Volume 37 of the Flora of Australia is the first of three volumes covering the family Asteraceae. Asteraceae are the largest family of flowering plants, with over 1600 genera and 24,000 species found on all continents except Antarctica, and also one of the largest families in Australia, with an estimated 290 genera and 1430 species. The family is found throughout Australia, in all habitats, although scarce in rainforest. Twenty-seven authors, illustrators and photographers have contributed to this volume.