Flora
Over 460 native plants in approximately 100 families have been recorded in the Jervis Bay Territory thanks to the vast range of habitats found in the area - coastal cliffs and heaths, sandy beaches and rock platforms, mangroves and ocean, swamps, lakes and forests. A number of plant species which occur in the park have significant conservation status and warrant special protection because of their limited distribution or they are rare. These species are protected under various inventories and schedules.
Forest
Forest
communities in the park are dominated by blackbutt Eucalyptus pilularis and southern mahogany E. botryoides, with a wide variety of native shrubs, ferns and grasses. Relic rainforest communities, which are generally found in wet gullies within forest communities, are dominated by hard corkwood Endiandra sieberi and lilly pilly Acmena smithii. Native poplar Omolanthus populifolius, blueberry ash Elaeocarpus reticulatus, bastard rosewood Synoum glandulosum and cabbage tree palm Livistona australis also occur. Ferns and creepers are common ground cover species in the rainforest gullies.
Woodland
Woodland
communities in the park are dominated by silvertop ash E. sieberi and bloodwood E. gummifera. Woodland understories are composed mainly of heath banksia Banksia ericifolia and old man banksia B. serrata and the grass tree Xanthorrhea australis also occurs.
Heath
Common heath species occurring in the park include B. ericifolia, dagger hakea Hakea teritifolia, Manuka Leptospermum scoparium, Xanthorrhea resinosa and Allocasuarina distyla. Coastal scrub communities are dominated by coastal tea tree L. laevigatum. Sporobolus virginicus, Stipa sp. and Zoysia macrantha dominate grassland communities on Bowen Island.
Marine
The
seagrass beds in Booderee contain three genera: Posidonia, Zostera and Halophila. Due to the clarity of the water some marine species are found at much greater depths than usual.
Mangroves
The region has approximately thirty saltmarsh species. There are two species of mangrove in the park: grey mangrove Avicennia marina and river mangrove Aegiceras corniculatum. Subtidal and intertidal platforms support a diversity of rocky reef algae with Hormosira, Ecklonia, Sargassum, Phyllospora and Cystophora being the dominant genera.
Weed management
Booderee National Park and Booderee Botanic Gardens has a number of projects and management programs to help protect our native wildlife and habitats for future generations.
