This second edition contains some entirely new essays and other material.
From the publisher's announcement:
This volume provides an overview of the series and important background information on the flora of Australia. Chapters by leading scientists review the history of plant exploration in Australia and its literature, and provide concise biographies of major collectors and describers of Australia's plants, guides to the location of their collections and references to more detailed biographies. Current plant communities, the evolution and phytogeography of Australia's unique flora and the impact of human activities are all described. The volume concludes with a glossary of botanical terms, and a key to the families of Australian flowering plants.
Reviews
"The book is well written and beautifully illustrated. This very informative volume should find its way to the desks of all people interested in the flora of Australia. The editors and authors are congratulated with this well executed book."
Fritz Adema (BLUMEA, Vol. 45, No. 1, 2000)
". . . includes exceptionally comprehensive new essays and maps relating to the history of Australian plant taxonomy, the evolution of the Australian physical environment, paleobotany, present-day environment and vegetation communities, biogeography, and management. . . an excellent resource for those interested in Australian vegetation and its relationship to the physical environment."
CHOICE, September 1999
"The Introduction offers an excellent and up-to-date overview of the multifarious nature of floristics in Australia."
TAXON 48, August 1999
"The revised Introduction is a veritable goldmine of botanical information. It is scholarly and authoritative, and written sufficiently clearly and directly to engage any interested English-literate reader." Linden Gillbank, University of Melbourne (The Victorian Naturalist v.117 no.3 2000)