Michael Garrett. The Ferns of Tasmania, Tasmanian Forest Research Council, Hoburt Tasmania. 1996. 217 pp., Color Plates. Tasmanian Forest Research Council c/o GPO Box 207B Hoburt Tasmania - 7215 Perhaps this book's title should be Everything You Want to Know about Tasmanian Ferns and Fern Allies. A book reviewer tries to determine the strong points and weak points of a book. Try as I did, I couldn't find anything wrong with this book. I brought in a professional pteridologist and even he couldn't find anything wrong with this book. So, let's talk about the things the author did right. Michael Garrett introduces the fern flora in Tasmania and proceeds with the almost requisite chapters on "Fern Structure and Life Cycle" and "Propagation and Cultivation." After that the book follows a different path from most fern flora. Garrett presents a brief review of the Tasmanian fern flora literature, in which he discusses how the documented fern and fern ally population has grown from 70 in Leonard Rodway's The Tasmanian Flora (1903) to 101 species in this volume (81 ferns and 20 fern allies). Next, Garrett provides a detailed breakdown of the ferns and fern allies by families and a complete checklist divided by family, by genus, and by species. Then, Garrett helps those of us who can't keep up with the name changes by providing a table of "Tasmanian pteridophytes which have undergone recent name changes." Following that table, Garrett presents a brief description of the Tasmanian fern fossil record. In Chapter 5, "Ecology and Distribution of Ferns in Tasmania," Garrett presents a "beefy" discussion of Tasmanian habitats, where the Tasmanian ferns grow in those habitats, and why they grow there. Garrett supplies tables of fern distribution by habitat and soil substrate. He also discusses the relationship of Tasmanian ferns with its two closest neighbors, Australia and New Zealand. The last section of this chapter deals with conservation concerns about specific rare ferns and fern allies. In Chapter 6, "Species Notes and Distribution Maps," for each species, Garrett provides a description of the common habitat and a Tasmanian state map, divided into 10 kilometer squares. The map shows the places in the state the species has been found and whether the record is (1) a field observation and an herbarium specimen or (2) only a field observation. Seeing the distribution in this way is extremely helpful for the reader's understanding of where each fern grows. The book's collection of consistently good color plates showing individuals of each species interrupts the middle of chapter 6. Garrett has also included pictures showing specific features of certain ferns and, my personal favorite, pictures of the habitat in which many of the ferns can be found. With the descriptions, the state maps, and the pictures of the habitat, it seems that it would be much easier to actually go out and find these ferns in situ. Chapter 6 is followed by three useful appendices: I. Tasmanian native ferns suitable for cultivation II. Substrate group, usual habitats and distribution of Tasmanian pteridophytes III. Tasmanian regional, interstate and overseas distribution Just when you might think that Garrett has run out of useful information, he follows the appendices with a glossary, a Field Key to Tasmanian Pteridophytes, bibliographic references, and a good index. The bottom line is that this is a very fine fern flora. I recommend it not only for what it tells us about Tasmanian ferns and fern allies, but also what it tells us about their cousins worldwide. Although there is very little specific cultivation information included in the book, if you pay attention to all the clues, you have all the information you need. The book is available at about AUD $45 in Tasmania and Australia from booksellers, some fern societies, and from the publishers. In the United States, the book is available for USD $35 plus shipping from the Hardy Fern Foundation.

Return to Book Reviews