‘We are lucky in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven to have the most diverse fern flora in south-eastern Australia at our doorstep,’ says Dr Kevin Mills, an Illawarra-based botanist and ecologist with extensive expertise in the botany of the NSW South Coast and some other regions, whose expertise naturally extends to local bushwalking. 

‘On a day's bushwalk in the region it is possible to record about 25 percent of the state's fern species,’ says Kevin, who is now equipping others to understand the fabulous fern flora around them. He has just launched his latest book – South Coast Ferns: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE FERNS AND FERN ALLIES OF THE NSW SOUTH COAST. 

In this publication by Envirobook, 136 fern species are presented – 128 native and eight naturalised, meaning they are from elsewhere but now reproduce in the area without human assistance. There are also five species of fern ally – four clubmosses and a Selaginella.

These are all the species of fern and fern ally that are currently known to exist within the book’s geographic scope – the NSW South Coast, defined as the approximately 9000 square kilometres from Port Hacking in the north, to Batemans Bay in the south, and inland to the high country between Moss Vale in the north, Bungonia in the west and Clyde Mountain in the south.

An introductory section covers all manner of ferny and South Coast content, including the reasons why the region has such a rich diversity of ferns. Then follows a series of species profiles, each with photographs and key information, including a map to show the species’ current distribution. There’s a vast array of species to discover in the book and once out exploring, book in hand, from tiny filmy ferns not much bigger than a fingernail to tall tree ferns.

Ferns have been a favourite group of plants for Kevin since his mid-1980s PhD on the rainforest flora of the Illawarra. This book was prepared over a period of more than 10 years but is imbued with a knowledge and enthusiasm for ferns that’s been built over more than three decades.

Bristly Shield Fern. Photo by Dwayne Stocks

The greatness of Kevin’s enthusiasm has, no doubt, given impetus to the mental and physical feats in this book’s backstory. He has canoed, rock climbed, abseiled, and balanced on a caving ladder in his determination to comprehensively understand and present every South Coast fern and fern ally in the book. 

Such determination would have seemed entirely in place amid the immense popularity of ferns in the late nineteenth century, an international craze that was then named ‘pteridomania’ – fern mania. In Australia at this time, the ferns of the NSW South Coast were especially acclaimed.

Although Kevin’s book arrives too late for that epic-scale historical pteridomania, it is still well-timed. In recent years, ferns have enjoyed yet another widespread revival in their popularity as an offshoot of increased interest in indoor plants. The fern group provides a bounty of excellent candidates for indoor, as well as outdoor gardening.

Also, ‘in the wild’ our ferns are increasingly at risk from factors due to human impact – climate change, competition with weeds, and land clearing. While many of the NSW South Coast’s fern species are common and widespread, some are rare and would benefit from some ‘citizen science’ help. 

The Bristly Shield Fern Lastreopsis hispida, is one such species – this fern is rare in Australia and endangered in NSW. It has only been recorded in the NSW South Coast region once, in the 1880s, but may still be present here. One feature that helps to differentiate it from similar ferns, is the presence of dark red-brown bristle-like scales on the rachis (the central stem of the frond).

Another rarity in Australia is the Oval Wedge Fern, Lindsaeacaea trichomanoides. This small fern of up to around 20 cm tall. In the Illawarra, this fern is most often found in ‘out of the way’ places, on the upper escarpment slopes and in plateau gullies.

Those ferns are pictured here, because as a reader of this article, if not also of the book, you can support the continued existence of these species on the NSW South Coast. Kevin welcomes hearing from you if you see either of these species – or others that have a rare status in his book – on your property or elsewhere. 

Oval Wedge Fern. Photo by Dr Kevin Mills

That would allow Kevin to study the plant and contribute a specimen (a sample that is removed from the plant and pressed) with its relevant information to an Australian herbarium. The NSW South Coast’s own regional herbarium – the Janet Cosh Herbarium at The University of Wollongong – is one possible herbarium, among a network of Australian herbaria that share a database of specimen information.

A specimen added to any of them supports the ongoing existence of the species and, thereby, the diversity of our flora. The knowledge that botanists gain from herbarium collections produces various benefits including an increased capacity to plan for successful revegetation projects.

Importantly, collecting native flora or fauna is governed by law – there are legalities to be aware of before collecting plants in part or whole. Only the whereabouts of the plant are wanted, along with some photographs.

Kevin also writes a monthly e-newsletter, Budawangia. It’s for anyone who enjoys up-to-date information to broaden their knowledge about the native plants of the NSW South Coast. You don’t need botanical knowledge to enjoy and benefit from Kevin’s books or from Budawangia, though there’s no guarantee that you won’t be tempted to start studying botany or – from reading South Coast Ferns – end up with fern mania.

The book is available online at https://envirobook.com.au/product/south-coast-ferns/ and at some places where books are sold, including the Minnamurra Rainforest Centre in the Budderoo National Park, a fern diversity ‘hotspot’. 

To notify the location of ferns or to join the e-newsletter, email [email protected]

To know about collecting, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/conservation-and-heritage/native-plant-animal-licensing#protected-native-plant-licences