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Native plants of the Moreton Bay Region

South East Queensland is one of the most biologically diverse areas in Australia. With a wide variety of landforms and vegetation types, this region contains an abundance of unique plants, from tall gum trees to small flowering herbs.

Council encourages residents to keep native vegetation on their property. In addition, why not use native plants that occur naturally in Moreton Bay (local native plants) in your garden and other plantings?

Advantages of local native plants

The advantages of using local native plants include:

·         These plants are adapted to local conditions (hardy);

·         They will not become weeds;

·         They provide local landscape character; and

·         They provide appropriate food for local fauna and can encourage fauna into your garden.

By using local native plants you are helping to preserve the genetics of the plants and helping to ensure the plants survival into the future.

Regional ecosystems

Regional Ecosystems (REs) are vegetation communities that are consistently associated with a particular combination of geology, land form and soil. The RE classification system was developed by the Queensland Herbarium and is used by Council as a standard for describing vegetation communities found in the region.

Each RE is classified by a three number code (e.g. 12.3.11). The first number of the code is the bioregion. Queensland is divided into 13 different bioregions, which are based on broad landscape patterns and reflect the major differences in geology, climate, plants and animals found across the state.

South East Queensland is bioregion 12; therefore all REs in the Moreton Bay Region begin with 12. The second number is the landform, denoting the type of geology. The third number represents the particular vegetation community.

Figure 1: RE 12.3.11 Floodplain Blue Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) open forest

Learning about the REs on your property can help you identify plants and plan revegetation projects using appropriate local native plants. RE classifications are used to provide a consistent approach to planning, vegetation management and legislation across Queensland.

Plant lists for 23 common Regional Ecosystems found in Moreton Bay assists residents in planning revegetation or restoration works. Each list contains the common species found in that RE. A map showing local parks where each RE can be found is also included in each list.

Further information on REs can be obtained from the Department of Environment and Science. The Department also provides free property reports and mapping, including Regional Ecosystem mapping.

Sourcing native plants

Local native plants are available for sale from community nurseries for gardens, landscaping and revegetation projects.

There are four Council supported community nurseries that supply local native plants to the public, see community plant nurseriesfor more information.

If you are planning a revegetation project or would like to know more about REs on your property please contact Council.