What would you call a 'tree with no name'? We've found Cyclophyllum costatum on Lot 26 Ronald Road at Forest Creek. The thing is, this small tree is yet to be given a common name.
Cyclophyllum costatum - Image: Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants
This cryptic plant grows from 4 to 10 metres high and is found in rainforests along creeks and rivers. It's rarely encountered by anyone other than botanists and they stick with scientific nomenclature (the system for devising and choosing names).
Cyclophyllum costatum is listed as vulnerable to extinction by both the Queensland and Australian governments.
It's the first time we've found Cyclophyllum costatum in any of our vegetation surveys in the Daintree lowlands. That's not surprising as this species has a limited distribution and is known from limited locations northwest of Mossman to the Daintree River, then inland to Mt Windsor and northwest of Cooktown in northeast Queensland.
Lot 26 Ronald Road at Forest Creek
The vegetation survey by our ecologist and botanist Kristopher Kupsch was undertaken on the 23rd and 24th of April. He identified a total of 188 native plant species. You can read a summary of the Lot 26 Ronald Road survey here.
This included 5 species listed as threatened by the Queensland and Australian governments.
3 are listed as vulnerable:
- The 'tree with no name' (Cyclophyllum costatum)
- Gray’s Walnut (Endiandra grayi)
- Climbing Pandan (Freycinetia percostata)
2 are listed as near-threatened:
- The China Camp Laurel (Beilschmiedia castrisinensis)
- Noah's Walnut (Endiandra microneura)
Cassowary in the Daintree Rainforest
The Regional Ecosystem found on the 2.093-hectare property is Mesophyll Vine Forest (tropical rainforest) which is also classed as an "essential habitat" for the endangered southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii). Cassowaries have been regularly sighted on freehold land in Forest Creek and in the adjoining Daintree National Park.
Recently, the rare and Near-threatened Bennett's tree-kangaroo was sighted nearby.
With development continuing in the Daintree Rainforest, there's an urgent need to buy back at-risk land.
Thanks to the help of our generous donors, Lot 26 Ronald Road has been purchased to be protected forever. Read more about the completed project.
Clearing has occurred in preparation for development
BACKGROUND
Many people believe the Daintree Rainforest is fully protected however that's not the case. In 1982, a developer created 1,136 freehold properties that were excluded from inclusion in the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Area when it was declared in 1988. Over time these properties are being developed for housing. Lot 26 Ronald Road is one of these properties.
The Daintree Lowland Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth and provides a refuge for wildlife and ancient flowering plants. It holds exceptionally high biodiversity and conservation value and is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest remaining in Australia. With almost 200 undeveloped properties remaining in private ownership, the future of the Daintree is yet to be determined. That means it's not too late to wind back the disastrous subdivision and save the Daintree Rainforest.
View over Lot 26 towards the Daintree River
