Tania McCartney, Flora: Australia’s most curious plants, National Library of Australia, October 2024, 48 pp., RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922507716
This is an amazingly detailed book which will keep all readers entertained for a long time. I keep returning to it and focus on a double-page spread, because there’s so much to take in. The cover has many plants which are recognisable. The endpapers with their circles full of details – are you like me, wondering what they all are? The first few pages are devoted to Australia’s varied landscapes, followed by the parts of a plant before moving on to specific plant groups. Eucalypts have two double spreads because they are the tallest flowering plants on earth and there are over 800 species in Australia. Their leaves gum nuts and blossoms vary as widely. There are pages on grasses, tall trees, desert and water flora, bush food, floral emblems of our states and territories.
What does the future hold for our plants? Throughout the book, McCartney has included the current conservation status for all the plants specifically mentioned. It ranges from ‘Extinct’ and ‘Extinct in the Wild’ through to ‘Least Concern’. She gives suggestions that each reader can do to help plants.
Also on each page, easily recognisable as a large black circle with white font (and occasionally white circles with black font), are extra facts. The illustrations are clear and detailed. A few fascinating facts from the book. Australia has about 24,000 native plant species. There are exploding gum nuts, seeds that need fire to germinate. The bunya pine nut can weigh 10kg! Australia has more carnivorous plants than anywhere else in the world. Grab a copy of this fascinating book to find your own incredible facts. Teaching notes are available from the publisher’s website.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Maureen Mann
