New Guinea vegetation

Abstract

The island of New Guinea is rich in vegetation varying from mangrove swamps through savanna to dense forests. Here, for the first time in one book, this vegetation is considered from the diverse viewpoints of the botanist, the ethnobotanist, the ecologist and the biogeographer. New Guinea Vegetation contains a wealth of information on the geographical and altitudinal distribution of the island{u2019}s flora, the way in which plants have migrated to and from neighbouring countries, the ecology of the various plant communities and the uses to which the people put the plants - as food or medicine, in magic and rituals, and for the manufacture of the goods needed in their day to day life. This usefully illustrated book will be invaluable for those interested in tropical plants, their ecology and uses.