Acacia
harpophylla, commonly known as brigalow, brigalow spearwood or orkor is an
endemic tree of Australia. It is found in central and coastal Queensland to
northern New South Wales. It can reach up to 75 feet tall and forms extensive
open-forest communities on clay soils.
Two
species, brigalow (A. harpophylla) and gidgee (A. cambagei) form open woodlands
on flat and gently undulating terrain on heavy and relatively fertile clay and
clay-loam soils primarily in the 12-to 24 inches annual rainfall region of
Eastern Australia. These woodlands extend from a northern extreme of 200 S into
northern New South Wales. Brigalow and gidgee occur as mixed communities in
some regions and are commonly associated with several other woody species,
including overstorey species such as Eucalyptus coolabah, E. cambageana,
Casuarina cristata, and a range of understorey species. A. tephrina, A.
georginae and A. argyrodendron also occupy similar habitats and have similar
habits and growth forms, but are less widespread, while a number of other Acacia
species also form structurally similar communities
Brigalow
occurs from coastal regions receiving in excess of 900mm rainfall per year
through to the semi arid 18 inches rainfall region although it is primarily a
semi-arid zone species. Gidgee (A. cambagei) replaces brigalow as rainfall
drops in western regions and extends from 18 to 24 inches. Gidgee, with a maximum
height of approximately 36 feet is somewhat smaller than brigalow which can
attain heights of 60 feet. In the north-western regions Black gidgee (A.
argyrodendron) replaces brigalow in many areas, while in Central-Western
districts Boree (A. tephrina) forms woodlands and shrublands, frequently on
cracking clay soils and often in association with A. cambagei. Georgina gidgee
(A. georginae) woodlands are found in more arid regions in the 12 inches
rainfall belt.
Species
associated with these brigalow communities generally have a good capacity for
re-sprouting following fire, and brigalow itself sprouts freely from the butt,
roots and living stems in response to fire damage. Both gidgee and blackwood,
in contrast, have a limited capacity to resprout following fire damage. A
notable exception to the fire tolerance of brigalow communities occurs in what
are referred to as softwood scrubs, which are dense communities of brigalow and
a range of particularly fire-sensitive species. Fire in any brigalow or gidgee
woodland would be a rare event under natural circumstances, since pasture is at
best sparse in these communities, consisting of Chloris, Paspalidium,
Dicanthium, Sporobolus and Eragrostis species.
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