Great Plains Studies, Center for
Date of this Version
1990
Abstract
Popularized books on wildflowers are not hard to find, though it seems the prairie has been nearly ignored. This is perhaps because there is less of that original biome left than any other and the particular comeliness of the individual wildflower is diluted by a matrix of grass. Runkel and Roosa have produced an excellent picture book, with readable text, in which they cover derivation of Latin names, ecological and botanical descriptions, and anecdotal information on plant use by Native Americans. Its interesting organization follows the bloom sequence of more than 130 dicots and monocots throughout the year, though the plant-identifying novice using this approach may be foiled by changes in local latitude and microclimate. Inclusion of grasses in a "wildflower" book may seem anomalous, but grasses are flowering plants too and they dominate the visual, taxonomic, and ecological character of the prairie. They are a welcome addition to the book.
Comments
Published in Great Plains Quarterly SUMMER 1990 .Copyright 1990 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska—Lincoln.