STEP (Forest 20) is a regional botanic garden, education and conservation centre demonstrating southern tablelands' species of eucalypt trees and understorey plants.
The Arboretum forests mostly consist of a single tree species, but Forest 20 differs in two ways: STEP is growing 16 species of eucalypt trees, selected to represent the major vegetation types of the region; and it includes shrubs, herbs and grasses to demonstrate the understorey plants commonly found in the region's forests and woodlands.
The STEP forest is an educational resource where visitors and school students can easily identify the trees and plants typical of the Southern Tablelands. Of particular significance are the trees and plants of the critically endangered 'Yellow Box/Red Gum Grassy Woodland' ecosystem. In this way, Forest 20 complements other Arboretum forests in telling an important conservation story about land use in south-eastern Australia.
Forest 20 is managed by the STEP community group in partnership with the National Arboretum Canberra and welcomes individuals, community groups, schools and others to join this exciting project. STEP have regular working bees and other activities.
The trees of Forest 20 were planted in 2009 and 2010. Understorey species are located close to the eucalypt species they commonly grow near in their natural habitat. The eucalypts and other plants have been placed in their relative landscape positions from low-lying grasslands to elevated dry and wet sclerophyll forests. This design enables visitors to learn about tree and understorey associations and further develop their understanding of the natural environments of the Southern Tablelands. There is also a small ephemeral wetland on the site where frogs have been recorded.
STEP features The Clearing, a comfortable and quiet outdoor education space for school groups and a place for visitors to rest or enjoy a picnic. The Clearing is a low impact and accessible space with a wide open outlook that integrates with the surrounding eucalypt trees.
Want to see what is flowering right now? Interested to learn more? Visit www.step.asn.au/
Eucalypts and their woodland/forest environments
Dry sclerophyll forest
Eucalyptus macrorhyncha - red stringybark
Eucalyptus rossii - scribbly gum
Eucalyptus mannifera - brittle gum
Eucalyptus dives - broad-leaved peppermint
Eucalyptus nortonii - mealy bundy
Grassy woodlands
Eucalyptus polyanthemos - red box
Eucalyptus blakelyi - Blakely's red gum
Eucalyptus melliodora - yellow box
Eucalyptus bridgesiana - apple box
Eucalyptus albens - white box
Eucalyptus rubida - candlebark
Eucalyptus stellulata - black sally
Sub-alpine and grassy woodlands
Eucalyptus pauciflora - snow gum
Wet sclerophyll forests
Eucalyptus dalrympleana - mountain gum
Eucalyptus delegatensis - alpine ash
Eucalyptus viminalis - ribbon gum
Understorey and other plantings
Understorey species are sourced from local nurseries and from growers from the Australian Native Plants Society (Canberra Region). In 2012, STEP was invited to translocate three species from land in the Molonglo Valley that was scheduled for development. These were Chrysocephalum apiculatum (common everlasting), Eryngium ovinum (blue devil), and Cheilanthesaustrotenuifolia (rock fern). The translocation was successful and all three species can now be seen flourishing among the understorey plantings.
Trees
Acacia melanoxylon - blackwood *
Allocasuarina verticillata - drooping sheoak
Brachychiton populneus - kurrajong
Shrubs
Acacia acinacea - gold dust wattle
Acacia dawsoni - poverty wattle
Acacia dealbata - silver wattle *
Acacia genistifolia - early wattle
Acacia implexa - hickory wattle
Acacia kybeansis - Braidwood wattle
Acacia paradoxa - kangaroo thorn
Acacia pravissima - wedge-leaved wattle
Acacia rubida - red-stemmed wattle
Acacia siculiformis - dagger wattle
Banksia marginata - silver banksia
Bursaria spinosa - blackthorn
Cassinia aculeata - dolly bush
Cassinia longifolia - shiny cassinia
Cassinia quinquefaria - cough bush
Dodonaea viscosa - narrow-leaf hop bush *
Grevillea iaspicula - Wee Jasper grevillea **
Hardenbergia violacea - false sarsaparilla *
Indigofera australis - austral indigo *
Indigofera adesmiifolia - leafless indigo
Kunzea ericoides - burgan
Leptospermum continentale - prickly tea-tree
Leptospermum obovatum - river tea-tree
Muehlenbeckia tuggeranong - Tuggeranong lignum **
Olearia phlogopappa - alpine daisy bush
Rubus parvifolius - native raspberry
Solanum lanceolata - kangaroo apple
* denotes species used by Aboriginal people
** denotes species recognised as threatened with extinction
Herbs
Ammobium alatum - ammobium
Arthropodium milleflorum - pale vanilla lily
Asperula conferta - common woodruff
Bulbine bulbosa - bulbine lily *
Bulbine glauca - rock lily
Chrysocephalum apiculatum - common everlasting
Craspedia variabilis - variable billy buttons
Cullen microcephalum - dusky scurf-pea
Daviesia mimosoides - narrow-leaf bitter-pea
Derwentia perfoliata - digger's speedwell
Dichopogon fimbriatus - chocolate lily
Eryngium ovinum - blue devil
Goodenia ovata - hop goodenia
Leucochrysum albicans - hoary sunray
Microseris lanceolata - yam daisy *
Rutidosis leptorrhynchoides - button wrinklewort **
Viola hederacea - native violet
Walenbergia stricta - tall bluebell
Xerochrysum bracteatum - golden everlasting daisy
Ferns
Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia - rock fern
Grasses and Grass-like Plants
Austrodanthonia racemosa - wallaby grass
Austrostipa scabra - speargrass
Bothriochloa macra - redleg grass
Carex appressa - tall sedge
Carex inversa - knob sedge
Dianella longifolia - smooth flax-lily
Dianella revoluta - black-anther flax-lily *
Dianella tasmanica - tasman flax-lily *
Joycea pallida - ed-anther wallaby grass
Juncus usitatus - common rush
Lomandra filiformis - wattle mat-rush
Lomandra longifolia - spiny-headed mat-rush *
Microlaena stipoides - weeping grass
Poa labillardieri - river tussock
Poa sieberiana - snowgrass
Sorghum leiocladum - native sorghum
Schoenoplectus validus - river club rush
Stylidium graminifolium - trigger plant
Themeda australis - kangaroo grass *
Xanthorrhoea australis - grass tree
* denotes species used by Aboriginal people
** denotes species recognised as threatened with extinction
