Miscellaneous Plants Bibliography
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This bibliography includes books on botany, nomenclature, botanical Latin, medicinal, edible or psychoactive plants, etc. If you have no idea what you are looking at, consider the following: Note: book cover sizes in the list below are shown relative to each other. The list is organized by primary author. Some out-of-copyright books are available free at the supplied links. Where possible, range maps are taken directly from the books. |
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The Species Seekers: Heroes, Fools, and the Mad Pursuit of Life on Earth Author(s): Conniff, Richard Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company, 2011 View at: Amazon.com Comments: In the mid-1700s Carl Linnaeus came up with a system for indentifying living things based on properties they had in common. This was the first serious attempt to classify nature's nearly limitless variety, and it kicked off a European and later worldwide infatuation with finding and naming living things. In Richard Connif's hands, this is not a dry story of academic accomplishment, but a swashbuckling account of personalities, intriques, egos, hostile environments, immense sacrifices, and incredible achievements. I couldn't put it down. |
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Plant Identification Terrminology: An Illustrated Glossary, 2nd Ed. Author(s): Harris, James G. & Harris, Melinda Woolf Published: 2009 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This 226-page guide is filled with precisely executed black & white line drawings that define botanical terms much more clearly and quickly than written explanations alone, especially if you are an amateur. This is the first place I look for definitions. |
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Author(s): Köhler, Franz Eugen Publisher: Gera-Untermhaus, FE Köhler, 1887 See also: Download free from the Biodiversity Heritage Library |
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Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants of Eastern/Central North America Author(s): Peterson, Lee Allen Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Like other Peterson field guides, this one presents its subject with facing pages that contain high quality black & white line drawings on one side and text summaries on the other. There is also a section of color plates in the center of the book. Descriptions include brief preparation information, icons indicating the way in which the plants are consumed, and habitat information. |
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Field Guide to Plant Galls of California and Other Western States Author(s): Russo, Ron Publisher: University of California Press, 2006 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Galls are neither plants nor animals, but rather distortions in plant growth caused by insects or fungi. This guide covers about 300 species of galls. Although its range is quite limited, this is a useful resource regardless of where you live. Descriptions are detailed and the photography is well done. |
Western United States. |
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The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and its Applications Author(s): Rätsch, Cristian Publisher: Park Street Press, 1998 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Amazing. You can almost count on one hand the number of botanical books that are absolutely authoritative about their subject area, and this is one of them. There are some 400 species of psychoactive plants, not the 25 or so that I might have guessed. This volume describes their identification, native uses, distribution, psychoactive ingredients, preparation and dosage, etc., with comprehensive thoroughness and extensive photographs and illustrations. Descriptions are readable for amateurs, but detailed enough to appeal to pros as well. If the subject interests you, this is the book to have. 942 pages. |
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Author(s): Stearn, William T. Publisher: Timber Press, 2004 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Botanical Latin, generally speaking, is not the Latin in ordinary use among ancient Romans. When scientists began the serious work of classifying plant properties, Latin was the lingua franca for the scientific community, but like other languages then and now, it was not up to the task of describing plant features. Botanists invented their own offshoot of Latin, adding terms as needed. This 546-page book provides comprehensive coverage of the language, including history, discussions of plant families, and definitions. A great book. |
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Author(s): Wessels, Tom Publisher: The Countrymen Press, 2010 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Described as a "field guide to reading the forested landscape," this is not a guide to identifying plants, but rather a guide to determining the uses to which land has been placed in past. Based on clues such as land shape, type and distribution of rocks, stumps and growth patterns of trees, Wessels is able to infer how land was previously used. 160 pages. |
