The Tumut Grevillea is an ascending to erect shrub when young, which becomes denser and more spreading with age or when growing under a dense canopy. The species grows to 2 m tall and wide or, rarely, sprawling to 4 m wide. The flowers are purple-pink, with a lilac-pink style with a pale yellow tip.
Tumut Grevillea |
Grevillea wilkinsonii
Status: Critically Endangered on the EPBC Act list
Government evidence of impact of climate change:
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Australian Government, Conservation Advice, Grevillea wilkinsonii
The main threats currently affecting G. wilkinsonii include grazing and erosion caused by stock; weed invasion (mainly blackberry; but also exotic grasses); severe flooding events; climate change; inappropriate herbicide use; and localised disturbances (Makinson 1993 NSW NPWS 2001 OEH n.d.).
Climate Change Climate change predictions for the Murray Basin (which includes the habitat for Grevillea wilkinsonii) are for an increase in the intensity of rainfall events (Timbal 2015) leading to severe flooding.
Grevillea wilkinsonii is likely to be fire sensitive; regenerate from seed; and have a life span of approximately 10 20 years (Makinson 1993); although some plants may live for more than 30 years.
Grevillea wilkinsonii is likely to be fire sensitive; regenerate from seed; and have a life span of approximately 10 20 years (Makinson 1993); although some plants may live for more than years.
Whilst flooding is a natural disturbance event in riparian areas and provides new opportunities for plant recruitment; the flood in 2012 was so severe it altered the river bank morphology and removed much of the riparian vegetation within the distribution of G. wilkinsonii (Taws 2018).
However; the extreme flood event in 2012 stripped much of the banks back to bedrock at many sites where G. wilkinsonii had occurred on the Goobarragandra River.
This extreme flood removed living plants and probably most of the soil seed bank (B.
When there is an extreme flood event; as seen in 2012; effective recruitment of plants post flooding does not necessarily occur.
The 2012 extreme flood entirely removed or deeply buried much of the existing soil seed bank and removed many of those upslope plants which sustained recruitment at several sites after mortality from smaller sized floods.
There are 2 locations (as defined by IUCN 2017) for Grevillea wilkinsonii based on the main threats of flood damage at the Goobarragandra population and disturbance at the Gundagai population. b) Continuing decline observed; estimated; inferred or projected in any of (i) extent of occurrence (ii) area of occupancy (iii) area; extent and or quality of habitat (iv) number of locations or subpopulations (v) number of mature individuals.
The flood altered the river bank morphology and removed much of the riparian vegetation within the distribution of G. wilkinsonii (Taws 2018).
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