Asterolasia sp. 'Dungowan Creek' (a shrub) - endangered species listing

The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has made a Final Determination to list the shrub Asterolasia sp. 'Dungowan Creek' (Beckers s.n. 25 Oct. 1995) as an ENDANGERED SPECIES on Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Act. Listing of Endangered Species is provided for by Part 2 of the Act.

NSW Scientific Committee - final determination

The Scientific Committee has found that:

1. Asterolasia sp. 'Dungowan Creek' (Beckers  s.n. 25 Oct. 1995) (family Rutaceae) is an endemic shrub first collected in 1995. It has been described by Harden and Mole in Harden, G.J. (2002)  Flora of New South Wales Vol 2, revised edition, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney as:

"Erect shrubs, 1.5-3.5 m high, branchlets fawnish stellate-tomentose. Leaves obovate to oblanceolate, 1.5-4 cm long, 5-12 mm wide, apex obtuse, tapering into petiole, margins flat, both surfaces stellate-hairy, upper surface green and + sparsely hairy with epidermis visible between stellate hairs, lower surface stellate-tomentose, paler green to fawnish; petiole c. 5 mm long. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; pedicels 2-7 mm long in flower but lengthening only slightly in fruit. Petals c. 6 mm long, white, outer surface stellate-tomentose. Cocci stellate-tomentose, not prominently beaked. Flowers recorded Oct. Grows in rocky alluvial soil along creekbank, in riparian community with Casuarina cunninghamiana the dominant species."

2. Asterolasia sp. 'Dungowan Creek' (Beckers  s.n. 25 Oct 1995) is only known from a single population near Tamworth. This location is not currently within a conservation reserve but is within a restricted-access area. Targeted surveys in the Tamworth area have failed to locate any additional populations of the species.

3. When first collected in 1995, the total population comprised seven individuals. Recent searches indicate that only two plants now remain.

4. The species is threatened by environmental and demographic stochasticity due to its extremely small population size, in addition to damage by Feral Pigs Sus scrofa.

5. In view of the above, the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that Asterolasia sp. 'Dungowan Creek' (Beckers  s.n. 25 Oct. 1995) is likely to become extinct in nature in NSW unless the circumstances and factors threatening its survival cease to operate.

Associate Professor Paul Adam
Chairperson
Scientific Committee

Proposed Gazettal date: 25/06/04
Exhibition period: 25/06/04 - 06/08/04