Byron Flora and Fauna Study 1999 - Byron Shire Council

A GREENPRINT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Southern Fontainea (Fontainea australis FAMILY EUPHORBIACEAE)
Introduction. Southern Fontainea is an uncommon shrub or small tree that occurs in lowland rainforest in the Byron
and Tweed Shires. No Recovery Plan has been prepared for this species.
Conservation status. Southern Fontainea is listed on Schedule 2 (Vulnerable) of the TSC Act and has a ROTAP code of
3VCi (Briggs and Leigh 1996).
Habit. A shrub or small tree up to 5 m tall (Floyd 1989).
Flowers. White, dioecious and in small panicles (Floyd 1989). Flowers from Decmber to January (Floyd 1989). No
information about pollination is available.
Fruit. Drupe, with red flesh 4 - 7 mm thick. Hard inner covering probably splits to three cells, each of which may contain
a single seed. Fruit ripe in July (Floyd 1989).
Habitat. Floyd (1989) describes the species as occurring in lowland subtropical rainforest with Argyrodendron trifoliolatum,
Diospyros mabacea, Toona australis and Dendrocnide excelsa on basaltic alluvial flats.
Distribution. Restricted to Wanganui, Goonengerry SF; Oxley River, adjoining Limpinwood NR; Upper Couchy Creek
and Upper Crystal Creek NSW (Floyd 1989). It is also reserved in Nightcap NP and Numinbah NR (Briggs and Leigh
1996).
Regeneration and horticulture. No information about the regeneration and propagation of this species is available.
Economic and cultural significance. This plant is too small and rare to be used for any timber products (Floyd 1989).
No particular use or significance is known apart from the aesthetic and ecological values of all native rainforest plants.
Abundance and reservation. Southern Fontainea is only known from one location in Byron Shire and is considered to be
poorly reserved.
Threats and amelioration. There has been no documentation of specific threats to Southern Fontainea. Threats can be
assumed to include land clearing and habitat modification.
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