Initially, I thought this would be an easy guide to learn botany but it was not. Focused specifically on identifying plant families, this is not a book for a beginning plant enthusiast. It is designed more as an augmentation to other plant guides, in fact, Elpel suggests "Plant Identification Terminology" and "Wildflowers of North America" as specific books to use with his book. The illustrations are clear, the descriptions of plant families are specific and the book is fairly easy to read. The book is fairly large, slightly larger than 8x10, so it may be cumbersome to take into the woods.
I've several books to help identify individual plants for my area (SE Missouri) This book is different! This book traces the evolutionary path of plant species, the basic divergences (grasses/monocots and others/dicots-- single and double leaved seedlings). He continues on from there and especially focuses on practical/survival uses of various families and species- particalarly the simplicity of recognizing identifying characteristics of those useful flora. A clear fun read! I had seen the book before in a library-"had" to have one of my own...for me it makes identifying the multitude of plants suddenly simpler-- coming from the top down so to speak. One of my lifelong hobbies is recognizing/naming the flora, fawna and geology of my area; this book is a big, clear, and pleasant help.Read full review
My whole life I have regretted not taking a botany class in high school or college. A study of this book will more than make up for that deficiency. The book is most useful for identifying the plant families of Montana, and claims nearly comprehensive coverage of the plants found there. The further you get away from Montana the less valuable it is, but even then, many plant families are found worldwide.
This book. Should be taught in our schools should be a requirement To Graduate High school
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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