Barrett, R.L., Cosgrove, M. & Milner, R.N.C. (2018) Field guide to plants of the Molonglo Valley: Natural Temperate Grassland, Box Gum Woodland, Riparian Vegetation. ACT Government, Parks & Conservation Service, Canberra. 411 pp.

 

Canberra, the Capital City of Australia, is known as 'The Bush Capital'. With many nature reserves and the use of many native trees in suburban landscaping, the title is well deserved. What is less-known are the many natural values within these bushland reserves. Flowing from Lake Burley Griffin, in the heart of Canberra, the Molonglo River passes through high quality Natural Temperate Grasslands and White Box, Yellow Box, Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodlands, both Nationally Threatened Ecosystems. This field guide provides many photographs and key features for the identification of 400 plant species, both native and naturalised, from the Molonglo River Corridor. Covering most of the species found in the grasslands of Canberra, this guide is an essential field companion for anyone with a passion for the Bush Capital's natural wonders. It also provides essential reading for the identification of many agricultural weeds and garden escapes that require management to ensure they do not threaten the integrity of our native biodiversity.

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Barrett, R.L. & Pin Tay, E. (2016) Perth Plants. A field guide to the bushland and coastal flora of Kings Park and Bold Park. Second Edition. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne and Botanic Gardens & Parks Authority, West Perth. 440 pp. http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/21/pid/7555.htm

 

The city of Perth is well known and treasured for its areas of protected bushland in the heart of the city. Kings Park and Bold Park represent a significant part of the natural heritage of the Swan Coastal Plain and are an important part of city life. The city is also a gateway to the incredible biodiversity to be found in south-west Western Australia. Perth Plants provides a comprehensive photographic guide to all plants known to occur in the bushlands of Kings Park and Bold Park, both native plants and naturalised weeds. There are 778 species included, representing approximately one-quarter of all the plants in the greater Perth region, and one-tenth of all species known for the south-west of Western Australia. This new edition contains 22 additional species and updated photography throughout. It is an essential reference for anyone interested in the plants of south-west Western Australia, and particularly the Swan Coastal Plain.

 

Erickson, T.E., Barrett, R.L., Merritt, D.J. & Dixon, K.W. (eds) (2016) Pilbara seed atlas and field guide. Plant restoration in Australia’s arid north-west. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne. 312 pp. http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/21/pid/7527.htm

 

The Pilbara region in Australia’s arid northwest is rich in flora that is suited to extreme temperatures and boom and bust cycles of moisture availability. It is also a region important for its natural resources. In places where mining activities have finished and the land is under management for ecological restoration, there is increasing demand for information about native plant communities and the biology of their seeds.

Pilbara Seed Atlas and Field Guide is the first book to combine plant identification with robust, scientific criteria for cost-effective seed-based rehabilitation. It describes 103 regional plant taxa and provides guidelines for effective collection, cleaning, storage and germination of their seeds. It addresses issues such as timing of collection, quality and viability of seed, and dormancy release, which are essential for successful restoration programs. With photographs to portray the subtle differences and unique features of each species’ biology, this book will be of great use to practitioners in the field, including environmental consultants, rehabilitation companies, commercial seed collectors and government authorities, as well as naturalists and people interested in growing the Pilbara’s remarkable plants.

* 2016 Finalist, BHP Environment Awards.

 

Stevens, J.C., Rokich, D., Newton, V.J., Barrett, R.L. & Dixon, K.W. (eds) (2016) Banksia woodlands: A restoration guide for the Swan Coastal Plain. University of Western Australia Press: Crawley. 378 pp. http://uwap.uwa.edu.au/products/restoring-perths-banksia-woodlands

 

This book provides an introduction to Banksia woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain around Perth, Western Australia. It contains chapters on: Floristics of Banksia woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain; Ecology of ten common dominant trees in Banksia woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain; Defining the restoration target; Soil profile reconstruction using salvaged soils; Topsoil as a plant source for Banksia woodland restoration; Seed sourcing for restoration of Banksia woodlands; Seed Storage and Seed Germination; Application of Seeds: Direct Seeding; Application of Seeds: Seedling Production and Planting; Weed management; Planning, management and engineering approaches to post-quarry restoration of Banksia woodlands: a managers perspective; and An adaptive restoration framework for Banksia woodlands, within the Kings Park and Bold Park bushlands as case studies.

* 2017 Winner, Golden Gecko Award for Environmental Excellence (Dept  Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety)

* 2017 Winner, WestBusiness Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Green Business (Austr. Instit. Management, WA)

 

Barrett, R.L. (ed) (2015) Bush Blitz Special Issue. Australian Systematic Botany 27(5–6): 325–482. http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/151/issue/7216.htm

 

This Special Issue of Australian Systematic Botany showcases the Bush Blitz program and draws together several significant outcomes in Australian algal, fungal, and plant systematics. Research papers included in this volume present the results of Bush Blitz field trips, from the Tasmanian highlands to the central Australian deserts, novel taxonomic discoveries, including alga, lichens and plants, and significant research outcomes from Bush Blitz Research Grants and Capacity Building Grants awarded to researchers, including post-graduate students. The Special Issue describes 13 new species, including a freshwater alga with screw-like wings on its oospores, the world’s smallest species in the fan-flower family Goodeniaceae, and rock-encrusting lichens. Along with these novelties come revised circumscriptions for numerous additional species. Significant advances are also made in our understanding of the evolutionary relationships in Aspleniaceae, Synostemon and Zieria through detailed molecular phylogenetic research.

 

Barrett, R.L. & Pin Tay, E. (2005) Perth Plants. A field guide to the bushland and coastal flora of Kings Park and Bold Park. Botanic Gardens & Parks Authority, West Perth. 416 pp. [out of print]

 

The city of Perth is well known and treasured for its areas of protected bushland in the heart of the city. Kings Park and Bold Park represent a significant part of the natural heritage of the Swan Coastal Plain and are an important part of city life. The city is also a gateway to the incredible biodiversity to be found in south-west Western Australia. Perth Plants provides a comprehensive photographic guide to all plants known to occur in the bushlands of Kings Park and Bold Park, both native plants and naturalised weeds. There are 756 species included, representing approximately one-quarter of all the plants in the greater Perth region, and one-tenth of all species known for the south-west of Western Australia. This field guide provides an excellent introduction to many of the diverse plant families and unusually species found in south-western Australia, including the iconic kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos manglesii) and tree mistletoe (Nuytsia floribunda).

 

Barrett, R.L., Hopper, S.D. & Farrer, S.L. (eds) (2005) Generic concepts and modern taxonomy. Special Issue. Australian Systematic Botany 18(1): 1–115. http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/151/issue/1000.htm

 

Some twenty years on from the Boden Conference on large genera in Thredbo, a mini-symposium on large genera and generic concepts opened the proceedings of the 150 Conference, celebrating 150 years of the National Herbarium, Victoria, in September 2003. The 150 Conference celebrated the rich history of systematic botany in Australia and the important role of the National Herbarium of Victoria, past and present. This volume was formed from a combination of papers presented at the conference and invited papers. Key phylogenetic groups and genera considered include hornworts, mosses, charophytes, the Pultenaea alliance (Fabaceae), Hibiscus (Malvaceae), Mimulus (Phrymaceae), Dryandra / Banksia (Proteaceae) and the Australian Salicornioideae (Chenopodiaceae). Some proposed changes have since been adopted (e.g. the merger of Dryandra into Banksia, while reclassification of the Pultenaea alliance awaits further research.

 

Dixon, K.W., Kell, S.P., Barrett, R.L. & Cribb, P.J. (eds) (2003) Orchid Conservation. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. 418 pp. https://www.nhpborneo.com/book/orchid-conservation/

 

Orchids are one of the most diverse and most widespread families of flowering plants and are one of the few plant families that have a profile that can benefit plant conservation on a broad scale. Orchid conservation, however, is at a crossroads. We understand more about the distribution, rarity, threats and extinction of orchids than ever before, and we have the scientific tools to address many of the problems, yet many species face daily threats including habitat loss and unsustainable exploitation. Many international plant conservation groups, including the Orchid Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, are using orchids as flagship species in the conservation debate. These organisations have a vital role to play in countering the trend of biodiversity loss by promoting effective orchid conservation, improving networking and technology transfer, interacting with decision-makers, and in educating the orchid community.

 

Sivasithamparam, K., Dixon, K.W. & Barrett, R.L. (eds) (2002) Microorganisms in Plant Conservation and Biodiversity. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Dordrecht, Netherlands. 378 pp. http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F0-306-48099-9

 

This book addresses the role of microorganisms in conservation – both their support functions and deleterious roles in ecosystem function and species survival. Importantly, a number of contributing authors highlight how microbial diversity is, itself, now under threat from the many and pervasive influences of man. What is clear from this volume is that like many contemporary treatments of plant and animal conservation, the solution to mitigate the erosion of biodiversity is not simple, made all the more complex by the lack of reliable taxonomic information, particularly for the predicted immense diversity of microorganisms.