Which Native Tree?
Ian Close
by Andrew Crowe (Viking Pacific) $19.95 This is the best short guide yet to the 50 or so most common New Zealand trees. The book combines simple descriptions, clear photos of leaves and fruit, line drawings of the full tree plus distribution maps and altitude
graphs of where the tree grows in the wild. The centrepiece of Crowe’s guide is a number of well thought out graphic "leaf keys" to guide the reader through the options for the identification of any species. For example, if you follow the path of "leaves toothed", "over 5 cm long", then "under 10 cm long", "whitish underneath" but no "curled edges" you will correctly arrive at kotukutuku, Fuchsia excorticata. You can then turn to a full description of that species. If there is a criticism of the descriptions it would be an overemphasis on the human "uses" of the tree rather than its natural values. A useful addition would have been the family name of each species — a help for those who want to understand more about plant relationships.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/FORBI19920801.2.26.2
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Forest and Bird, Issue 265, 1 August 1992, Page 47
Word count
Tapeke kupu
180Which Native Tree? Forest and Bird, Issue 265, 1 August 1992, Page 47
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