Flora of Australia Volume 2: Winteraceae to Platanaceae (Flora of Australia Series)

Volume 2 of the highly acclaimed Flora of Australia series describes 24 families of plants, representing some of the most ancient flowering plants known. Most of them are largely tropical, with the exception of Ranunculaceae, and the wholly introduced families Berberidaceae, Papaveraceae, Fumariaceae and Platanaceae. In all, the volume contains 24 families, 95 genera, and 456 taxa at species and infraspecific level. The Lauraceae include many important timber trees in Queensland and New South Wales, as well as the invasive introduced tree species Cinnamomum camphora, the Camphor Laurel. Aristolochiaceae, Austrobaileyaceae and Piperaceae are often spectacular flowering vines in more northern areas, while in southern Australia Cassytha in the Lauraceae and Clematis in the Ranunculaceae are the most common climbing genera. Ranunculus is one of the larger genera described, with 51 species mostly in the south-east and Tasmania, and an important component of the alpine flora.