Stachystemon nematophorus, also known as the Three-flowered Stachstemon, is listed as Vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and as Declared Rare Flora under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950.
The only actual recorded threat to the Three-flowered Stachystemon is grazing by feral goats. Pigs and rabbits have also been recorded in areas near some of the populations although no damage has been reported for this species to date.
Grazing by feral animals is likely to continue to be a potential risk to this species in the future although it is unclear how significant the impact will be. All populations may be potentially at risk from inappropriate fire regimes, however the Three-flowered Stachystemon’s fire response is unknown.
The Three-flowered Stachystemon is an erect, woody shrub growing to 1.2 m high with dense leaves and very small yellow-green flowers.
It is endemic to the Kalbarri area approximately 500 km north-north-west of Perth, Western Australia, within the Northern Agricultural NRM region. The extent of occurrence for the Three-flowered Stachystemon is estimated to be approximately 620 km².
The seven populations of the Three-flowered Stachystemon are slightly fragmented as they are all separated from each other by at least 9.5 km. However, the majority of the populations are within the Kalbarri National Park which is reasonably well vegetated.
The Three-flowered Stachystemon occurs in open scrub to low heath vegetation on breakaways, rocky areas, gravel pits and gully edges. Soils range from red sand over red sandstone, white-brown sand over sandstone, to grey sand/gravel over laterite.
The Three-flowered Stachystemon has also been recorded in dense heath in the Gorge areas of Kalbarri National Park on rocky pavement in sandy soils in rock crevices. Species associated with the Three-flowered Stachystemon include: Acacia scirpifolia, Melaleuca sp., Scholtzia sp., Hibbertia hypericoides, Acanthocarpus parviflorus, Lechenaultia chlorantha and Darwinia oldfieldii.
Information Source: Government of Australia, Department of Environment and Department of Parks and Wildlife Western Australia.
