Reassessment of the vascular flora of Rottnest Island

Rippey, E.; Hislop, M. C.; Dodd, J.

A survey of the vascular flora of Rottnest Island, carried out between 1998 and 2001 with the aim of recording all native and introduced species, was compared with previous lists, and the nomenclature was reconciled and updated. A total of 246 native and introduced species have been recorded for the island, of which 196 species were found in 1998-2001. A survey in the late 1950s had recorded a similar total number of species (201) but the proportion of native species had dropped over the period between censuses from 62% in the 1950s to 58% in 1998-2001. Despite the relatively constant species total, the flora of Rottnest is dynamic, with 44 species known to have been present in the late 1950s not recorded at the end of the century, while 38 additional species were found in 1998/2001, giving a rate of turnover of 1% pa. In this paper, an annotated flora list of 246 recorded species is given as well as a list of 122 deleted names, with reasons for their exclusion from the flora list. Thirty-five cultivated species collected from outside of gardens, but which had not become naturalised, are listed separately.