Identifying native plantsThis info has moved - click here to go the new siteIt takes time and experience to learn the botanical names of plants and identify plants you see when out and about. Here are some tips to identify a native plant in NSW:
Another great site managed by one of our members is about banksias: Online and digital resources for IDThere are many online or digital resources on native plants in particular regions or groups of plants. Some are interactive. Some are free and some can be purchased. Here are some examples. Plantnet on native plants in NSW, from the Royal Botanic Garden Free app: Plants of South Eastern NSW by Betty Wood with 2,700 species. Here. App on acacias: WATTLE – Acacias of Australia covers over 1,200 species in Acacia and three related genera. More here. App on eucalypts: EUCLID: an interactive Lucid key from CSIRO for identifying Eucalyptus species. More here. Commercial app on rainforest plants: Rainforest Plants of Australia (Rockhampton to Victoria) with more than 1,100 species. More here. District Group resources for local IDDistrict Groups develop materials and resources to assist in identifying local native plants, along with providing great stories on activities, visits and talks: Books for IDSydney regionThere are many books on native plants in particular regions or groups of plants. Here are some favourites. Les Robinson (2003) Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, Third Edition, Kangaroo Press. Alan Fairley and Philip Moore (2010) Native Plants of the Sydney Region, Third Edition, Kangaroo Press.
Alan Fairley (2004) Seldom Seen: Rare Plants of Greater Sydney. Hunter regionStephen Bell et al. (2019) Flora of the Hunter Region. Read more here. Specific groups of plants and locationsSome resources are very specific to particular groups of plants or locations, or both. For instance, APS Sutherland Group member Margaret Bradhurst has written a book on local orchids. Margaret Bradhurst (2016) Native Orchids of Southern Sydney. Available here. Also: Lynda McPherson (2019) Native Terrestrial Orchids of the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens. Read more here. David Watson (2019) Mistletoes of Southern Australia. Read more here. Understanding the origins of botanical names, many of which refer to features of a plant, can also help with identification. Perrin, Don (2018) Dictionary of Botanical Names. Read more here. Workshops and coursesSome local councils run workshops and courses to identify local native plants. Some APS District Groups also run workshops for members. Keep on eye on your local media. |