New Zealand's native trees by John Dawson and Rob Lucas. Nelson, Craig Potton Publishing. 2011. Hardback 310×229mm. 576 p. ISBN 978-1-877-51701-3 (standard) 978-1-877-51765-5 (deluxe). Price: NZ$120.00 standard; NZ$180 deluxe.
New Zealand has a great history of beautifully illustrated plant books and New Zealand's Native Trees continues this tradition. In 576 pages, an overview is presented of New Zealand's more than 320 native tree species, subspecies and varieties. These are illustrated with c. 2300 photographs that show their diagnostic features and beauty. Introductory chapters set the scene and, together with numerous text ‘boxes’ with additional information, provide context.
New Zealand's Native Trees bears close similarities to John Salmon's The Native Trees of New Zealand (Citation1980). The core of both books is formed by very brief descriptions of native tree taxa, including tree ferns and species that fall in the grey zone between trees and shrubs, and high-quality photographs similarly fill most of the pages. The resemblance between both books continues in layout and composition and makes New Zealand's Native Trees look and feel like an updated version of Salmon's book. However, in addition to using updated taxonomic classifications, this new book is different in providing more in-depth introductory chapters, having a stronger emphasis on illustrating differences between morphologically similar taxa and more prominently displaying noteworthy details of the diagnostic features or interesting ecological aspects of native trees. An appendix that summarizes the sexual systems of native trees is also a very useful addition.
New Zealand's Native Trees targets a similar audience as The Native Trees of New Zealand. Both books will stimulate amateur plant enthusiasts to become more familiar with the country's native trees, but will also provide professionals with scientific-quality plant photographs that are generally poorly accessible in the scientific literature (but see websites such as www.nzpcn.org.nz and www.phytoimages.siu.edu). I would have preferred it if this book stood out a little more by targeting the latter category of users a bit better. For example, the addition of identification keys, somewhat more detailed descriptions and an organization of genera by family rather than alphabetical, would have increased the value of this book for professional botanists without making it less user-friendly to other users.
The strength of New Zealand's Native Trees clearly lies in the photographs. They are simply stunning and make it difficult to decide between turning yet another page or strapping on your hiking boots to see the beauty of New Zealand's native vegetation with your own eyes.
PB Pelser
Lecturer in Plant Systematics
School of Biological Sciences
University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
Reference
- JT Salmon 1980 . The native trees of New Zealand . Reed , Wellington , 1980 .