Six new species of Fusarium associated with soil and plant hosts from ecosystems of minimal anthropogenic disturbance in Australia are described. Fusarium coicis from Coix gasteenii, F. goolgardi from Xanthorrhoea glauca, F. mundagurra from soil and Mangifera indica, F. newnesense from soil, F. tjaetaba from Sorghum interjectum and F. tjaynera from soil, Triodia microstachya, Sorghum interjectum and Sorghum intrans. Morphology and phylogenetic analysis of EF-1α, RPB1 and RPB2 sequence data were used to delineate species boundaries. The new species were phylogenetically distributed in the Fusarium sambucinum, F. fujikuroi, and F. chlamydosporum species complexes, and two novel species complexes. These six new species have particular phylogeographic significance as not only do they provide further insight into the geographic patterns of Fusarium evolution but also challenge current phylogeographic hypotheses.

Fusarium species associated with plants as pathogens, saprobes and endophytes in Australia are listed with notes on their pathogenicity and toxicity provided. A list of Fusarium species not known to occur in Australia also is provided and their quarantine significance evaluated.

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Two new species of Fusarium associated with Australian indigenous grasses in natural ecosystems are described as F. lyarnte and F. werrikimbe on the basis of morphology, DNA fingerprinting and phylogenetic analysis of EF-1α and β-tubulin sequence data. Isolates of these species were initially recovered from soil in the McGraths Creek area of central Australia and subsequently recovered from soil and stems of the indigenous grass Sorghum interjectum from Litchfield National Park in the Northern Territory, and from Sorghum leiocladum from Werrikimbe National Park in New South Wales. The common feature of both of these species is the production of large globose microconidia in false heads on polyphialides. Attempts to apply the biological species concept were unsuccessful.

A series of zinc complexes was prepared from 4,6‐disubstituted (R,R′) o‐[(4‐methyl‐1‐piperazinyl)methyl]phenols ([ONNR′,R]H) and characterized by elemental analysis, 1H and 13C{1H} NMR spectroscopy, and X‐ray crystallography. Reaction of these products with diethylzinc gave Zn[ONNtBu,tBu]2 (1) as a monometallic complex and {[μ‐ONNR′,R]ZnEt}2 [R′ = Me, R = tBu, (2); R′ = R = tBu (3); R′ = R = tAm (4)] bimetallic species that have distorted tetrahedral environments about the Zn centres. Reaction of 3 and 4 with alcohols gave {[ONNtAm,tAm]Zn(μ‐OR″)}2 [R″ = Bn (5); R″ = Et (6)] bimetallic species in which the Zn centres are bridged by benzyl alkoxide and ethoxide groups, respectively. A morpholinyl derived ligand was also synthesized and characterized (L4H), and its 1:1 stoichiometric reaction with ZnEt2 resulted in complex 7, {[μ‐ONOtBu,tBu]ZnEt}2. The reactivity of complexes 2–7 in the ring‐opening polymerization of rac‐lactide (LA) and ϵ‐caprolactone (ϵ‐CL) was studied. Reactions of carbon dioxide with cyclohexene oxide in the presence of 6 or 7/ROH (R = Bn, Et) afforded cyclohexene carbonate.