OFR 151.pdf - CRC LEME

Dominance is highly variable. For example at Anglesea, individual assemblages can be
dominated by cycads (including Bowenia), podocarps (including Podocarpus and
Falcatifolium: Hill and Scriven 1999), Palmae, Casuarinaceae (Gymnostoma), Ebenaceae
(Austrodiospyros), Elaeocarpaceae, Escalloniaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, Proteaceae and
Sterculiaceae (Brachychiton), or a mix of these taxa. Most of the organic remains represent
extinct species and/or extinct genera. Christophel (1994) has proposed that the closest
modern analogue is a form of subtropical rainforest (simple notophyll vine forest) found in
northeastern Queensland. Some fossil taxa have megatherm NLRs and epiphyllous fungal
germlings preserved in the deposits are more typical of those found in montane tropical
rainforest (Greenwood 1994).
Inferred Climate
Germling data and foliar physiognomic analysis (Greenwood 1994) indicates conditions were
very wet (perhumid) but relatively cool (lower mesotherm). Holdgate et al. (2000) have
concluded that the Traralgon Formation accumulated at specific marine high stands (i.e. under
relatively warm, wet conditions) towards the end of the Middle and Late Eocene.
3.1.7 Tasmania
Middle to Late Eocene age macrofloras are preserved at Loch Aber and Hasties in
northeastern Tasmania (Carpenter et al. 1994a). Both floras include leaves of an evergreen
species of Nothofagus similar to extant N. moorei (Hill 1990a). A macrofossil site at
Richmond in the south-east of the Midlands appears to be of the same broad age.
1. North-east
The Loch Aber Flora includes Eucryphia (Eucryphiaceae) remains, which are closely related
to extant E. lucida (cool temperate rainforest) and E. milliganii (subalpine-alpine heath), and
unidentified Proteaceae (Hill 1991). The more diverse Hasties Flora (Bigwood and Hill 1985,
Pole 1992) includes Podocarpaceae (Acmopyle, Dacrycarpus, Lepidothamnus, Phyllocladus
aspleniifolius, Podocarpus, Prumnopitys and an extinct genus Smithtonia), Casuarinaceae
(Gymnostoma), Cunoniaceae, Lauraceae and Myrtaceae (cf. Xanthomyrtus). Proteaceae in the
same deposit include the oldest known remains of the endemic species, Cenarrhenes nitida.
Inferred Climate
Pole (1992) has concluded the Hasties Flora represented a podocarp (Lepidothamnus) swamp
forest growing under seasonally cool (possibly microtherm) and very wet (perhumid) and
cloudy conditions. Average leaf lengths in the Hasties and Loch Aber Floras are smaller than
in Early Eocene floras, consistent with a general decrease in mean air temperatures during the
Middle-Late Eocene (Carpenter et al. 1994a).
2. South-east
The Richmond Flora includes a probably deciduous species of Nothofagus and the youngest
known record of Gingko in Australia (Hill and Carpenter 1999).
Inferred Climate
Climates are likely to have been seasonally cool-cold (microtherm range) and wet (humidperhumid).
229