Flower and Seed Phenology of Some Plants in the Subtropical Heathlands of Cooloola National-Park, Queensland, Australia

Abstract

The timing and intensity of flowering and seeding of most subtropical heathland plants were examined in five sites that had been unburnt for different lengths of time. For the heathlands in general, most flowering occurs in spring. For those species examined, seed intensity is also greatest in spring. The numbers of species flowering and seeding, and the intensity of these activities, increase to a peak between 4 and 8 years after a fire. There appears to be a decline in reproductive effort in heathlands unburnt for more than 10 years but the data are limited. The percentage of the total heathland flowering and seeding intensity in the dry microhabitat peaks between late autumn and spring. In the wet microhabitat the percentage is greatest between summer and mid autumn. Flower and subsequent seed intensity varies within and between heathland microhabitats on both within-year (seasonal) and between-year (years since last fire) time scales.