Third Edition
The 400 Million Year Story Of Australia's Plants
The Australian continent was once part of the great supercontinent known as Gondwana, which comprised all the major southern landmasses. By the time Australia finally severed its last Gondwanan links with Antarctica, 45 million years ago, a modern aspect flora was already established, and mixed broadleaf-conifer forests covered most of the land. Relict rainforests still remaining in Australia are remnants of this ancient and once widespread vegetation. The ancient Gondwanan forests were the ancestors of the unique Australian vegetation which evolved in isolation as the continent moved slowly northwards to the position it occupies today.
This book tells the fascinating story of Australia's floral heritage, from its genesis through to the last stages of evolution, and the changes that have come with intrusions such as the arrival of the white man with crops of exotic plants. We can trace the evolution of plants from the earliest times when all life was confined to the water and the land was barren, and see the emergence of the first land-plants, about 400 million years ago, which transformed the world into a green and vibrant place, finally crowned with flowers.
This third edition incorporates the most recent ideas about the evolution of Australia's modern flora and the nature of Gondwanan forests at the time of separation from Antarctica. It represents a new approach to geoscience by combining several disciplines. Scientist, specialist and general reader can follow Australia's plant ancestry, and appreciate the individuality that has evolved from an inheritance in common with plants from other southern lands.
