Sclerophyll (heathy) understoreys in the mount lofty ranges, South Australia

Floristic patterns in the sclerophyll (heathy) understoreys, which are characteristic of the nutrient-poor soils of the Mount Lofty Ranges, are surveyed: - on Pre-Cambrian schists at Inglewood (rainfall c. 800 mm per annum); on Pre-Cambrian quartzites at Morialta (rainfall c. 800 mm per annum); on Pre-Cambrian quartzites in Waterfall Gully (rainfall c. 1150 mm per annum); on truncated laterites of Early Tertiary in National Park Belair (rainfall c. 800 mm per annum); and on deep Mid-Tertiary sands at Blewitt Springs (rainfall c. 800 mm per annum). Seven Floristic Groups have been defined objectively using Goodall's 'positive interspecific correlation' technique, adapted for computer-analysis. The floristic patterns appear to be determined by the annual cycle of available soil water at each site and the slightly different nutrient levels of sandy versus clayey surface soils.