local plants launched

Early last week I went along to the launch of the Local Plants of the Shire of Yarra Ranges at Lillydale Lake. Although the directory was completed in early February, the bushfires set back the official launch date.

The online directory is very easy to use with a very useful link to the Shire's mapping system to work out what vegetation community you live in and what plants are indigenous to your area.


It is an amazing body of work covering over 900 plants in Yarra Ranges, with photos for most of them, an extraordinary effort in itself. Marilyn Gray (ex Curator of Karwarra Gardens) has spent many years compiling the work, tracking down photos of rare species and tirelessly walking around Yarra Ranges to track down various species.

Peter Kinchington photographed most of the plants in the directory and has done a marvellous job capturing plants whilst flowering, their leaf form and their growing habits.

It is a great online resource for anyone wanting to seek out more information about plants in Yarra Ranges, what plant community you live in and what is a suitable street tree for you. For more details including a link to the directory visit my earlier blog entry.