Australian Native Plants Society

{{Short description|Society for Australian Native Plant enthusists}}

{{hatnote|"ASGAP" redirects here; it is not to be confused with ASCAP.}}

{{Redirect|Australian Plants|the plants of Australia|Flora of Australia}}

The Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) (ANPSA) is a federation of seven state-based member organisations for people interested in Australia's native flora, both in aspects of conservation and in cultivation.

A national conference is held biennially for members of the state-based societies. The combined membership is around 9000 people.

History

The Society for Growing Australian Plants (SGAP) was established in 1957 by a group of people who "pledged to promote the establishment and breeding of Australian native plants for garden, park and farm". By 1958 active regional Societies had been established in six States and the ACT with the Federal Association (ASGAP) being formed in 1962.

Initially the focus was on growing and learning about Australian flora more for home and amenities plantings – members included botanists and horticulturists as well as enthusiastic laypeople. As time has gone on, there has been an increasing focus on conservation, and advocacy for conservation, of Australian flora. The Wildflower Society in Western Australia has been particularly diligent in liaising with government bodies in that state and the New South Wales body is a member of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW.

The national association changed its name to the Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) in 2008.

Rare and "hard to find" Australian plants can be purchased at their plant sales, which typically occur twice a year, spring and autumn, in many regions.

Promotion of Australian flora

Over the years, many important figures in Australian Botany and Horticulture have been members, Alex George, John Wrigley, Rodger Elliot, Angus Stewart and Ivan Holliday to name a few.

Over the years, important texts on Australian flora have been either published by members, or funded by SGAP, including:

The Banksia Book, by Alex George{{Citation | last1=George|first1= Alexander S |last2=Gardner|first2=Charles Austin| title=The banksia book | date=1996 | publisher=Kangaroo Press in association with the Society for Growing Australian Plants -N.S.W | edition=3rd | isbn=978-0-86417-818-3 }}{{Citation | last1=George|first1= Alexander S | last2=Gardner|first2= C. A | title=The Banksia book | date=1984 | publisher=Kangaroo Press in association with the Society for Growing Australian Plants | isbn=978-0-86417-006-4 }}{{Citation | last1=George|first1= Alexander S | last2=Gardner|first2= Charles Austin | title=The banksia book | date=1987 | publisher=Kangaroo Press in association with the Society for Growing Australian Plants N.S.W | edition=2nd | isbn=978-0-86417-143-6 }}
The Grevillea Books (vols 1–3), by Neil Marriott & Peter Olde{{Citation | last1=Olde|first1= Peter | last2=Marriott| first2= Neil | title=The Grevillea book|volume= 1 | date=1994 | publisher=Kangaroo Press | isbn=978-0-86417-325-6 }}{{Citation | last1=Olde|first1= Peter | last2=Marriott|first2= Neil | title=The Grevillea book|volume=2 Species A-L | date=1995 | publisher=Kangaroo Press | isbn=978-0-86417-326-3 }}{{Citation | last1=Olde|first1= Peter | last2=Marriott|first2= Neil | title=The Grevillea book|volume=3 Species M-Z | date=1994 | publisher=Kangaroo Press | isbn=978-0-86417-326-3 }}
Encyclopedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation (vols 1–9), Rodger Elliot, David Jones & Trevor Blake{{Citation | last1=Elliot|first1=Winston Rodger | last2=Jones|first2= David Lloyd | last3=Blake|first3= Trevor L | title=Encyclopaedia of Australian plants suitable for cultivation | date=1980 | publisher=Lothian Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd | isbn=978-0-85091-070-4 }}
Native Plants of the Sydney District by Alan Fairley & Philip Moore{{Citation | last1=Fairley|first1= Alan | last2=Moore |first2=Philip| author3=Society for Growing Australian Plants | title=Native plants of the Sydney district : an identification guide | date=1989 | publisher=Kangaroo Press in association with the Society for Growing Australian Plants-NSW | isbn=978-0-86417-261-7 }}
Field Guide to Plants of the Dry Tropics, by Keith Townsend{{Citation | last1=Townsend |first1=Keith | title=Field guide to plants of the dry tropics | publication-date=1997 | publisher=Society for Growing Australian Plants, Townsville Branch | isbn=978-0-909830-54-0}}
Across the Top – Gardening with Australian Plants in the Tropics, by Keith Townsend{{Citation |author1=Townsend |first=Keith |title=Across the top : gardening with Australian plants in the tropics |publication-date=1994 |publisher=Society for Growing Australian Plants, Townsville Branch |isbn=978-0-909830-46-5 |author2=}}
Common native plants of the Coorong region : identification, propagation, historical uses, by Neville Bonney (2004){{Citation | author1=Bonney, Neville | author2=Australian Plants Society (S.A.) | title=Common native plants of the Coorong region : identification, propagation, historical uses | publication-date=2004 | publisher=Australian Plants Society, South Australian Region | isbn=978-0-646-44207-5}}
{{cite book | author = Kemp B| year = 2004 | title = Wildflowers of the North Coast of New South Wales| publisher = New Holland Press | location = Kenthurst, New South Wales | isbn = 1-877069-05-1}}
{{cite book | author = Mason D| year = 1999 | title = The Blooming Banksia: Easy Identification of Banksias in Far North Eastern NSW and South Eastern Qld.| publisher = Australian Plants Society, NSW Region - Far North Coast Group | location = Lismore, New South Wales | isbn = 0-909830-51-7}}
{{cite book|author1=Holliday, Ivan |author2=Watton, Geoffrey |title=Banksias: A Field and Garden Guide|publisher=Australian Plants Society (SA Region)|location=Adelaide, South Australia|year=2008|orig-year=1977|edition=3rd|isbn=978-0-9803013-1-1}}

Regional (state-based) bodies

The societies are:

Australian Plants Society (SGAP Victoria) Inchttps://web.archive.org/web/20100414170845/http://www.apsvic.org.au/index.html
Australian Plants Society NSWhttp://www.austplants.com.au
Australian Plants Society – Tasmania Region
Australian Plants Society – SA Regionhttp://www.australianplantssa.asn.au
Australian Native Plants Society – Canberra Region
Society for Growing Australian Plants (SGAP) – Queensland Region
Wildflower Society of Western Australia

Membership to these societies totals about 9000 people. The vast majority of members live in Australia, though there are members in Europe and America.

List of species and topics studied

Acacia
Banksia
Bonsai
Brachychiton and allied genera
Container plants
Correa
Daisy (Australian)
Dryandra
Epacris
Eremophila
Eucalyptus
Fabaceae
Fern
Food plants (Australian)
Garden design
Grevillea
Hakea
Hibiscus and related genera
Isopogon and Petrophile
Melaleuca (including Callistemon, Calothamnus and allied genera)
Orchids (Australian)
Palm and cycad (Australian)
Prostanthera and Westringia
Rainforest
Rhamnaceae
Succulents (Australian)
Verticordia
Wallum (Coastal Banksia heath)
Wetlands
Wildlife and native plants

''Australian Plants''

A quarterly colour journal, Australian Plants, has been distributed nationally since 1959, with each region producing a quarterly newsletter. The journal produced a very large range of materials which have been collated. Bill Payne was the journal's editor from its inception until 2001. It is a 48-page newsletter in A5 format.Cavanagh, A. K., John Walter, and Jan Sked. (2007) Fifty years promoting Australian plants : a checklist of publications by SGAP and its members 1957–2007 Nedlands, W.A. : Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants. {{ISBN|978-0-9587011-5-0}}

Text from the Trove entry, states:{{Citation | author1=Society for Growing Australian Plants | title=Australian plants | date=1959 | publisher=Society for Growing Australian Plants | issn=0005-0008 }}

:V.1 no.1 has cover title "Commonwealth journal of the Society... V.1 no.1-3 each issued in several "reprintings" with differing pagination and contents.

:Published by Society for Growing Australian Plants NSW Ltd., (Mar. 1988–); by Australian Plants Society NSW Ltd., (Mar. 2001–)

"Australian plants" is complemented by the Society's online publication, "Australian plants online", but the content of the two publications is completely different.

:Also available on microfiche. In: Pinpointer popular periodicals on microfiche [microform]. Canberra: Australian Advisory Council on Bibliographical Services, 1982–1991.

:Indexed by: Biological abstracts ISSN 0006-3169.