<
https://theconversation.com/the-botanical-imperialism-of-weeds-and-crops-how-alien-plant-species-on-the-first-fleet-changed-australia-220653>
"Locally grown produce fills Australian shops, but almost all of these species
were imported, as native as cane toads. Icons of Australian agriculture, like
the Big Banana and Big Pineapple, proudly display the regions’ crops, but these
are newcomers to the continent.
British ships carrying plants and seeds from around the world arrived in Botany
Bay on January 20 1788. This story is overshadowed by convict ships and Royal
Navy vessels, but the cargo on board also had a lasting impact. Colonists,
convicts and Indigenous Australians were all affected when new species
transformed the landscape.
British colonists introduced plants as foreign as the people who carried them.
Some of these plants, ranging from bananas to wheat, were food sources,
promoting self-sufficiency. Others were attempts to expand the British Empire.
Could the new territory be exploited as a tropical plantation?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
