buttongrass

The closed forest (temperate rain forest), open forest (eucalypt forest), buttongrass moorland and the alpine communities occur in an unique mosaic of Antarctic and Australian elements of the flora.

Tasmanian Wilderness, Australia 2008

Moorland dominated by buttongrass is inhabited by orange-bellied parrot Neophema chrysogaster (R), ground parrot Pezoporus wallicus (E), and the rare broad-toothed rat Mastacomys fuscus.

Tasmanian Wilderness, Australia 2008

Of identified vegetation communities in Tasmania, the property contains at least 42 of the 43 alpine communities, 33 of the 39 temperate rain forest communities, 40 of the 65 wet sclerophyll communities, 22 of the 31 buttongrass moorland communities, 13 of the 42 grassland and grassy woodland communities, each of the eight Sphagnum peatland communities and 21 of the 33 coastal communities.

Tasmanian Wilderness, Australia 2008

Nearly half of the area comprises moorland vegetation, dominated by buttongrass Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus on poor soils and typically surrounded by scrub and heath communities with ti-trees Leptospermum spp. and paperbarks Melaleuca spp. predominant.

Tasmanian Wilderness, Australia 2008

The monotypic endemic dragonfly Synthemiopsis gomphomacromioides breeds in the mud surrounding buttongrass tussocks.

Tasmanian Wilderness, Australia 2008

Freshwater crayfish, such as the endemic Parastacoides tasmanicus, live in burrows under the buttongrass tussocks despite the highly acidic environment; their burrows are in turn colonized by a range of extraordinary endemic invertebrates, such as the primitive syncarid crustaceans Allanaspides helonomus and A. hickmani.

Tasmanian Wilderness, Australia 2008

The birds utilize a wide variety of habitat, nesting in tree hollows only on the edge of rainforest and eucalypt forest, and feeding in buttongrass plains.

Tasmanian temperate rain forests 2008

A variety of other communities occur here, including wet sclerophyll forest, buttongrass moorlands, alpine vegetation, scrub, and heath.

Tasmanian temperate rain forests 2008