Gwydir 2019-20 Appendix C Vegetation diversity

The wetlands of the lower Gwydir valley support a number of floristically and functionally diverse vegetation communities. The distribution of the flood dependent communities is determined by differences in landform, substrate and flooding frequency and duration. These vegetation communities are both state and federally listed as threatened ecological communities and include; flood dependent woodlands: supporting ecological vegetation communities with dominant tree species such as coolibah (Eucalyptus coolabah) and black box (E. largiflorens); floodplain wetland communities: supporting river red gum (E. camaldulensis), coolabah woodlands and river cooba (Acacia stenophylla) and lignum (Duma florulenta) shrubland species; and semi-permanent wetlands: supporting species such as water couch (Paspalum distichum), marsh club-rush (Bolboschoenus fluviatilis), spike rush (Eleocharis spp.), tussock rush (Juncus aridicola), various sedge species and cumbungi (Typha domingensis) (Bowen and Simpson 2010).