Author(s): J.T. Salmon

NZ Natural History

The colour photographs in this book ? more than 1,500 of them ? constitute the finest and most comprehensive record of the native trees of New Zealand ever achieved. Never before has such a detailed coverage in photographs been assembled in book from. Here is the essence ? and the reality ? of our native forests. There are more than 220 species of indigenous New Zealand tree, and they are all covered in this book; its scope is complete. Most tree species are described and illustrated in detail; the full tree specimen, the leaf shapes (most at natural size), the bark, the flowers, the fruits. The major trees, such as kahikatea, totara, rimu and kauri, receive special attention; the great tree specimens are reproduced in superb large photographs and some of the fascinating natural cycles ? such as the development of flowers and fruits ? are recorded in detailed sequences. The Native Trees of New Zealand represents many years of work by Prof. John Salmon, who has tramped to some of the country?s most remote corners, often many times over in all seasons of the year, to record the more rare species. The 1,500 colour photographs are the result of that labour. But this book is more than a botanical record. An outstanding introductory section examines the role of the tree in the harmony of nature, in the many natural cycles taking place inside the living forest. The types of New Zealand forest are examined; the origins of species in remote antiquity are explained.