Flowers Of The South Coast and Ranges Of New South Wales

Botany Australian Flora Natural History Field Guide Native Plant Gardening Regional Flora Wildflower Identification

First published in 1999, this scarce paperback is the most user-friendly field guide ever devoted to the wildflowers that thrive along the New South Wales coastline and the adjoining ranges. Don and Betty Wood spent decades botanising every headland, heath and escarpment from Eden to the Illawarra; the result is a compact 250-page reference that fits in a day-pack yet covers more than 600 species. Each plant is captured in the Woods’ own crisp colour photographs, arranged so that the weekend naturalist can make a positive ID without a hand lens or botanical Latin.

What separates this book from later, more generic guides is its regional specificity: every flower you are likely to meet on the Grand Pacific Drive, in the Budawangs, or beside the Clyde River is here, with concise notes on flowering month, preferred soil, altitude range and whether it is garden-worthy. Native orchids, pea-flowers, banksias and the showy coastal herbs are all treated in equal detail, making it indispensable for bushwalkers, field ecologists, and locals who want to landscape with true local provenance stock.

Because the 1999 print-run was modest and never re-issued, clean copies are now keenly sought by collectors of Australian natural history. The copy on offer shows only light sun-fade to the covers—a common result of being carried in the car glovebox for impromptu roadside botanising—while every page inside remains crisp, unmarked and tightly bound. For bushwalkers, native-plant gardeners, or anyone preparing for the NSW coast’s spectacular spring wildflower season, this is the guide that professionals reach for first and the title most frequently missing from their shelf.

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