2JMontane Gully Forest (Eucalyptus fastigata-E. cypellocarpa-E. dalrympleana)

2J Montane Gully Forest (Eucalyptus fastigata-E. cypellocarpa-E. dalrympleana)

(2J) Montane Gully Forest (Eucalyptus fastigata-E. cypellocarpa-E. dalrympleana)

This community is associated with moderate to steep slopes and narrow gorges on the Narrabeen Group and Illawarra Coal Measures below the escarpments around Mount York and north to Bell. There is substantial intergradation with vegetation typical of the sandstone plateau close to the escarpments and with the Eucalyptus cypellocarpa/E. piperita tall open-forest communities between Blackheath and Mount Victoria. The boundary of this community approximates the lower distribution of E. fastigata, E. dalrympleana and E. blaxlandii, and the upper distributional limits of Angophora costata and Syncarpia glomulifera.

Tree species include Eucalyptus fastigata (Brown Barrel), E. cypellocarpa (Monkey Gum), E. dalrympleana (Mountain Gum) with E. oreades (Blue Mountain Ash), E. blaxlandii (Blaxland’s Stringybark), E. radiata**ssp.**radiata (Narrow-leaved Peppermint) and E. sieberi (Silvertop Ash). The understorey is moderately shrubby with Acacia falciformis, A. terminalis, A. buxifolia, Oxylobium ilicifolium and Leptospermum flavescens occurring, together with grasses and ferns such as Culcita dubia. Acacia dealbata was more common here than in any other parts of the study area. It appears that E. fastigata occurs primarily in the more sheltered sites with E. dalrympleana relatively common on the lower slopes where this unit blends into remnants of the vegetation found on the edge of the agricultural land around Little Hartley.

Montane Gully Forest is characterised by the following assemblage of native plant species. Other species also occur, but the list is indicative of the species most characteristic of this composition.

| Acacia buxifolia | Acacia dealbata | Acacia falciformis | | Acacia melanoxylon | Acacia terminalis | Acaena novae-zelandiae | | Adiantum aethiopicum | Anisopogon avenaceus | Arhrenechthites mixta | | Asperula conferta | Blechnum cartilagineum | Centella asiatica | | Clematis aristata | Culcita dubia | Cymbonotus lawsonianus | | Dianella caerulea | Echinopogon ovatus | Eucalyptus blaxlandii | | Eucalyptus cypellocarpa | Eucalyptus dalrympleana | Eucalyptus fastigata | | Eucalyptus oreades | Eucalyptus radiata subsp. radiata | Eucalyptus sieberi | | Geranium sp. | Glycine clandestina | Gonocarpus tetragynus | | Gonocarpus teucrioides | Helichrysum rutidolepis | Leptospermum flavescens | | Leucopogon lanceolatus | Lomandra longifolia | Persoonia linearis | | Polyscias sambucifolia | Pratia purpurascens | Pteridium esculentum | | Pyrrosia rupestris | Rubus parvifolius | Syncarpia glomulifera | | Veronica calycina | Viola betonicifolia | |