I have recently moved to the Victorian High Country from Qld. The Trees are very different from what I have know in the past. How can I identify the different types of Eucalypts and natives around me.
I recall from High school the process of identifying species using a process of looking at leaves, flowers, bark ect. Where can I get one of these book keys from.
"A field guide to Australian trees" Ivan Holliday "Australian trees key guide" Leonard Cronin "Native trees and shrubs of SE Aus" Leon Costermans
the 2nd and 3rd are better for the systematic ID of eucalypts
David
G'day, Try here:
coop-bookshop.com.au
If you don't have much experience with eucalypt ID, then the book by Costermans is the best, since it has quite detailed descriptions, photos and diagrams and distribution maps. In the Victorian high country, there are about 4 subspecies of snow gums, Eucalyptus pauciflora, the unmistakable alpine ash, E. delegatensis, and some fairly rare species like the Bogong Gum, E. chapmanniana, or Buffalo Sallee, E. mitchelliana. On the lower slopes, narrow-leaf peppermint, E. radiata, broad-leaved peppermint, E. dives, manna gum, E. viminalis, messmate stringybark, E. obliqua, candlebark, E. rubida, red stringybark, E. macrorhyncha, just to name the more obvious ones.
Same deal as where you used to live; gums have smooth bark, stringbarks have bark peeling off in long strips, peppermints and boxes have bark which breaks down into short fibres when rubbed between the fingers. For any given location, there is usually only a choice of two or three gums, two or three boxes or peppermints and two or three stringybarks. In a few cases, such as trying to decide between manna gum and E. dalrympleana, you need to look at the juvenile leaves or bud and fruit characters.
YOu could also try your local council, and the local branch of the Australian Plants Society. The APS groups often run bushwalks in their area to identify/discuss the local flora.
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