i) Identifying acid soils

Areas with naturally occurring acid soils can be identified easily by the native timber and pasture species present.
Peppermint (Eucalyptus dives and E. radiata), Scribbly Gum (E. rossii), She-oak (Casuarina spp.) and Sifton Bush (Cassinia spp.) nearly always indicate strongly acid soils.
Wiregrass (Aristida ramosa), Weeping Grass (Microlaena stipoides) and some Wallaby Grasses (Danthonia spp.) are also highly acid-tolerant and, where they dominate, it is likely the soils will be acidic.
Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra) and Redgrass (Bothriochloa macra) tend not to grow in strongly acid soils and are usually associated with Yellow Box (E. melliodora) or Apple Box (E. bridgesiana) trees.

Provide some pics of these species

These species can be identified using the Charles Sturt University Virtual Herbarium at or the Greening Australia FloraBank Fact Sheets

Box section:
Causes of soil acidity
• Natural pH decline through leaching of soil nitrates
• Past and present land use
• Build-up of soil organic matter
• Removal of alkaline plant and animal produce and waste products
• Nutrient uptake by plants
• Use of shallow-rooted legumes for pasture and hay production
• Continued application of ammonium fertilisers

Effects of soil acidity
• Reduced agricultural viability and production rates, as plants decline to grow
• Increased production costs, i.e. addition of lime
• Ground cover decline, increasing likelihood of soil erosion and water quality decline
• Reduced water use by vegetation contributing to salinity
• Development of subsoil acidity
• Soil structural decline
• Loss of native vegetation species and weed invasion
END Box section