G. M. Cunningham

I've actually been looking for a book like this for ages. True, it doesn't cover the whole of NSW.....not even the coastal, and dividing range areas where I probably spend most of my time. But I did spend a few formative years in the Riverina and kind of became interested in the vegetation of the Western Division. Also, I have somewhat of a personal interest in this book because one of the authors, Peter Milthorpe, was a colleague and friend at university. We even spent part of a summer vacation fruit picking together at Yanco. And, I'm very confident that anything that Peter would put his name to would be a quality work.
I have not been disappointed. I think the authors have done an outstanding job. They do make the point that their preference would have been to have three photos for each species but there were publisher constraints on this. A deficiency? Well yes...it has to be...... but given this limitation I still think they have done a remarkable job. they cover-off over 2000 different species, including ferns, pines, monocots and dicots and I entirely sympathise with the fact that they decided not to include a comprehensive key (which are always pretty unwieldy ...even for professional botanists). But they have provides a schematic key for the grasses...(Family Poacea......and I didn't realise they were all in this family before).
It's the sort of book that I just enjoy delving into: so that's what that week down in our local park is.....Khaki weed....and a nasty one it is too. And what was that tree that my dad taught me about.....had a lovely aroma when you crushed the long leaves. Yep...it was a Wilga tree.
There is enough botanical information there to generally identify the species but also some general notes about the occurrence and uses of the plant.
I remember buying a copy of the pre-cursor publication by Leigh and Mulham: Pastoral Plants of the Riverine Plain....about 1970. It was an expensive investment for me then but it had colour photos which was remarkably unusual for the time and the current book has greatly expanded on the coloured photos. Given the range of species that they had to cover, they have done an impressive job with the photography. Yes. many species are not photogenic, and many times you come across them in the heat of the day when it's hard to photograph, and many times they will wilt immediate if you try to take them back to the "Lab" to photograph. This book is the second edition published in 1992 and reprinted a few times since and I well remember how difficult colour photography was in the 1970's when most of these photos would have been taken (First edition published in 1981). So full marks to all the authors. I think they have done a great job.
And, I am also rejoicing because the book is out of print and I was lucky enough to pick up a copy at a local "Lifeline" bookshop for just $7. An absolute bargain.
It's not the sort of book that I'm going to read from cover to cover...though I wish I had a bit more of life left to savour it and read it extensively. Happy to give it five stars even though it might now be a bit dated. If you are interested in plants and/or the Western Division then I strongly recommend it. A lovely piece of work and clearly a labour of love for the four authors.… (more)