Parks & Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory
M Osterkamp Madsen
Illustrations
398 pages
Publisher:
Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS)
The seasonally inundated, coastal floodplains of the Northern Territory are the largest of their kind in Australia. They are a haven and breeding ground for numerous bird species and a home to crocodiles and other reptiles, they support a range of mammals, and their waters teem with an array of fish. This book is primarily an identification tool for the floodplain flora, which provides shelter and is the primary food source for the rich animal diversity. To place this important ecosystem of the Top End in perspective there is an introductory overview of the natural history, ethnobiology and management and conservation issues of the floodplains.
This book provides the first comprehensive account of the plants of the coastal floodplains and will be invaluable to naturalists, biodiversity managers, biologists and all visitors to the Top End — that part of the Northern Territory north of about Mataranka. It will also be useful in adjacent parts of Queensland and Western Australia.
The main part of the volume consists of descriptions, illustrations and keys to enable identification of the more than 300 conspicuous species of plants that grow on the floodplains. Nearly every species is illustrated. It will also be of use in identifying plants that occupy seasonal or permanent billabongs and lagoons of the Top End of the Northern Territory, as it includes an account of almost all fully aquatic plant species in the Territory, including those not found on the floodplains.
There are 14 pages of colour photographs and 89 full page black and white figures: 84 of them are carefully executed line drawings illustrating 328 taxa.
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