Field Guide to Eucalypts -
Volume 1
South-Eastern
Australia
by M.I.H. Brooker &
D.A. Kleinig
(Australian
Publication)
NEW
EDITION
Hardcover
190 x 270mm
353pp
Published by Bloomings Books, Hawthorn VIC.
R.R.P.$129.90
ISBN 187647352-5
ON BACK ORDER
Edition 2 as reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 94
Field Guide to Eucalypts - Volume 1 South-Eastern Australia, covers all known eucalypt species on the eastern seaboard and inland, an area bounded roughly by a line from the tip of the Spencer Gulf, running south-eastwards towards the River Murray where it enters South Australia, then continuing along the River Murray as far as the confluence of the Darling River, and all New South Wales east of the Darling River system. Also included are the Bass Strait islands and Tasmania.
All eucalypt species and subspecies have been photographed in their natural habitat, and each is described with an emphasis on the more important diagnostic features.
The authors admit to having reservations about some of the new taxa (taxonomy or classification of species) and have left them out, but by and large this volume has been a major update since it was originally published in 1983.
Drawings are provided to illustrate the meaning of botanical terms for leaf and bud shape, male and female flower parts as well as fruit, along with photographs of types of bark, various glands, seedling types, and other features of eucalypt plants. The book contains a key to eucalypts, listing the main distinguishing features, which would be useful for someone to make an identification based on a verbal description.
The key links to the species colour plate pages, which contain the identifying photographs and further details of distribution and other information such as size of fruit, bud and leaves in various stages of growth. The species colour plates show the full tree in situ, plus a close up of the bark, the bud and fruit. Some have close up photos of leaves and bud in flower.
In effect, if you want to salvage trees or harvest from private property (with permission if it's not your own), and would like to know exactly what it is you are working with, this is an indispensable tool to have on hand. There are two companion volumes, one covering the top half of the country (Volume 3) and the other bottom half west of the River Murray (Volume 2). They contain exactly the same reference materials for Eucalypts endemic to those regions.
Photos: Colour
Units of Measurement: Metric
Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
History of the genus Eucalyptus
Reliability of the characters
used in assessing a plant
The
eucalypt plant
Size and habit
Lignotubers
Bark
Bark categories
Seed, germination and cotyledons
Leaf phases
Characteristics of
individual leaves
Oil glands in the leaves
Inflorescences
Peduncles
Pedicels
Flower bud numbers
Flower bud
Flower bud markings,
colour and operculum
Male flower parts
Female flower parts
Flowering
Fruit
Fruit shape
Pith
Distributional data
Names of species used in this field guide
The system of classification
Keys
for the identification of eucalypts
New South Wales
(i) Western
and northern plains and rivers, including low ranges within the area
(ii)
Western slopes, tablelands and ranges
(iii) Coast and adjacent low hills
(to 300 m or 1000 ft above sea level)
and Australian Capital Territory (Jervis
Bay area)
Australian Capital Territory (Canberra area)
Victoria
South Australia
Tasmania
Digest
and Plates of Species
Glossary
Bibliography and References
Appendix
Index