Identifying EP's Native Species
Eyre Peninsula residents will be able to better identify native plant species, following the release of the second edition of a field guide.
The field guide to Eyre Peninsula’s native plant species, plant communities and environmental weeds titled 'Native Vegetation of the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia', was recently launched at the Natural Resources Centre in Port Lincoln.
The book is jointly published and funded by the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board and Greening Australia, with support from the Nature Foundation and BP Developments Australia.
Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula (NREP) Senior Project Officer Andrew Freeman said the book is a great resource for people on Eyre Peninsula interested in growing and conserving native plants.
“We’ve produced the second edition of the book in response to demand from the community for a single reference that brings together information about our vegetation,” Andrew said.
“It’s a handy guide for those who already have a good understanding of the plants and weeds that grow in the region and it’s also a great introduction for those who are just starting to learn.”
The second edition is an impressive 248-pages, featuring colour photographs of each of the 303 native plant species featured.
A further 18 native plant species and an improved index has been added.
The guide has individual descriptions for each plant, as well as descriptions of groups of plants found in habitats such as coastal dunes, cliffs, mangroves, wetlands, temperate forests and woodlands, mallee, shrublands and grasslands.
“The new section on bushland weeds was included to help land managers and others to identify the weeds that commonly invade native plant communities on Eyre Peninsula,” Andrew said.
“Seventy-five species of bushland weeds have been included. Some of these include invasive weeds easily mistaken for native species, such as boneseed, fountain grass, Italian buckthorn and African corn-flag, as well as the better known weed species like bridal creeper, cape weed and barley grass.”
NREP Management Board Presiding Member Diana Laube said the ongoing interest in the first edition since it was printed in 2010 has proven the value of this publication.
“As a result, the Board were keen, along with partners, to see a second edition produced to cater for this interest in plants by both Eyre Peninsula people and tourists travelling through,” Ms Laube said.
Native Vegetation of the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia field guide is available for $45 from the Port Lincoln office of NREP or by calling 8688 3111.