Taylor

Plenty of answers for both the novice and experienced gardeners. A real treasure trove of information for enjoyment and education.

"If you are a little curious about how one grass is distinguished from another or if you've forgotten most of what you've learned in agrostology or if you think grasses are beautiful in their own special way, you will enjoy this book."
SCOT Wildlife News

"Here is a helpful, informative book for junior groups and a refresher stimulant for older readers. An excellent index adds to its usefulness as a ready reference guide."

This is a quick, accurate guide to the common plants of the Playa Lakes area. There are a large number of photographs to help in research and identification

Beautiful full-page color drawings with easily understood text. Excellent book for the layperson.

Steyermark

Originally published in 1963, the late Julian Steyermark's Flora of Missouri has been the principal reference on plant life in the state. It also has been used widely in surrounding regions and has served as a model for floristic manuals in the United States. Although out of print and in serious need of revision, it has continued to be an essential tool for land managers, conservationists, ecologists, taxonomists, foresters, wildlife biologists, and other students of Missouri's diverse flora. In 1987, in recognition of the need for an up-to-date reference on the state's flora, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Botanical Garden agreed to jointly sponsor the production of a thoroughly revised manual. The present volume is the first of two that are intended to fulfill this promise.

Steyermark's Flora of Missouri is an account of Missouri's vascular flora, including the pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and flowering plants growing spontaneously in the state. Volume One contains treatments of 801 species of ferns, fern allies, conifers, and monocots. Users of the previous edition will note similarities in format, with keys to families, genera, species and infraspecific taxa, full-page plates of line drawings and county dot maps for each species. The revised edition, however, features all-new illustrations and simplified maps generated from a computerized database of specimens. The keys have been streamlined, and morphological descriptions have been added to the text. Taxonomic changes and additions are documented in a lengthy bibliography.

Volume One also includes a series of introductory chapters that summarize the state's climate, geology, vegetation and flora, as well as changes since publication of the first edition. A history of the floristic botany in Missouri commemorates the numerous men and women who have contributed to knowledge of the state's flora. A glossary and a "how to" section complete the background materials in the book.

Steyermark's Flora of Missouri is intended to be a reference tool for professionals in biology and related fields, and also for the large group of dedicated amateur botanists and naturalists who have created the unique environment in which conservation, natural history, and outdoor activities thrive and are supported in the state.

Van Der Linden

First Sentence:
MOST PEOPLE consider Iowa to be a prairie state, but forests also have been an important feature of the landscape for thousands of years. 

Ondra

From spring green to winter gold, the drama of grasses is nonstop. There are the striking yellow-and-green ostrich plumes of Zebra Grass. The fine-textured leaves of Blue Oat Grass. Flame Grass's dazzling red-orange leaves, Fountain Grass's coppery brushes, the rich brown nuggets of Northern Sea Oats, the feathery purple haze of Switch Grass.

Whether on their own or as backdrops for colorful garden flowers, ornamental grasses are admired for their color, form, movement, and texture. They also aid in erosion control, soil stabilization, and water retention, making them great conservation tools for gardeners in all hardiness zones. Although grasses are widely available at garden centers all over North America, few books advise the gardener on how to use them in the garden - and especially how to combine them with perennials and other plants. GRASSES features plans and practical advice for more than 24 unique gardens. It's complete with an identification and growing guide to the plants, and it features more than 150 full-color photographs, illustrations, and landscape plans.

Norman Fassett

The definitive study of grasses, whether native or non-native, growing in the wild in Wisconsin. Includes meticulous descriptions, techniques, maps, and illustrations for locating and identifying these grasses, expert analysis, and a detailed glossary and index.

Harrington

As a former student of the late Dr. Harrington who taught me much about plant classification, I highly recommend this book. It is similar to his How to Identify Plants, but the diagrams are much better. It is a very thorough review of the morphology and terminology specific to sedges, rushes, and grasses. These are all very difficult families to identify and there are few books that so thoroughly describe the critical and unique morphology of these plants. This is a knowledge that is critical to the identification of these fascinating and important plants. Dr. Harrington also includes a section on the vegetative characteristics, especially of grasses. For field ecologists like myself, being able to identify plants without the flowers, especially grasses, is critical when doing quantitative sampling. If you are just a beginner in your pursuit of these difficult plants, this is an excellent and valuable resource. But for even the plant scientist this book provides an excellent reference to refresh your memory regarding the unique and important mophology of grasses, sedges, and rushes.

This volume is similar to the authors earlier work, "The Illustrated Book of Trees," which was (and is) a valuable resource for many people (including me). The books even look the same, in terms of binding, fonts, and form of illustrations. A large number of flowering plants and shrubs are presented with a short description of each one together with a black and white drawing of the critical features needed for identification (there are no color illustrations in this book). This is not a professional field guide, and there is no provision for "keying out" a specimen for positive identification. As far as I could tell, there is no attempt to provide a systematic approach to identify a specimen. As with the popular field guides for birds, species are listed in groups that share superficial properties that make them seem similar to a person encountering them in the field. Furthermore, the brief descriptions and illustrations are very good, and interesting. Additional positve features include a glossary and several other ancillary tables of information. The index is not exhaustive, but has almost everything I looked for. I only had access to this book for about one hour, but I can see spending lots of time with it and I am about to make the purchase. If you spend much time in the out of doors, and wonder about the identity of plants you encounter, this book belongs on your shelf (its a little heavy for the backpack).

Iowa is the only state completely within the tallgrass prairie formation. Thanks to rich soil, adequate rainfall, and warm summer temperatures, hundreds of species combine to produce a diverse and colorful and ever-changing landscape. Using text and maps by Paul Christiansen and newly created drawings by Mark Mueller, this first comprehensive guide to the prairie plants native to Iowa provides all the information necessary for identifying and distinguishing even the most similar species. Species are described from the ground up: stem, leaf, bud, flower, fruit, and habitat. The time of flowering and fruiting is given for the central part of Iowa. Where several species are closely related, a common member of the group is fully described, and the other species are compared with the first. Each species is paired with a distribution map. The superbly detailed illustrations, all of which were drawn specifically for this handbook, capture the general shape of each plant as well as its characteristic features. A guide to family identification, information about extant and restored prairies in Iowa, and a glossary are also included. Farmers who settled Iowa in the 1800s viewed the great sea of grasses and wildflowers as a challenge to be replaced with crop fields and pastures. Today we realize that the prairie is an addictive, restorative, aesthetically satisfying place for study and recreation. An Illustrated Guide to Iowa Prairie Plants is designed to enable those who want to go beyond the most common plants to identify all native species and to learn more about their distribution, structure, and natural history.

The two volume set published by Dover is a reprint of A. S. Hitchcock's 1950 Manual of the Grasses (2nd Ed.). But don't let that fool you. Perhaps some names have changed in the last 50 years, but the grasses remain the same. Here is one of the greatest sources of information on US grasses in the most compact form that can be found anywhere: descriptions, illustrations, distribution (which may be more of historic value than current), and, in the case of many exotics, history of introductions. There's even a synonymy. Yes, you'll need a current manual, but if you are interested in grasses in the US, then Hitchcock belongs on your shelf, too. These books may also be purchased separately.

Barnes & Wagner

This book is designed for use by a wide audience – st students in high schools and colleges, lifelong learners among the senior citizens, land administrators, amateur and professional field botanists and all others who have curiosity and a sense of wonder for the world of living things and the role of woody plants.

Lund

This spectacular and informative guide to wildflowers features over 278 wildflowers found in the meadows, woods, dunes, shores and wetlands of Michigan.

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Dennison

Primarily a reference for the state of Missouri, there is enough crossover with the surrounding states that it becomes a valuable reference for the areas around Missouri as well. Includes short comments on name origins and habitats.

Peattie

This book and its companion volume, "A Natural History of Western Trees," are by far the most detailed accounts of the trees of North America. It's truly too bad the author didn't have the chance to complete the third book in this series: "Southern Trees." Never have I read a richer, more lovingly or enthusiastically written description of trees. Aside from being packed with facts, the books offer a glimpse of man's interaction with trees and teaches one how to interact with them and respect them. The author's enthusiasm is contagious!

New photography by John Gregor
The classic wildflower guide of the North, now in a long-awaited new edition! For more than two decades the first edition of Northland Wildflowers has been the standard guide to wildflowers of the Upper Midwest and Canada, and has become an indispensable reference. Now, a substantial revision presents more than three hundred species of commonly found wildflowers, all stunningly captured in new full-color images by photographer John Gregor. The most comprehensive and informative book on this subject, Northland Wildflowers is destined also to be regarded as the most beautiful. Its six sections are divided by the color of bloom, making it the ideal guide for the gardener, the hiker, and the roadside traveler. Each entry is highlighted with a photograph and description of the species and its habitat and a mention of related species. A thorough bibliography, glossary, and index make this an essential resource. In addition to information on how to identify wildflower species, Northland Wildflowers recommends the best seasons for viewing each variety and suggest how to plant, grow, and preserve wildflowers. Notes on Ojibwe medicinal and culinary uses of flowers, such as wintergreen and milkweed, as well as a look at which plants are immigrants from Europe, such as the sow thistle and the dandelion, will fascinate all. This spectacularly illustrated new edition of Northland Wildflowers is sure to become the key guide for gardeners and nature lovers of the North. John B. Moyle (1909-1977) was a biologist and research supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and a frequent contributor to the Minnesota Volunteer. Evelyn W. Moyle is a longtime wildflower enthusiast, photographer, and gardener. She lectures and leads wildflower walks near her home in Excelsior, Minnesota.

Another outstanding field guide by Falcon Press. Has beautiful color photographs to aid in identification with plenty of information for the novice as well as the professional who is interested in the Ozark region

Detailed line drawings and detailed identification guides provide an excellent prairie plant guide. This book is written and illustrated to aid in the identification of tall grass prairie plants native to the Midwest.

This is a unique handbook covering the entire United States. It includes color maps, native plant lists for each state with resources and contacts for help and information.

Freeman & Schofield

The surprise of the Southern Great Plains is color. From sheltered forest edges to open expanses of prairie, the floor of the Great Plains is dotted with wildflowers in a paintbox of brilliant hues.

Color is also the best starting point for identifying wildflowers, and this new field guide brims with color. It focuses on 239 species--those species common enough to be called "roadside" wildflowers--and includes 260 of the best color photographs available. To make identification easier for the nonbotanist, the guide is organized by color and then, within each color section, by blooming season.

Each of the 239 species is pictured in full color and accompanied by a wealth of information: common and scientific names, a habitat and distribution summary, notes on economic uses and related species, and a concise, nontechnical plant description. (Unavoidable technical terms are defined in a brief glossary.) Many species accounts also include line drawings of fruits or other distinguishing plant characters. Simple keys are provided to allow readers with more training or interest in botany to identify plants by their characteristics.

Although it's botanically accurate enough for the most seasoned botanist, Roadside Wildflowers of the Southern Great Plains is written and designed for nonprofessional--vacationers, wildflower enthusiasts, weekend botanists, and anyone else eager to discover the secrets of the Great Plains.

Fassett

Very comprehensive book with line drawings and color photographs. Covers all aspects of the species discussed including uses and values and historic information. This book is a must for the individual who is serious about wanting to know all he or she can about the prairies of Nebraska and the Great Plains.

Runkel & Bull

A book designed to help the casual observer become better acquainted with the more interesting wildflowers of the state's woodlands.

Wampler

This is an outstanding collection of paintings by Mary Wampler that have been brought together in a very special book. There are 80 paintings with a complete explanation of each including where many of these species were found. Truly a beautiful book that will provide many evenings of enjoyment

Simonds & Tweede

Everyone recognizes some wildflowers such as dandelions, violets, daisies and roses but beyond those we need help. This book will aid beginners to identify the more common wild flowers.

Tekiela

Best selling field guide with full color photographs. The author has added additional tidbits of information for the readerŐs use which only add to the enjoyment of reading these excellent reference guides.

Trelease

Identify over 1,000 species of vines, shrubs and trees in winter—most from northern U.S. with typical southern species—(including gingko, bald cypress, poplar) by examining twigs, bark, buds, leaf scars, berries, other characteristics. Includes excellent key and drawings of particular identifying characteristics for each species. Over 1,000 illustrations.