The Greening Of Gondwana: The 400 Million Year Story Of Australia's Plants
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Long before the first human footprint marked the ancient continent of Australia, an extraordinary botanical drama was unfolding across 400 million years — a saga chronicled with scientific precision and narrative sweep in Mary E. White's landmark work, The Greening of Gondwana. This authoritative volume traces the complete evolutionary history of Australia's unique plant life, from the earliest primitive land plants of the Devonian period through the development of the continent's iconic flora — eucalypts, acacias, and banksias — that define the Australian landscape today. White presents a compelling account of how the great supercontinent of Gondwana broke apart and how the isolation of the Australian landmass shaped one of the most distinctive and resilient plant kingdoms on Earth. A palaeobotanist of exceptional standing, White argues persuasively that understanding Australia's botanical past is essential to comprehending its ecological present, weaving together geology, climatology, and evolutionary biology into a richly illustrated and accessible narrative. Her prose bridges the gap between rigorous scientific scholarship and the engaged general reader, bringing deep time vividly to life with clarity and authority. Lavishly supported by fossil evidence and botanical illustration, this work stands as a foundational text in the study of Australian natural history — leaving the reader with a profound sense of wonder at just how ancient, and how improbable, the green continent truly is.
Author: Mary E. White
Format: Hardback
Published: 1986, Reed Books
Genre: Botany
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Long before the first human footprint marked the ancient continent of Australia, an extraordinary botanical drama was unfolding across 400 million years — a saga chronicled with scientific precision and narrative sweep in Mary E. White's landmark work, The Greening of Gondwana. This authoritative volume traces the complete evolutionary history of Australia's unique plant life, from the earliest primitive land plants of the Devonian period through the development of the continent's iconic flora — eucalypts, acacias, and banksias — that define the Australian landscape today. White presents a compelling account of how the great supercontinent of Gondwana broke apart and how the isolation of the Australian landmass shaped one of the most distinctive and resilient plant kingdoms on Earth. A palaeobotanist of exceptional standing, White argues persuasively that understanding Australia's botanical past is essential to comprehending its ecological present, weaving together geology, climatology, and evolutionary biology into a richly illustrated and accessible narrative. Her prose bridges the gap between rigorous scientific scholarship and the engaged general reader, bringing deep time vividly to life with clarity and authority. Lavishly supported by fossil evidence and botanical illustration, this work stands as a foundational text in the study of Australian natural history — leaving the reader with a profound sense of wonder at just how ancient, and how improbable, the green continent truly is.