces new species

The geology of the area determines the soil types which, in turn, determine what grows where. Very briefly this involves a top layer of Hawksbury sandstone resting on a thicker layer of more mixed rocks and soils called the Narabeen layer which form the slopes. Around the water's edge are the flatter alluvial deposits. Learn more

Different plant communities are described in some detail. They are classified according to soil type and location. Information about the individual plants can be obtained through the links provided. Use this link or the navigation bar above to find these pages.

Academic Studies of Bouddi plantlife
For a more academic approach see the following studies:
  • The Bouddi study
  •  McRae Study
The main academic study, the McRae Study, was carried out by RHD McRae of the National herbarium of NSW at the Botanic Gardens. This was done at much the same time as the Bouddi Study and was published in the academic journal Cunninghamia in 1990 (Cunninghamia 2(2): 263-293).
Vegetation Community Profiles
The third was a study done on behalf of Gosford Council and published in 2004:  Bell, S.A.J. (2004) The natural vegetation of the Gosford Local Government Area, Central Coast, New South Wales: Vegetation Community Profiles. Report to Gosford City Council, April 2004. Eastcoast Flora Survey. It was a substantial survey of the plant communities in the Local Government Area (LGA).  

The report is available for purchase from Gosford Council. The individual units that correspond to plant communities on the Bouddi peninsula and the neighboring Cockle Bay area have been extracted and can be downloaded as individual profiles from the links below:
Alluvial Plain Redgum forest.pdf
Bouddi Sandstone Coastal Heath.pdf
Coastal Headland Grassland.pdf
Coastal Headland Low Forest.pdf
Coastal Headland Shrubland.pdf
Coastal Sand Apple-Blackbutt Forest.pdf
Coastal Sand Banksia Scrub.pdf
Coastal Sand Swamp Forest.pdf
Coastal Sand Wollum Heath.pdf

What flowers when

Autumn
Red bloodwood - Corymbia gummifera (near bell outside Maitland Bay Centre)
Bangalay - Eucalyptus botryoides
Swamp Mahogany - Eucalyptus robusta
Crowea saligna - a small shrub with pink flowers often confused with Wax Flowers Eriostemon australasius
Banksia (B. ericifolia, B. oblongifolia, B. spinulosa)
Estuarine Mangrove Scrub.pdf
Estuarine Saltmarsh/Grassland.pdf
Estuarine Swam Oak Forest.pdf
Killcare Hawksbury Woodland.pdf
Narabeen Coastal Blackbutt.pdf
Swamp Mahogany Paperbark Forest.pdf
Swamp Paperbark Thicket.pdf
Wagstaffe Spotted Gum Forest.pdf
Killcare Wagstaffe Trust
About the Trust          Membership          Contact   
  • Home
  • News
  • Get Involved
    • About the Trust >
      • History of the Trust
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
    • Maitland Bay Centre
    • Bushcare Groups
    • Environmental Awareness
    • Fire Preparedness
  • Natural Environment
    • Native Plants >
      • Bouddi Plant Life
      • Soil Types
      • Plant Communities
      • Plant species
      • Endangered Ecological Communities
    • Native Animals >
      • Birds
      • Reptiles
      • Insects
    • Beach and Ocean
    • Bouddi National Park
    • Weed Eradication >
      • Grasses and ground covers
      • Vines and scramblers
      • Woody weeds
    • Nature Watch Diary
  • Built Environment
    • Coastal Open Space System
    • Planning documents
  • Heritage and Landscape
    • Aboriginal Heritage
    • History
    • Bouddi Study
    • Geology
  • Contact