General view of the botany of the vicinity of Swan River facts for kids

General view of the botany of the vicinity of Swan River is an important science paper from 1831. It was written by a Scottish botanist named Robert Brown. The paper talks about the plants found near the Swan River Colony. This area is now part of Western Australia. Brown also wrote about how these plants are similar to those in other parts of the world. Experts have called this paper a key step in understanding the plant life of southwestern Australia.

How the Paper Was Made

Robert Brown wrote his paper using information from three main plant collections.

• One collection came from botanist Charles Fraser. He gathered these plants during an expedition in 1827. This trip was led by James Stirling.
• Another collection was sent to Brown by Alexander Macleay. He was a government official in New South Wales.
• The third collection came from James Mangles.

Brown had already used these and other plant samples for an earlier book. It was called Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae and came out in 1830. He also wrote several notes about the plants of the Swan River Colony.

In 1830, Brown helped start the Royal Geographical Society. He was on the team that created its rules. Later, he joined its first council. He presented his paper, General view of the botany of the vicinity of Swan River, at one of the society's first meetings. This happened on November 22, 1830. The paper was then printed in the society's first Journal the next year. It was printed again in 1866 in a book by John Joseph Bennett.

What the Paper Says

The paper starts by describing the plants around the Swan River Colony. Brown noted that this area had many types of plants. Some of the most common families he saw were:

• Proteaceae (like banksias and grevilleas)
• Myrtaceae (like eucalypts)
• Fabaceae (especially Acacia or wattles)
• Epacridaceae (heath plants)
• Goodeniaceae
• Asteraceae (daisy family)

Brown also pointed out other important plants not in these families. For example, he moved the unique parasitic tree Nuytsia floribunda (also known as the West Australian Christmas Tree) from one plant group to another.

Next, Brown looked at how the plants in the Swan River Colony relate to plants in other places. He found a very strong link between the plants there and those at King George Sound and Lucky Bay. These places are on Australia's south coast. However, he found very few plant types that were the same as those on Australia's east coast at similar latitudes.

Focusing on the Proteaceae family, Brown repeated an idea he first shared in 1814. He believed that plants on Australia's west coast were very similar to those in South Africa. On the other hand, plants on the east coast were more like those found in South America.

The paper ends with an interesting observation. Brown noted that Australian forests often look dull. He said this is because Eucalyptus and Acacia trees are very common in Australia. These trees usually have tiny pores called stomata on both sides of their leaves. This means their leaves don't have a shiny upper surface, making the forests look less bright.

Why This Paper Is Important

Ludwig Diels, another botanist, said that General view of the botany of the vicinity of Swan River was "an essential step". He meant it was very important for understanding the plant boundaries of the Southwest province of Australia. This paper helped scientists learn more about where different plant groups grow.