Flora: Australia's Most Curious Plants
(1 October 2024, National Library Publishing, $29.99, hardcover, 9781922507716)
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When it comes to flora, Australia is a land of diversity. From rainforests to deserts, mountains to the seashore, 90 per cent of our plant life is unique to this ancient land. Treasures like wattles, eucalypts, grass trees and banksias are part of our heritage and identity — and they still flourish here today, on the oldest landmass on Earth.
Flora celebrates and highlights these diverse and curious plants, diving into the history, quirks and uses of our native plants, and how vital they are for our unique ecosystems. Tania McCartney brings her trademark skill and style in both writing and illustration, examining Australia’s botanical riches to discover engaging, informative and surprising facts to share with young readers.
The book includes spreads on the Gondwana Garden, Deadly Flora, Bush Food, Flora Ancestry and more. Meet the Tasmanian Mountain Ash, which is both the world’s tallest flowering plant and the tallest hardwood tree, growing more than a metre each year... for up to 400 years! Share in a park ranger’s discovery of a living Jurassic fossil deep in a secret sandstone canyon. Learn how to avoid the most painful plant on earth, the gympie gympie, whose fine little hairs inject a fiery venom that feels like fire, acid and electrocution all at once!
The author introduces readers to hard science too, including information on plant classification, countless cool scientific facts, binomial names and scientific terms, with a handy glossary at the end of the book.
Also see Flora: Australia's Most Curious Plants 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle! Click the puzzle for more details.
