Ankuna

Ankuna is a 1.6-hectare property is situated towards the southern end of the plateau but is not strictly in the high country, having an elevation of around 750 metres.

Work on this property has focussed on control of aristea, control of montbretia and monitoring natural regeneration.

Monitoring

For the purpose of monitoring, the property has been divided into a 150-metre grid, further divided into 16.67 m x 16.67 m cells.

Natural regeneration

Historical aerial photography shows that in 1961 the property was mostly cleared except for a section at the southern end. Some further clearing had occurred by 1989 and by 1993 the property was almost totally cleared.

Threats and barriers to restoration

Aristea
It is considered that the southern half of the property is trending rapidly towards a herb-dominated stable state as a result of the invasion by the aggressive weed, Aristea ecklonii. Intervention is clearly required and a considerable amount of work has already been carried out.

At appropriate times, flowers and fruit have been clipped before seeds are released. Intensive digging has been carried out essentially removing all but very small plants. Follow-up is essential.

Because the infestations border Little Nerang Creek which flows across the property, herbicide treatment has not been used.

A separate page on this web site provides more information on aristea.

Montbretia
On a low-lying part of the property adjacent to Little Nerang Creek there is a signficant infestation of montbretia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora). Montbretia is another member of the Iridaceae family and produces rhizomes and corms. Simply pulling out plants can release corms, each of which can produce a new plant. If uncontrolled, it can displace native ground plants.

As a stop-gap measure, flowers and fruits have been clipped before seeding.