Maranoa Florilegium: Botanic Gardens
Australian Flora Natural History Botanical Art Botanical Reference Art Monograph Garden & Gardening Eco-Tourism Guide
Maranoa Florilegium: Botanic Gardens is a 2020 hardcover picture book that doubles as a lavish botanical art catalogue and a love-letter to one of Australia’s most under-celebrated regional gardens. Across 223 gallery-weight pages, Margaret Castle presents more than 150 full-colour plates of Queensland’s native and naturalised flora—each painting reproduced at true-to-life scale so the viewer can study brush-strokes, venation and the subtle colour shifts that make Castle’s work sought after by collectors and florilegium enthusiasts worldwide. The book’s oversized format (32 cm) allows every petal, seed-pod and rainforest epiphyte to breathe on the page, turning what could have been a simple souvenir guide into a museum-quality volume that sits comfortably beside modern florilegia such as Banks’ Florilegium or the Highgrove Florilegium.
What makes this copy special is its immaculate, gently-used condition: the boards are square and tight, the colour plates are pristine, and there is no inscription, ex-libris plate or previous-owner marking to detract from the clean, collectible aesthetic. Minor scuffing to the spine titling is noted only for accuracy; it is invisible on the shelf and in no way compromises the structural integrity or visual impact of the book. For buyers tracking the burgeoning market for contemporary Australian botanical art, acquiring a flawless second-state printing now—before the edition sells out and prices climb—represents both aesthetic pleasure and long-term value.
Beyond its investment appeal, Maranoa Florilegium is an inspirational reference for gardeners, botanical illustrators, eco-tourists and young adults exploring STEAM careers. Castle’s concise facing-page notes give common and scientific names, flowering season, pollinator partnerships and traditional Indigenous uses, turning each plate into a mini field-guide. The book closes with a walking tour map of the Maranoa Botanic Gardens in Brisbane’s western suburbs, encouraging readers to experience the living collection firsthand. Whether you shelve it with art monographs, gardening manuals or Australian natural-history classics, this volume offers the rare satisfaction of owning a contemporary florilegium that is both scientifically accurate and breathtakingly beautiful.
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