Category Archives: Biogeography

The last of the deciduous: Nothofagus gunnii

Posted on July 24, 2010 by David Tng

It is most remiss of me, that I should write of one of Tasmania’s most iconic trees only now, after more than a year of blogging about Tasmania’s fantastic flora. Introducing a tree that needs little introduction – Tasmania’s one … Continue reading →

Posted in Biogeography, Botanical Heritage, Fossils, Plant Appreciation, Shrubs, Tasmanian Endemics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mountain Ashes tell the story ice age survival

Posted on January 27, 2010 by David Tng

A rather recent trend in molecular science has been to use the technique to extort genes to reveal the history of how a plant has extended it’s geographical distribution throughout time. I have written about how researcher James Worth used … Continue reading →

Posted in Biogeography, Eucalypts, Evolution, Hypotheses, Molecular Evolution, Trees | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Lily before the lilies, Campynema lineare

Posted on January 24, 2010 by David Tng

In Tasmania’s heaths, herbfields, cliffs, lake margins and among cushion plant communities of the Northwestern and Central highlands lurk one of Tasmania’s most elusive botanical secrets – a little lily that hails from a botanical lineage of great antiquity. First … Continue reading →

Posted in Biogeography, Botanical Heritage, Botany, Plant Appreciation, Tasmanian Endemics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The globe on a stalk, Pleurophascum grandiglobum

Posted on January 4, 2010 by David Tng

When ardent students of mosses or bryologists traverse the globe to come to Tasmania, they will have, among the top candidates of their ‘to-see’ list, an `endemic Tasmanian moss. This is none other than Pleurophascum grandiglobum. Rest assured that this … Continue reading →

Posted in Biogeography, Botanical Heritage, Botanical History, Bryophytes, Key Characters, Plant Morphology, Tasmanian Endemics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Myrtle Beech: profile of a true survivor

Posted on November 10, 2009 by David Tng

The Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii) is one of Tasmania’s icon trees, and is the dominant component of  Tasmania’s cool temperate rainforest. Where these dendrons attain their finest stature in some parts of Tasmania’s verdant Northwest and Northeast, they assemble grand … Continue reading →

Posted in Biogeography, Botanical Heritage, Botany, Evolution, Fossils, Molecular Evolution | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The origin of the Yam Daisy (Microseris lanceolata)

Posted on September 18, 2009 by David Tng

An unassuming daisy, the Yam Daisy (Microseris lanceolata) or ‘Murnong’  as it is known by tuber hunting aborigines on the mainland, has a convoluted history. This makes it a subject of ecological and evolutionary interest to biologists. It’s closest relatives … Continue reading →

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