Flora of Australia Volume 28

Gentianales

Australian Biological Resources Study

Illustrations
336 pages
Publishers: CSIRO PUBLISHING / Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS)

Paperback - 1996
ISBN: 9780643058859 - AU $ 74.95

This book deals with four families of the Order Gentianales in Australia: Loganiaceae, Gentianaceae, Apocynaceae and Asclepiadaceae. The volume provides descriptions of 62 genera and 326 species in these families. Loganiaceae are a mainly tropical and subtropical family. In Australia, there are 9 genera and 100 species, but the majority of species are found in 2 genera, Logania (33 species) and Mitrasacme (48 species). Two newly described genera, segregated from Mitrasacme, are included in this treatment. The Australian Gentianaceae consist of 8 genera and 31 species. The montane taxa have until recently been included in Gentianella, but here they are distributed between Gentiana and Chionogentias. Apocynaceae are also pantropical, with 22 genera and 87 species in Australia. The family contains a large number of ornamental species that are extensively cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. Many species have toxic fruit and foliage, and some species are important as a source of alkaloids in medical research. Asclepiadaceae are a pantropical family, perhaps best known for their very specialised floral structure, and many, including Hoya, Asclepias and Dischidia, are grown as horticultural subjects. Australia has 23 genera and 98 species.

"The volume, as a whole, is attractively presented and the high quality of the illustrations and photographs should find appeal for botanists and botanical enthusiasts alike. Horticulturalists with an interest in the asclepiads will find this volume to be a useful and important addition to their library. For researchers interested in the systematics of Mitrasacme (Loganiaceae) and Parsonsia (Apocynaceae), the many new taxa will make this publication an essential reference."
AC Rozefelds, Tasmanian Herbarium