Pultenaea sp. Gibberagee State Forest - rejection of vulnerable species listing

The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has made a Final Determination to reject the proposal to list the shrub, Pultenaea sp. Gibberagee State Forest (Westaway 924) as a VULNERABLE SPECIES in Schedule 2 of the Act. The listing of vulnerable species is provided for by Part 2 of the Act.

NSW Scientific Committee - final determination

The Scientific Committee has found that:

1. The Scientific Committee has carefully considered all submissions received as a result of public exhibition of the Preliminary Determination.

2. Pultenaea sp. Gibberagee State Forest (Westaway 924) was recently described as:  Pultenaea alea de Kok by de Kok and West (2002, A revision of  Pultenaea ( Fabaceae). 1. Species with ovaries glabrous and/or with tufted hairs. Australian Systematic Botany 15, 81-113) as: an erect shrub, 1–2.5 m high; branchlets sparsely hairy, hairs ascending. Leaves alternate; 4.5–10 x 1.1–1.8 mm, ratio 2.5–9, linear, flat, straight, smooth, venation sub-parallel, concolorous; apex acute, recurved; base attenuate to cuneate; margin incurved; hairs absent to sparsely hairy, ascending, petioles decurrent. Stipules 0.5–1.8 mm long, appressed to erect, entire, dark red. Inflorescences lax, flower-subtending bract herbaceous. Calyx glabrous, margin glabrous or with curly hairs, lower lobes straight, upper lobes recurved, apex acute to acuminate. Bracteoles 1.5 mm long, linear, inserted at the base of the calyx, herbaceous. Standard 7.2 mm long, yellow to orange with red striations at base; wing 8 mm long, yellow to orange; keel 8 mm long, yellow to orange. Ovary glabrous, style hooked. Pods 8–9 mm long, glabrous, seeds 3 mm long, aril apex branched.

3. The species occurs between Gibberagee State Forest in the north to areas south of Grafton. It is found on ridges and upper slopes in open forest dominated by Eucalyptus henryi. One population of approximately 50,000 individuals is known from Banyabba Nature Reserve.

4. Further locations of the species have been found since the preliminary determination. There is insufficient data to assess the impact of logging activities on the species.

5. In view of the above the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that Pultenaea sp. Gibberagee State Forest (Westaway 924) is not eligible to be listed as a vulnerable species.

Proposed Gazettal date: 06/12/02
Exhibition period: 06/12/02 – 24/01/03