The Coastal Plants of the Royal National Park

About the CD

The Realisation of a Dream

Doug Irving had a dream. He wanted to create an interactive CD that enabled folk who had no botanical knowledge to identify the wonderful variety of Australian native plants that grow in the Royal National Park south of Sydney. He soon realised that to cover the plants in the whole of the Park would be a huge task and take far too long. So he concentrated on the plants that can be found in the coastal area of the Park and, in particular, those that can be seen by people walking along the scenic Coastal Track. Unfortunately he did not live to see the work completed. However, other members of the Sutherland Group of the Australian Plants Society took up the challenge and have completed the work he started. The Coastal Plants of the Royal National Park CD & software are dedicated to the memory of Doug Irving.

The Plants

The CD includes botanical details and pictures of over 300 of the wide range of plants that you are likely to see as you walk through the coastal areas of the Royal National Park. It does not claim to include details of every plant in the area but rather it concentrates on the plants that you are most likely to come across during your walk. These 300 plus plants are less than half that the members of the Sutherland Group know grow in this part of the Park.

The botanical information given is specific to the plants actually found in the coastal areas of the Park. It should be noted that the same species may grow taller, have flowers of another colour or may differ in other respects in other parts of the country and even in other areas within the Park. But what you will find in this software is what has been found by members of the Group in the coastal areas of the Park on numerous trips over many years.

Features

• Detailed information on over 300 plants from the area
• Easy to use, without needing to know botany
• Over 1300 stunning photographs of the plants (an example is shown below) including their flowers, leaves, fruit and bark: and for ferns, their fronds and sori (spore capsules)
• Intelligent search engine allows you to find plants by their characteristics (flower colour, form, plant and leaf shape, flowering month(s) etc)
• Comprehensive information on the Park including how to get there, where to find the plants, details of the walks and tracks through the coastal area plus maps.
• All information and pictures on the CD can be printed out - including plant identification guidelines and data collection forms
• Glossary to help understand words and phrases used
• Information and photos of various habitats in the area
• Maps showing where these habitats are found in the Royal National Park

In previous months we have had stunning photos (also from the CD) of Actinotus helianthi (the Flannel Flower), Stylidium lineare (which flowers April-June and October-January) and Telopea speciosissima (which flowers September to October). This month we have Blandfordia nobilis, the Christmas Bell which is in flower from December through to February.

How to order (instructions and form)

Go to this page to find out how to order the CD or download an order form.

Where to buy

Click here to find out where you can buy the CD in shops.

More information

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