Rainforest

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Cloudy morning at Newport Crown Reserve rainforest, just down the road...

"Rainforests are dark, secret places In a rainforest, the tree-dominated community has a closed canopy. The trees are tall and straight with dark broad leaves, and vines are plentiful. The upper leaves are intermingled and little light penetrates the understorey so only scattered shrubs and ferns are present. In this deep shaded gully, eroded Narrabeen Shales have produced nutrient-enriched soils, providing conditions for rainforest to develop. The green cathedral surrounding you is dominated by Coachwood, a tall tree with a smooth whitish-grey, mottled bark. This closed forest is a significant plant community in the Sydney region, and protects uncommon species such as Bolwarra, Snow Wood, Crabapple, Murrogun and Brown Beech. The trees with fan-shaped leaves are Cabbage-tree Palms, the only palm species occurring in rainforest gullies in Sydney. Palms are not closely related to any other existing group and little is known of tier evolutionary development. As light conditions increase away from the creek, the understory becomes more dense, with flowering shrubs, and Spotted Gums and Angophoras from the canopy."