Scarlet honeyeater on Australian Bottlebrush

Sclerophyll is a suite of characteristics

Developed by some groups of plants in

Response to the lack of nutrients and

Moisture. The leaves are small and hard,

The internodes, length of stem between

Leaf nodes, are short, and the plant itself

Is often relatively small. Many of

Australia's non-rainforest plants, including

Banksias, bottlebrushes(Callistemon),

Grevilleas and eucalypts, exhibit some or

All of these features.

Sclerophyll forests occur in Australia's

South-east and south-west, in areas that

Have some rainfall throughout the year.

Although they tolerate drier conditions

Than rainforests, water availability usually

Limits their occurrence to areas within

300 kilometres of the coast.

set design©Kids4ME2004

Music - The Forest Speaks