 The enduring roots and branches of a human family tree Families - celebrating the differences Our families form a significant part of our personal identities and continue to be important throughout our lives, even well into our adult years when we have flown the nest. Is it the deep roots connecting us with our ancestral past or perhaps the strong branches sustaining us as we explore our futures? When at their best, families are nourishing and fertile places to grow-up, though sometimes awkward differences can create tension, division and tear at the fabric of a human family. Did you spot the metaphors? In playful contrast, differences in the world of plants are highly valued and something that is celebrated. This is not simply because the differences between plants provide picturesque contrasts in a bush setting but also that the residents of these bush settings rely on the different foods and habitats to etch out a living and stay safe. Put simply, the more variety there is in the vegetation, the more opportunities there are for a greater variety of wildlife. To emphasise the importance of this difference, ecologists have clustered flora and fauna together under the broad leafy category of DIVERSITY (or biodiversity). Was it a French ecologist who said “vive la difference?" :) Wishful thinking perhaps! Celebrating human diversity Diversity in humans is also celebrated. We see it as endearing traits in our own families, in friends and in the people we meet. We see this diversity wonderfully expressed as the unique cultural traditions that many families practice. We see this diversity in the facial features and the physical stature of the people we meet from diverse and distant cultures with different ancestries to our own.  Bilston's tree is a River Red Gum near Casterton that is over 800 years old. The RRG has adapted to very diverse climates in every mainland Australian State Diversity in plant families has served them well In nature, the diversity in plant families is seen as differences in leaves, flowers and plant shapes. Though, like family skeletons, plant families hide their darkest secrets deep in the soil, like the amazing diversity of plant root systems and their intimate relationships with soil organisms and the indispensable mycorrhizal fungi. In nature and in humans this diversity contributes to resilience and an ability to adapt to change. Each subtle difference ads another layer of diversity and resilience into the fabric of a natural system, enabling it to recover from disruption and move forward on a new path with an added layer of resilience. The outcome of disruption, given enough time, is usually full recovery plus a greater depth of resiliance stored in a plant’s genes. This resiliance will benefit future generations that can 'refer' to this 'encyclopaedic information' when significant stresses caused by a change in climate make adaption necessary. Natural selection then determines which well-adapted members of a plant family survive and thrive. This has enabled plants and animals to adjust to climate change very successfully in Australia’s past. Most recently during the peak of the last ice age 12,000 years ago, they adapted seamlessly to a much colder (6 -10°C) and dryer climate. Diversity in the genes of plant families enabled some families to thrive in the dryer, colder conditions of the ice age while others adapted by retreating to warmer microclimates until more suitable milder conditions returned around 4,000 years later. Diversity, built up over many generations of plants and animals, was captured in their genes and translocated over great distances along vegetation corridors by birds and insects in a feeding frenzy as they followed the plant flowering cycles across Australia. It was a nation-wide distribution of genetic ‘post-it-notes’ carried as pollen on the wings of an ancient and extremely effective delivery system, that enabled most flora and fauna to adapt to change and thrive.  The diversity that can be observed in Australian plants is extraordinary Observing diversity in native plants Walking through a nature reserve, our first impressions will be of a plant’s size, shape and the architecture of its branches. This is also our first clue to identifying its family. We might then notice its leaves and how they are grouped or arranged, and whether the plant habit is dense or open. If it’s the right time of year we will also notice the flower colour, shape and structure, and the bird and insect life that the flowers attract. If we look more closely, we may see fruit/nuts, their colour, hardness and texture and whether they are in clusters or growing as singles. In botany, plants that share many unique similarities are grouped together into species. If plants with some differences have enough similarities to show they are closely related, they are grouped into the same genus or general group of plants. In some ways this is similar to human cousins that may not look alike but have some subtle similarities through their shared ancestry. Plants with a lot of differences and sharing a few subtle similarities and (importantly) have the same ancestry, are grouped into families. Therefore, plant families are made up of groups of related genera, that share some features and have a common ancestry. Of course, the individual species that make up each genus will look very alike. With practice the subtle features that connect species and genera and families becomes much easier to recognise and are also a fun code to crack as you wander around native gardens and bushland reserves. Distinguishing between families is an easy way of getting to know Oz plants because there are relatively few plant families. In Australia there 240 families, comprising 2,700 genera and 25,000 species. In your own patch it gets much easier because some families will be very common and others quite rare or absent.  Wild places like the Brisbane Ranges National Park in Victoria provide vital environmental services every millisecond The importance of Diversity in our own time The natural world on which we depend is changing before our eyes. We experience it as our climate and weather patterns shift toward a new normal of unpredictability. We see its consequences as our wildlife and vegetation try to adapt to the new world that humans are engineering. We see it as our natural world formerly rich in diversity is extensively weakened every day by ignorance and poor planning. Yet the built-in protective buffers to looming climate changes are the wild places that have supported our modern lifestyles, delivering life’s essentials like purified water and revitalised air. Though this is behind a cultural curtain of perceived insignificance to those of us deeply immersed in our technically driven world. If we had the wisdom to acknowledge the benefits that we receive every millisecond from nature’s essential life support systems, then protecting and restoring them would be considered vital to us all. Sir David Attenborough  The three pillars of a healthy, sustainable society. The middle pillar is badly cracked and needs urgant repair The triple bottom line The long-term health and sustainability of our society is maintained by three vital supporting pillars, sometimes called the triple bottom line;
We know how important economic security and social harmony are to the health of our families and communities. These are usually maintained by good governments around the world. However, these same governments often see the natural environment as expendable and postpone taking any meaningful action. You can probably guess what will happen if one of the three vital supporting pillars fails. The platform sustaining human health and welfare will start to collapse. The importance of diversity for wildlife In the ecologies of grasslands, woodlands and forests, a diversity of plant families offers a diversity of food, shelter and resources for the fauna living there. So that the presence or absence of certain plant families will affect which animals can survive and thrive. A diversity of plant families is therefore critical to the survival of a diversity of mammals, birds and insects, which are in turn critical in every healthy, thriving and unique ecosystem.  Karwarra Native Botanic Garden & Nursery at Kalorama in the Dandenong Ranges, Zooming-in to explore family differences In essence, to group plants into families, botanists are looking for some similar physical traits as well as a shared ancestry. Identifying plants strengthens your observation skills. Have you noticed some of these features?
A Table - listing 24 plant families and some of the common species that are part of those families, can be downloaded below. In biorich plantations we aim for a minimum of 7 families for each Ecological Vegetation Class (EVC). This ensures a diversity of food & habitat for both flora and fauna. 
A diversity of plant families is often overlooked in the design of farm plantations and the home garden Planting a diverse mix of local plants comprising at least 7 families, 10 genera and 20 species as seen in each unique EVC, ensures new plantations have a much greater diversity. These numbers reflect what is found in woodlands and dry forests and provides a guide and a challenge to think creatively about plant diversity. Focusing on having many more plant families in your mix is the best way to ensure that plantings are the most diverse that they can be. You probably already know many of the different plant families without being aware of it. The table of 24 plant families above may have some surprised for you. See also 16 families in the picture gallery below. Sixteen native plant families pictured below, showing the remarkable diversity of flower, fruit and leaf. Can you find 4 plants from the same family? Hover over or tap each image for their common and family names  Diversity in families - part 2 will explore examples of how different plant families play their unique part, keeping ecosystems structurally appropriate and supportive of wildlife.
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Stephen Murphy is an author, ecologist & Master Treegrower. He has worked as a nurseryman and designer of natural landscapes for over 30 years. He presently advises farmers, small landholders and governement agencies on sustainable landsacape design.
His recent book:
'RECREATING the COUNTRY' Ten key principles for designing sustainable landscapes Second edition Updated & expanded Click on the image below to read more 
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