Observations of palms made by the botanist and explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, during the Australian Overland Expedition of 1844-1845

Abstract

Ludwig Leichhardt’s journal of the Overland Expedition from Darling Downs to Port Essington, Australia, of 1844–1845 contains some of the first botanical records of a number of Australian palms, as well as many other plants. Leichhardt’s account offers insights into species distribution, the condition of the Australian environment at the time of European colonization, and the risks, difficulties and successes of scientific exploration and discovery.