Book
Dashorst, G, Jessop, J 2006, Plants of the Adelaide plains and hills, The board of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium, Adelaide.
Description
This is an identification guide to the plants of the Adelaide district, an area which extends from Goolwa to Gawler and including the coastline. It contains colour illustrations and descriptions of about 1200 species and is the result of over three and a half years of collecting, identifying and illustrating the species. Special features include:
- A comprehensive coverage of plant now available in popular form for South Australia’s most populous region.
- A range of plants from marine algae, mushrooms, ferns, herbs, sedges and grasses to flowering shrubs and trees, some of which have not been illustrated in previous books.
- A coverage which extends beyond the flora of the marine areas to plants of native forest, swamps, plains and hills
- Indication of a plant’s history, whether introduced or native and from which region, State or country the species originated
- The latest botanical names
- A book of illustrations with an artistic flavour which has not previously been captured, using lead pencil and water colour
- Over 96 sedges and rushes, 96 grasses and over 84 fungi illustrated and described
- A simplified style, with a minimum of botanical terms has been adopted for easy use
- Features distribution maps to help in easier identification and location of species
(QBD books | Plants Of The Adelaide Plains & Hills)
Author/illustrator
Dashorst, Gilbert Roelof Maria (1956-)
Gilbert Dashorst was born of Dutch parents in Adelaide in 1956. After graduating from the North Adelaide School of Arts he worked as a freelance illustrator and travelled through Europe. He returned to Adelaide in 1983 and became an artist at the State Herbarium of South Australia. In 1988 a Winston Churchill Fellowship enabled him to spend five months working with botanists and botanical artists in England and Holland. He illustrates for the Herbarium staff and their publications including contributions to journals and the Flora of Australia. He was a major illustrator of the Flora of South Australia (1986). (Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria
Australian National Herbarium | Dashorst, Gilbert Roelof Maria (1956-))Gilbert Dashorst was the last botanical illustrator employed by a state government in Australia. Gilbert worked at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and the State Herbarium of South Australia with the position held for 30 years. His illustrations are in many botany books. The most famous being The Plants of the Adelaide Plains and Hills which he worked on with Dr. John Jessop. (Fleurieu Arthouse youtube channel)
Video
This 20 minute video highlights an exhibition of Gilbert Dashorst botanic illustrations in 2021 at the Fleurieu Arthouse.
Where to find
Multiple copies available in the Libraries SA system.
Where to buy
This book is currently out of print but can be purchased through antiquarian or used book resellers.
References
- Australian Government 2025, Dashorst, Gilbert Roelof Maria (1956-), viewed on 16 November, 2025, <https://www.anbg.gov.au/biography/dashorst-gilbert.html>. This page is a bibliographical note of the contributions which Gilbert Dashorst has made to botanic illustration in South Australia.
- Fleurieu Arthouse 2021, A walk through with Gilbert Dashorst’s art exhibition of botanical illustrations ‘Gilbert’s Garden’, The board of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium, Adelaide. This 20 minute video walks through an exhibition of Dashorst botanic illustrations.
- QBD books 2025, Plants Of The Adelaide Plains & Hills, viewed on 16 November, 2025, <https://www.qbd.com.au/plants-of-the-adelaide-plains-hills/gilbert-r-m-dashorst-john-p-jessep/9780864173232/>. This page provides information about book including a description of the book and how to purchase it.