Wild plants of the Castlemaine District

This website is based on the plant identification and reference guide produced by the late Ern Perkins, a founding and very active member of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club (CFNC). Ern Perkins studied and photographed the flowering plants of the Castlemaine District, covering the Mt Alexander Shire, plus Porcupine Ridge and Fryers Ridge. Over his forty year membership of CFNC, Ern produced many plant lists for specific areas, the Castlemaine Plant List, and searchable CD-ROMs Grasses of the Castlemaine District and Is it a Native? (a weed identification CD); these were the precursors of the present flora database, which he prepared in HTML format and issued in July 2016 on USB memory sticks.

On the original Home Page, Ern wrote:

2016 marks the 40th anniversary of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club, and over 55 years of my membership of one or more field naturalists clubs. This publication shows some of the plant photographs accumulated over this time.

It is hoped that it will be a useful resource for field naturalists, Landcare members and the general public. It is designed so that it can be readily added to and kept up to date. It is a community resource, and contributions would be welcomed.

The value of the resource was immediately recognized by members of CFNC, Connecting Country, Friends of the Box Ironbark Forests (FOBIF), and other users. CFNC, with the approval of Ern Perkins and in conjunction with his family and support from Connecting Country and FOBIF, decided that the database should be made available online.

To find information on a plant. From the Home page, click on Scientific Name or Common Name if you know either of these. Or click on Plant Families (e.g., Daisies, Orchids) or Plant Groups (e.g., Ferns, Poas) or on Distinctive Plants (e.g., Blue flowers, Spiny branches) to see lists that will take you to a page of thumbnail pictures and plant names, which when clicked on take you to the detailed page for each plant. On other pages, you can access these options by clicking on Menu.

If you cannot find the plant name in the index, check the list of plant name changes: the name of the plant that you are familiar with may have been changed. There is also a list of plants that are not (yet) on the database.

When correct identification of a plant species is important, we recommend cross-checking the identification provided by this guide carefully with either other specialists (e.g. National Herbarium of Victoria, locally-based botanists within groups and organizations such as Field Naturalists Clubs, Landcare, Connecting Country) and/or other online guides (e.g., VicFlora and VicVeg). Accurate plant identification for many species can be tricky, and even the best botanists seek assistance and confirmation from others from time-to-time.

Suggestions for changes to the information in this database may be emailed to CFNC.

About this publication

Edition number
Credits
Name changes
Victorian Rare or Threatened Species
Noxious and Environmental weeds
Plants not included in this publication
Make friends with the scientific names

Except where otherwise indicated, text and images by Ern Perkins.

Produced for the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club Inc. P.O.Box 324, Castlemaine Vic 3450.
Web site: Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club
and
Connecting Country
233b Barker st, Castlemaine.
Web site: Connecting Country
Connecting Country is a community-operated not-for-profit organisation working to restore and enhance biodiversity and improve the productive natural environment across the Mount Alexander region in central Victoria. The organisation is led by the community and works together with a wide range of other groups, organisations and government agencies.

This online version is also supported by Friends of Box Ironbark Forests Inc.

Scale bar = 1cm unless otherwise specified.