Some of the vegetation on your property may have a direct association with the locally indigenous forest community known as Sydney Sandstone Gully Forest. This forest is likely to be found where ever deep gullies have been eroded into sandstone. Within the Ryde Local Government area, this forest type mainly occurs along the Lane Cove River and its tributary creeks.
Sydney Sandstone Gully Forest is characteristically a diverse ecological community. Ryde is fortunate to have some reasonably well preserved examples of this forest type within its area. There are however a number of threats to the continued existence of this and other forest communities. For this reason, Council is working toward the conservation of the remaining areas.
Urbanisation has had a negative impacted on many of our forest areas. Stormwater runoff from urban areas increases the nutrients in the waterways. This in turn encourages weed growth both in the water and on the land. Competition from the faster growing weeds and introduced plants reduces indigenous plant diversity. Tree or undergrowth removal destabalises the natural balances within forest communities. These factors threaten the existence of ecological communities such as the Sydney Sandstone Gully Forest in your area.
Whilst management of this natural resource is vital, Council appreciates that this must be done with regard to the residents living amenity. It is for this reason that it is necessary for some trees to be removed or pruned from time to time. When tree removal is necessary replanting, where appropriate, with species indigenous to the area, may be required by Council. Alternatively residents may wish to extend the indigenous forest into their properties. These strategic replantings assist in the conservation of the natural environment whilst giving the residents the ability to ‘tailor’ their properties to their specific lifestyle needs.
Whether you are undertaking a replacement planting, landscaping your property or have identified a little used area of the garden for regeneration of the native forest, the table overleaf contains trees, shrubs and ground covers indigenous to the Sandstone Gully Forest.
By selecting plants from this list you will be helping to preserve and regenerate the valuable ecological community that exists in your area.
| Common Name |
Botanical Name |
| Main Tree Species: |
| Smooth-barked Apple |
Angophora costata |
| Red Bloodwood |
Corymbia gummifera |
| Sydney Peppermint |
Eucalyptus piperita |
| Grey Gum |
Eucalyptus punctata |
| Blackbutt |
Eucalyptus pilularis |
| Turpentine |
Syncarpia glomulifera |
| |
|
Tall open-forest |
| Mountain Blue Gum |
Eucalyptus deanei |
| Blackbutt |
Eucalyptus pilularis |
| Sydney Blue Gum |
Eucalyptus saligna |
| Turpentine |
Syncarpia glomulifera |
| |
| Closed-forest |
| Coachwood |
Ceratopetalum apetalum |
| River Gum |
Tristaniopsis laurina |
| |
|
| Understorey Species: |
| Trees |
|
| Sally Wattle |
Acacia floribunda |
| Black She Oak |
Allocasuarina littoralis |
| Forest Oak |
Allocasuarina torulosa |
| Rough-barked Apple |
Angophora floribunda |
| Grey Myrtle |
Backhousia myrtifolia |
| Blueberry Ash |
Elaeocarpus reticulatus |
| Cheese Tree |
Glochidion ferdinandi |
| Yellow Pittosporum |
Pittosporum revolutum |
| Native Daphne |
Pittosporum undulatum |
| Scrub Beefwood |
Stenocarpus salignus |
| |
|
| Shrubs |
| Sunshine Wattle |
Acacia terminalis |
| Old Man Banksia |
Banksia serrata |
| Bossiaea |
Bossiaea lenticularis |
| Christmas Bush |
Ceratopetalum gummiferum |
| Blackwattle |
Callicoma serratifolia |
| Hairy Clerodendrum |
Clerodendrum tomentosum |
| Common Hop Bush |
Dodonaea triquetra |
| Yellow Tea-tree |
Leptospermum polygalifolium |
| Prickly Beard-heath |
Leucopogon juniperinus |
| Lance-leaf Beard-heath |
Leucopogon lanceolatus |
| Large Mock Olive |
Notelaea longifolia |
| Bleeding heart |
Omalanthus nutans |
| Narrow-leaved Geebung |
Persoonia linearis |
| Phebalium |
Phebalium dentatum |
| Narrow-leaf Platysace |
Platysace linearifolia |
| Elderberry Panax |
Polyscias sambucifolia |
| Smooth Pomaderris |
Pomaderris elliptica |
| Rusty Pomaderris |
Pomaderris ferruginea |
| Bush Pea |
Pultenaea daphnoides |
| Graceful Bush-pea |
Pultenaea flexilis |
| Sandfly Zieria |
Zieria smith |
| |
| Groundcovers |
| Common Maidenhair |
Adiantum aethiopicum |
| Gristle Fern |
Blechnum cartilagineum |
| Native Grape, Water Vine |
Cissus spp. |
| Paroo Lily |
Dianelia caerulea |
| Small Rasp Fern |
Doodia caudata |
| Panic |
Entolasia marginata |
| Guinea Flower |
Hibbertia dentata |
| Common filmy-fern |
Hymenophyllum cupressiforme |
| Running Postman |
Kennedia rubicunda |
| Yellow Rock Orchid |
Liparis reflexa |
| Spiny-headed Mat-rush |
Lomandra longifolia |
| Common Bracken Fern |
Pteridium esculentum |
| Rock Felt-fern |
Pyrrosia rupestris |
| Black Bog-rush |
Schoenus melanostachys |
| Indian Weed |
Siegesbeckia orientalis |
