Great Plains Natural Science Society

 

Date of this Version

12-2010

Document Type

Article

Citation

The Prairie Naturalist 42(3/4): 149; 2010, p. 149

Abstract

This volume is the culmination of work by more than 40 weed scientists and botanists. Its stated purpose is to help identifY the great diversity of weedy and invasive plants that interface with agriculture, industry, and natural ecosystems in central North America. The geographic range covered by this book extends from southeastern Saskatchewan to eastern Kansas, northern Kentucky, northwestern Pennsylvania, and southwestern Quebec. This is a welcome edition because a current book on unwanted plants has not been available for the eastern two-thirds of this region. The book is arranged taxonomically by family and alphabetically by species within each family. Scientific nomenclature follows the accepted names specified by the Weed Science Society of America rather than the most current taxonomic treatments. This treatment focuses on weed identification rather than management recommendations. The book covers the identification of about 350 species. A brief introduction is followed by a nine-page illustrated terminology depicting parts of a dicot stem, parts of a monocot collar, leaf shape and arrangement, flower parts, inflorescence types, root types, and stem types. A key to the families follows. The key is relatively simple, but a person using it will need some botanical knowledge. In my opinion, the key is not an important feature of the book.

Share

COinS