Identifying Eucalypts made easy
This recent online article describes the history since 1997of a CSIRO project to develop EUCLID, an interactive Lucid key for identifying eucalypt species. Using the Australian National Herbarium’s collection of 65,000 eucalypt specimens, the first EUCLID key developed by the project team was a CD product, covering Eucalyptus species in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and the southern part of Western Australia below the 26th parallel.
In all, there have been three versions of a Lucid-based Eucalypt identification tool: the current online version of EUCLID, which includes 917 eucalypt species, covers all species native to Australia.
The article continues “Regarded as an international benchmark, EUCLID is the definitive electronic reference guide for Australian eucalypts and is crucial for: botanists and ecologists, foresters, land managers, conservationists, educators and students. The tool has improved national cooperation to support conservation by enabling Landcare and environmental groups to develop regionally specific, management plans”.
A current project involves the conversion of this nationally and internationally important key to a Lucid Mobile (Android and Apple) app for release in the early part of 2020. Like the rainforest app, the ability to download the key, fact sheets and images to a mobile device will enable users to access the app in the field, without the need for WI-FI or phone connection.