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.
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 | |
| Bristly Wallaby-grass | Austrodanthonia setacea | |
| Coast Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis billardierei ssp. billardierei | |
| Common Barb-grass | Hainardia cylindrica | |
| Common Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis filiformis (syn. Agrostis avenacea) | |
| Common Reed | Phragmites australis | |
| Common Wallaby-grass | Austrodanthonia caespitosa | |
| * | Couch Grass | Cynodon dactylon |
| Cutting Sedge | Gahnia trifida | |
| Mediterranean Barley-grass | Hordeum hystrix (syn. Critesion hystrix) | |
| Prickly Spear-grass | Austrostipa stipoides | |
| 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. Agropyrum elongatum) |
| Toad Rush | Juncus bufonius | |
| * | Wimmera Rye-grass | Lolium rigidum |
| Windmill-grass | Chloris truncata | |
Herbs and Forbs | ||
| Annual Celery | Apium annuum | |
| Bower Spinach | Tetragonia implexicoma | |
| * | Buck's Horn Plantain | Plantago coronopus |
| * | Burr Medic | Medicago polymorpha |
| Creeping Brookweed | Samolus repens | |
| Creeping Monkey-flower | Mimulus repens | |
| Galenia | Galenia pubescens | |
| * | Hexham Scent | Melilotus indica |
| Hottontot Fig | Carpobrotus edulis | |
| Inland Pigface | Carpobrotus modestus | |
| Karkalla | Carpobrotus rossii | |
| New Zealand Spinach | Tetragonia tetragonoides | |
| Salt Pratia | Lobelia irrigua (syn. Pratia platycalyx) | |
| Salt Lawrencia | Lawrencia spicata | |
| Sea Rocket | Cakile edentula | |
| 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 |
| Creeping Boobialla | Myoporum parvifolium | |
| Moona | Melaleuca lanceolata | |
| Lignum | Muehlenbeckia florulenta (syn. M. cunninghamii) | |
| Marsh Saltbush | Atriplex paludosa | |
| Moonah | Melaleuca lanceolata | |
| River Red-gum | Eucalyptus camaldulensis | |
| Scented Paperbark | Melaleuca squarrosa | |
| Thorny Lawrencia | Lawrencia squamata (syn. Selenothamnus squamatus) | |
| 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 | |
| Bristly Wallaby-grass | Austrodanthonia setacea | |
| Coast Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis billardierei ssp. billardierei | |
| Common Barb-grass | Hainardia cylindrica | |
| Common Blown-grass | Lachnagrostis filiformis (syn. Agrostis avenacea) | |
| Common Reed | Phragmites australis | |
| Cutting Sedge | Gahnia trifida | |
| Mediterranean Barley-grass | Hordeum hystrix (syn. Critesion hystrix) | |
| Prickly Spear-grass | Austrostipa stipoides | |
| 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. Agropyrum elongatum) |
| Toad Rush | Juncus bufonius | |
| * | Wimmera Rye-grass | Lolium rigidum |
| Windmill-grass | Chloris truncata | |
Herbs and Forbs | ||
| Annual Celery | Apium annuum | |
| Bower Spinach | Tetragonia implexicoma | |
| * | Buck's Horn Plantain | Plantago coronopus |
| Creeping Brookweed | Samolus repens | |
| Creeping Monkey-flower | Mimulus repens | |
| Galenia | Galenia pubescens | |
| * | Hexham Scent | Melilotus indica |
| Hottontot Fig | Carpobrotus edulis | |
| Inland Pigface | Carpobrostus modestus | |
| Karkalla | Carpobrotus rossii | |
| Lesser Sea-spurrey | Spergularia marina | |
| New Zealand Spinach | Tetragonia tetragonoides | |
| Oval Purse | Hymenolobus procumbens | |
| * | Red Sand-spurrey | Spergularia rubra |
| Round-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia rotundifolia | |
| Salt Lawrencia | Lawrencia spicata | |
| Salt Pratia | Lobelia irrigua (syn. Pratia platycalyx) | |
| Sea Rocket | Cakile edentula | |
| Short-stem Sand-spurrey | Spergularia brevifolia | |
| Spiked Centaury | Centaurium spicatum | |
| Stiff Cup-flower | Pogonolepis muelleriana (syn. Angianthus strictus) | |
| * | Strawberry Clover | Trifolium fragiferum |
| Swamp Crassula | Crassula helmsii | |
| Swamp Weed | Selliera radicans | |
| Tasmanian Sand-spurrey | Spergularia tasmanica | |
| Water Buttons | Cotula coronopifolia | |
Shrubs and Trees | ||
| * | Bokhara Clover | Melilotus alba |
| Coast Saltbush | Atriplex cinerea | |
| Creeping Boobialla | Myoporum parvifolium | |
| Lignum | Muehlenbeckia florulenta (syn. M. cunninghamii) | |
| Marsh Saltbush | Atriplex paludosa | |
| Moonah | Melaleuca lanceolata | |
| River Red-gum | Eucalyptus camaldulensis | |
| Scented Paperbark | Melaleuca squarrosa | |
| Thorny Lawrencia | Lawrencia squamata (syn. Selenothamnus squamatus) | |
| 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 | |
| Common Barb-grass | Hainardia cylindrica | |
| Common Reed | Phragmites australis | |
| Cutting Sedge | Gahnia trifida | |
| Lax Saltmarsh-grass | Puccinellia perlaxa (syn. Puccinellia sricta var. perlaxa) | |
| Mediterranean Barley-grass | Hordeum hystrix (syn. Critesion hystrix) | |
| Prickly Spear-grass | Austrostipa stipoides | |
| * | 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. Agropyrum elongatum) |
Herbs and Forbs | ||
| Annual Celery | Apium annuum | |
| Beaded Glasswort | Sarcocornia quinqueflora | |
| * | Bokhara Clover | Melilotus alba |
| Bower Spinach | Tetragonia implexicoma | |
| * | Buck's Horn Plantain | Plantago coronopus |
| Creeping Brookweed | Samolus repens | |
| * | Hexham Scent | Melilotus indica |
| Hottontot Fig | Carpobrotus edulis | |
| Karkalla | Carpobrotus rossii | |
| Lesser Sea-spurrey | Spergularia marina | |
| Narrow-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia backhousei | |
| New Zealand Spinach | Tetragonia tetragonoides | |
| Oval Purse | Hymenolobus procumbens | |
| * | Red Sand-spurrey | Spergularia rubra |
| Round-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia rotundifolia | |
| Salt Lawrencia | Lawrencia spicata | |
| Sea Rocket | Cakile edentula | |
| 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 | |
| Tasmanian Sand-spurrey | Spergularia tasmanica | |
| Water Buttons | Cotula coronopifolia | |
Shrubs and Trees | ||
| Austral Seablite | Suaeda australis | |
| Coast Saltbush | Atriplex cinerea | |
| Marsh Saltbush | Atriplex paludosa | |
| Moona | Melaleuca lanceolata | |
| Thorny Lawrencia | Lawrencia squamata (syn. Selenothamnus squamatus) | |
| 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) |
| Cutting Sedge | Gahnia trifida | |
| 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 | Spergularia marina | |
| Narrow-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia backhousei | |
| Round-leaf Wilsonia | Wilsonia rotundifolia | |
| Short-stem Sand-spurrey | Spergularia brevifolia | |
| Silky Wilsonia | Wilsonia humilis | |
| Tasmanian Sand-spurrey | Spergularia tasmanica | |
Shrubs and Trees | ||
| Austral Seablite | Suaeda australis | |
| Coast Saltbush | Atriplex cinerea | |
| Marsh Saltbush | Atriplex paludosa | |