Salinity Indicator Plants Home | Salinity in the Western Victorian Region | Photo Gallery | Glossary
Purpose
A list of salt-tolerant plants that commonly occur in the Western Region appear below. The estimated soil salinity classes in which each of these plant species is likely to occur has been noted. Because many species often grow across a range of classes, other salinity indicators may also be needed to increase confidence in identifying a particular salinity class from its assemblage of indicator species.
It should be noted that many plants are capable of growing over a range of soil salinities so other salinity indicators are needed to increase the confidence in identifying saline soils.
Vegetation Community in relation to Salinity Class
* Indicates introduced and exotic species
| S1 | ||
| Grasses and Rush-like Plants | ||
| * | Annual Beard-grass | Polypogon monspeliensis |
| Awnless Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis leviseta | |
| Coast Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis billardierei ssp. billardierei | |
| Common Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis filiformis (syn. Agrostis avenacea) | |
| * | Couch Grass | Cynodon dactylon |
| Mediterranean Barley-grass | Hordeum hystrix (syn. Critesion hystrix) | |
| Purple Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis punicea ssp. punicea (syn. Agrostis aemula var. setifolia) Lachnagrostis punicea ssp. filifolia (syn. Agrostis billardierei var. filifolia) | |
| Salt Couch | Sporobolus virginicus | |
| * | Sea Barley-grass | Hordeum marinum (syn. Critesion marinum) |
| * | Tall Wheat-grass | Lophopyrum ponticum (syn. Agropyron elongatum) |
| Toad Rush | Juncus bufonius | |
| White-top Wallaby-grass | Austrodanthonia caespitosa | |
| * | Wimmera Rye-grass | Lolium rigidum |
| Windmill-grass | Chloris truncata | |
Herbs and Forbs | ||
| Annual Celery | Apium annuum | |
| * | Buck's Horn Plantain | Plantago coronopus |
| * | Burr Medic | Medicago polymorpha |
| Creeping Brookweed | Samolus repens | |
| Creeping Monkey Flower | Mimulus repens | |
| * | Hexham Scent | Melilotus indica |
| Salt Pratia | Lobelia irrigua (syn. Pratia platycalyx) | |
| Spiked Centaury | Centaurium spicatum | |
| * | Strawberry Clover | Trifolium fragiferum |
| Swamp Crassula | Crassula helmsii | |
| Swamp Weed | Selliera radicans | |
| Water Buttons | Cotula coronopifolia | |
Shrubs and Trees | ||
| * | Bokhara Clover | Melilotus alba |
| Moona | Melaleuca lanceolata | |
| Lignum | Muehlenbeckia florulenta (syn. M. cunninghamii) | |
| Moona | Melaleuca lanceolata | |
| River Red-gum | Eucalyptus camaldulensis | |
| Scented Paperbark | Melaleuca squarrosa | |
| Totem Poles | Melaleuca decussata | |
| Wirilda | Acacia retinodes | |
| S2 | ||
| Grasses and Rush-like Plants | ||
| Adamson's Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis adamsonii (syn. Agrostis adamsonii) | |
| * | Annual Beard-grass | Polypogon monspeliensis |
| Australian Salt-grass | Distichlis distichophylla | |
| Awnless Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis leviseta | |
| Coast Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis billardierei ssp. billardierei | |
| Common Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis filiformis (syn. Agrostis avenacea) | |
| Mediterranean Barley-grass | Hordeum hystrix (syn. Critesion hystrix) | |
| Purple Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis punicea ssp. punicea (syn. Agrostis aemula var. setifolia) Lachnagrostis punicea ssp. filifolia (syn. Agrostis billardierei var. filifolia) | |
| Salt Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis robusta (syn. Agrostis billardierei var. robusta) | |
| Salt Couch | Sporobolus virginicus | |
| * | Sea Barley-grass | Hordeum marinum (syn. Critesion marinum) |
| Spiked Centaury | Centaurium spicatum | |
| * | Spiny Rush | Juncus acutus |
| Streaked Arrow-grass | Triglochin striata | |
| * | Tall Wheat-grass | Lophopyrum ponticum (syn. Agropyron elongatum) |
| Toad Rush | Juncus bufonius | |
| * | Wimmera Rye-grass | Lolium rigidum |
| Windmill-grass | Chloris truncata | |
Herbs and Forbs | ||
| Annual Celery | Apium annuum | |
| Creeping Brookweed | Samolus repens | |
| Creeping Monkey Flower | Mimulus repens | |
| * | Hexham Scent | Melilotus indica |
| * | Buck's Horn Plantain | Plantago coronopus |
| Lesser Sea-spurrey | Serpgularia marina | |
| Oval Purse | Hymenolobus procumbens | |
| * | Red Sand-spurrey | Spergularia rubra |
| Round-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia rotundifolia | |
| Salt Pratia | Lobelia irrigua (syn. Pratia platycalyx) | |
| Sand-spurrey | Spergularia sp.1 | |
| Short-stem Sand-spurrey | Spergularia brevifolia | |
| Stiff Cup-flower | Pogonolepis muelleriana (syn. Angianthus strictus) | |
| * | Strawberry Clover | Trifolium fragiferum |
| Swamp Crassula | Crassula helmsii | |
| Swamp Weed | Selliera radicans | |
| Water Buttons | Cotula coronopifolia | |
Shrubs and Trees | ||
| * | Bokhara Clover | Melilotus alba |
| Lignum | Muehlenbeckia florulenta (syn. M. cunninghamii) | |
| Moona | Melaleuca lanceolata | |
| River Red-gum | Eucalyptus camaldulensis | |
| Scented Paperbark | Melaleuca squarrosa | |
| Totem Poles | Melaleuca decussata | |
| Wirilda | Acacia retinodes | |
S3 | ||
| Grasses and Rush-like Plants | ||
| Adamson's Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis adamsonii (syn. Agrostis adamsonii) | |
| Australian Salt-grass | Distichlis distichophylla | |
| Awnless Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis leviseta | |
| Borrer’s Saltmarsh-grass | Puccinellia fasciculata | |
| Chaffy Saw-sedge | Gahnia filum | |
| Coast Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis billardierei ssp. billardierei | |
| Coast Barb-grass | Parapholis incurva | |
| Lax Saltmarsh-grass | Puccinellia perlaxa (syn. Puccinellia sricta var. perlaxa) | |
| Mediterranean Barley-grass | Hordeum hystrix (syn. Critesion hystrix) | |
| * | Salt Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis robusta (syn. Agrostis billardierei var. robusta) |
| Salt Couch | Sporobolus virginicus | |
| * | Sea Barley-grass | Hordeum marinum (syn. Critesion marinum) |
| Sea Rush | Juncus kraussii | |
| * | Spiny Rush | Juncus acutus |
| Streaked Arrow-grass | Triglochin striata | |
| * | Tall Wheat-grass | Lophopyrum ponticum (syn. Agropyron elongatum) |
Herbs and Forbs | ||
| Annual Celery | Apium annuum | |
| Beaded Glasswort | Sarcocornia quinqueflora | |
| * | Bokhara Clover | Melilotus alba |
| * | Buck's Horn Plantain | Plantago coronopus |
| Creeping Brookweed | Samolus repens | |
| * | Hexham Scent | Melilotus indica |
| Lesser Sea-spurrey | Serpgularia marina | |
| Narrow-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia backhousei | |
| Oval Purse | Hymenolobus procumbens | |
| * | Red Sand-spurrey | Spergularia rubra |
| Round-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia rotundifolia | |
| Sand-spurrey | Spergularia sp.1 | |
| Short-stem Sand-spurrey | Spergularia brevifolia | |
| Silky Wilsonia | Wilsonia humilis | |
| Stiff Cup-flower | Pogonolepis muelleriana (syn. Angianthus strictus) | |
| Swamp Crassula | Crassula helmsii | |
| Swamp Weed | Selliera radicans | |
| Water Buttons | Cotula coronopifolia | |
Shrubs and Trees | ||
| Austral Seablite | Suaeda australis | |
| Moona | Melaleuca lanceolata | |
| Wirilda | Acacia retinodes | |
S4 | ||
| Grasses and Rush-like Plants | ||
| Adamson's Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis adamsonii (syn. Agrostis adamsonii) | |
| Australian Salt-grass | Distichlis distichophylla | |
| Borrer’s Saltmarsh-grass | Puccinellia fasciculata | |
| Chaffy Saw-sedge | Gahnia filum | |
| * | Coast Barb-grass | Lachnagrostis robusta (syn. Agrostis billardierei var. robusta) |
| Lax Saltmarsh-grass | Puccinellia perlaxa (syn. Puccinellia sricta var. perlaxa) | |
| Salt Blown-grass | Parapholis incurva | |
| Salt Couch | Sporobolus virginicus | |
| Sea Rush | Juncus kraussii | |
| * | Spiny Rush | Juncus acutus |
| Streaked Arrow-grass | Triglochin striata | |
Herbs and Forbs | ||
| Beaded Glasswort | Sarcocornia quinqueflora | |
| * | Buck's Horn Plantain | Plantago coronopus |
| Lesser Sea-spurrey | Serpgularia marina | |
| Narrow-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia backhousei | |
| Round-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia rotundifolia | |
| Sand-spurrey | Spergularia sp.1 | |
| Short-stem Sand-spurrey | Spergularia brevifolia | |
| Silky Wilsonia | Wilsonia humilis | |
Shrubs and Trees | ||
| Austral Seablite | Suaeda australis | |