Coastal indigenous plants

Zone 19 Consists of a variety of formations including dunes, cliffs and estuaries with the coastal processes having exposed a variety of geological types including clay, basalt, limestone etc. Vegetation distribution is to a large extent due to localised physical influences exerted by the sea, for example: salt laden winds. The average rainfall is 40 to 65 centimetres.

From Torquay to Point Lonsdale, typical dune communities of Climbing Lignum, Coast Wattle, White Correa, Coast Tea-tree, Coast Beard-heath, Coast Daisy-bush, Coast Everlasting, Cushion Bush and Dune Thistle are found along many parts of the seafront reserves.

From Point Lonsdale east around the Bay to Indented Head, scrub and woodlands occurred on sandy soils. Common tree and shrub species are Coast Daisy-bush, Coast Tea-tree, Boobialla, Coast Wirilda, Moonah, Coast Wattle and Coast Beard-heath. Drooping Sheoke is common along the cliff tops particularly on the Corio Bay side of the Bellarine Peninsula.

Generally the vegetation of the western coastline of Port Phillip Bay (St Leonards to Kirk Point) is dominated by salt tolerant species. The relatively flat topography and saline soils supports extensive saltmarshes and saline swamps and lagoons.

From Indented Head to Kirk Point, marsh grasses including Australian Salt Grass and Coast Spear-grass dominate. Associated with the salt marshes are saline swamps supporting Sea Rush and Chaffy Sawsedge sedgelands.

On the seaward edges of the salt marshes, on the beach and within the influence of high tides grows a community of Hairy Spinifex and Grey Saltbush. There are often large areas of Bower Spinach and Seaberry Saltbush along this section of the coast. Many other smaller species and grasses are indigenous to this area and are not listed in the tables on this sheet.

Tree Species
Common name	Botanical name	Size (H x W m)		1	2	3	4
Black Sheoke	Allocasuarina littoralis	4-8	2-5	-	-	YS	-
Drooping Sheoke	Allocasuarina verticillata	4-11	3-6	-	YB	YC	-
Coast Manna Gum	Eucalyptus pryoriana	10-15	10-15	YA	-	YA	-
Cherry Ballart	Exocarpos cupressiformis	3-8	3-5	Y	-	-	-
Moonah	Melaleuca lanceolata	1-8	3-6	Y	Y	YO	Y
Shrub and Understorey Species
Hedge Wattle	Acacia paradoxa	2-4	2-5	-	YC	Y	-
Coast Wirilda	Acacia retinodes var. uncifolia	4-8	3-5	Y	Y	YA	-
*Coast Wattle	Acacia sophorae	1-8	4-8	-	YF	YF	-
Coast Bitter-bush	Adriana klotzschii	1.5	2.5	-	Y	Y	-
Dwarf Sheoke	Allocasuarina misera	0.5	1-2	-	YP	-	-
Sea Box	Alyxia buxifolia	1-2	1-3	-	YC	Y	Y
Coast Salt-bush	Atriplex cinerea	1-2	2-3	Y	Y	YG	Y
Coast Banksia	Banksia integrifolia	1-10	1-5	-	YTA	-	-
Silver Banksia	Banksia marginata	1-10	1-5	-	-	-	Y
Sweet Bursaria	Bursaria spinosa	2-6	2-3	-	Y	YA	YA
Cushion Bush	Leucophyta brownii	0.2-1	2	-	YF	Y	-
Common Correa	Correa reflexa	0.3-2	1-2	-	YO	-	Y
Coast Flax-lily	Dianella revoluta var. brevicaulis	0.3	0.5	-	Y	Y	Y
Rounded Noon Flower	Disphyma crassifolium	0.5-2	0.1	Y	-	-	Y
Silky Guinea-flower	Hibbertia sericea	0.3-1	0.6	-	YB	YB	-
*Coast Tea-tree	Leptospermum laevigatum	2-8	2-4	-	YI	YF	-
Coast Beard-heath	Leucopogon parviflorus	1-4	2-3	-	Y	YW	Y
Common Boobialla	Myoporum insulare	1-6	3	-	YUN	YW	YW
Coast Daisy-bush	Olearia axillaris	1-2	1-2	-	Y	Y	Y
Thyme Rice-flower	Pimelea serphyllifolia	1-2	0.1-1.5	-	Y	Y	-
Coast Pomaderris	Pomaderris paniculosa ssp. paralia	1.5	1-1.5	-	Y	Y	-
Seaberry Saltbush	Rhagodia candolleana	2	1-2.5	-	Y	YR	Y
Kangaroo Apple	Solanum laciniatum	1-3	1-3	YM	YC	YC	-
Groundcover and Tussock Species
Dune Thistle	Actites megalocarpa	0.5	0.5	-	Y	Y	-
Cranberry Heath	Astroloma humifusum	0.5	1-1.5	-	YR	YR	-
Karkalla (Pig Face)	Carpobrotus rossii	0.2	2-3	-	Y	Y	-
Australian Salt Grass	Distichlis distichophylla	1	0.2	Y	-	-	Y
Knobby Club-rush	Isolepis nodosa	1.5	0.6-2	Y	Y	Y	Y
Beaded Glasswort	Sarcocornia quinqueflora	0.2	0.5	Y	-	-	Y
Hairy Spinifex	Spinifex sericeus	1-5	0.6	-	Y	Y	-
Coast Spear-Grass	Stipa stipoides	0.3	0.8	-	Y	Y	-
Austral Seablite	Suaeda australis	0.8	0.3-1	Y	-	-	Y
Bower Spinach	Tetragonia implexicoma	3	0.1	-	Y	Y	-
Coast Twin-leaf	Zygophyllum billardierei	0.3-0.6	1	-	Y	Y	-

1=Swamps and flats; 2=Dunes; 3=Point Lonsdale to Indented Head; 4=Indented Head to Kirk Point

* These species, because of their invasive nature can become environmental weeds. Care should be taken over the selection of these species.
A - sheltered areas	N - Point Lonsdale dunes
B - behind dunes	O - on cliffs
C - cliffs	P - Point Lonsdale cliffs
D - rear dunes	R - rear dunes and protected sites
E - escarpment	S - sheltered cliffs
F - foredunes	T - Point Lonsdale
G - coastal fringe	U - uncommon
I - indigenous east of Torquay only	W - widespread
L - older dunes	Y - species is present in areas of remnant vegetation
M - well-drained and moist