North American Wildland Plants

Book excerpt: North American Wildland Plants is the sixth edition of North American Range Plants. This comprehensive reference contains the salient characteristics of the most important wildland plants of North America and will help individuals with limited botanical knowledge as well as natural resource professionals to identify wildland plants. The two hundred species of wildland plants in this book were selected because of their abundance, desirability, or poisonous properties. Each of the illustrations has been enhanced to maximize the use of this book as a field guide. Each plant description includes characteristics for identification, an illustration of the plant with enlarged parts, and a general distribution map for North America. Each species description includes nomenclature; life span; origin; season of growth; inflorescence, flower or spikelet, or other reproductive parts; vegetative parts; and growth characteristics. Brief notes are included on habitat; livestock losses; and historic, food, and medicinal uses.