Grasses Bibliography

Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes Bibliography

Grasses include most of the grains we eat, and most of the grasslike plants in lawns, meadows and wild areas everywhere. Large grasses are rushes. This list also includes sedges, plants with grasslike leaves but unusual yellowish, greenish, or brown spiky flowers. Many sedges are found in wet areas. Finally, bamboos are grasses.

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.

	Common Weeds of the United States Author(s): Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture Publisher: Dover Publications, Inc., 1971 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This book, prepared by the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, presents common weeds of the United States. I didn't see a count of the number of species, but I would estimate it at 220. Each set of facing pages describes a species, with a large, exquisitely detailed black & white line drawing on one page and a description and range map on the other. The descriptions are a bit technical, but if you are interested in understanding the plants you see every time you walk, this 463-page book presents a very nice overview.	Covers the United States.
	Grasses: An Identification Guide Author(s): Brown, Lauren Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1979 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This guide, 240 pages in length, covers 135 species of grasses, sedges, and rushes, as well as grasslike plants such as cattails and horsetails. 386 black & white line drawings complement descriptions that provide some historical background as well as identification. I am a bit disappointed with the reproduction of the drawings, which are somewhat muddy, but I nevertheless consult this guide often.
	A Field Guide to Plants of Costa Rica Author(s): Gargiullo, Margaret B.; photos by Magnuson, Barbara & Kimball, Larry Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2008 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Nearly 1400 photos illustrate 856 Costa Rican plants organized into broad plant types ("habits"); then by color; then by family, genus and species. Detailed identifying descriptions include range information. The author's writing style avoids excessive jargon. 494 pages.	Covers Costa Rica
	How to Identify Grasses and Grasslike Plants Author(s): Harrington, H. D. Publisher: Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, 1977 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This is not a field guide—you won't identify a single species using this guide alone—it is best described as a book about grass anatomy. Grasses, sedges and rushes are notoriously difficult to identfiy, and this book describes the often subtle features that serve to classify and identify these plants. Nearly half the book is dedicated to an illustrated glossary. Line drawings are used extensively throughout the book. Use this resource to acquire the background you need in order to use grass field guides more effectively.	Anywhere.
	Manual of the Grasses of the United States, Volume 2 Author(s): Hitchcock, Albert Spear; revised by Chase, Agnes Publisher: Dover Books, 1971 View at: Amazon.com See also: Download the original 1935 work free from the Biodiversity Heritage Library Comments: The original 1935 edition of Manual of the Grasses of the United States (downloadable free), was reprinted in two volumes beginning in 1971 by Dover Books. The work “... catalogs and describes in detail all 1,398 numbered species in 169 numbered genera found in this country, plus 120 species in 16 genera of the so-called ‘waifs’” (from the cover). Descriptions are accompanied by clear, detailed black & white line drawings and by range maps. Sedges and rushes are not included. Detailed dichotomous keys are provided. Volume 1 and 2 together are 1051 pages. Organization is by genus and species, so unless you can navigate the dichotomous keys, or suspect the genus, it can be difficult to perform IDs.	Covers the United States.
	Manual of the Grasses of the United States, Volume 1 Author(s): Hitchcock, Albert Spear; revised by Chase, Agnes Publisher: Dover Books, 1971 View at: Amazon.com See also: Download the original 1935 work free from the Biodiversity Heritage Library Comments: The original 1935 edition of Manual of the Grasses of the United States (downloadable free), was reprinted in two volumes beginning in 1971 by Dover Books. The work “... catalogs and describes in detail all 1,398 numbered species in 169 numbered genera found in this country, plus 120 species in 16 genera of the so-called ‘waifs’” (from the cover). Descriptions are accompanied by clear, detailed black & white line drawings and by range maps. Sedges and rushes are not included. Detailed dichotomous keys are provided. Volume 1 and 2 together are 1051 pages. Organization is by genus and species, so unless you can navigate the dichotomous keys, or suspect the genus, it can be difficult to perform IDs.	Covers the United States.
	Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges and Rushes of the United States Author(s): Knobel, Edward Publisher: Dover Publications Inc., 1980 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This 83-page book is a reprint of an edition originally published in 1899; the original (listed elsewhere in this bibliography) is available for free download. It contains large, high quality black & white line drawings of many grasses, sedges and rushes. Many further species are distinguished using smaller drawings of the unique features. This is the book I turn to first for grasses.	Covers the United States.
	The Grasses, Sedges and Rushes of the United States Author(s): Knobel, Edward Publisher: Bradlee Whidden, 1899 See also: Free download at google.com Comments: This 83-page book contains large, high quality black & white line drawings of many grasses, sedges and rushes. Many further species are distinguished using smaller drawings of the unique features. This is the book I turn to first for grasses. If you prefer a printed copy, this is listed separately in this bibliography.	Covers the United States.
	Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast Author(s): Pojar, Jim; MacKinnon, Andy Publisher: Lone Pine, 1994 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Describes 794 species, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, aquatic plants, grasses, ferns, mosses and lichens. Includes 1100 color photos and 1000 line drawings and silhouettes. While many field guides cover wider regions and larger numbers of species, this provides deeper detail about each species in the more restricted region. If you search for wildflowers only in this region, this may be the only resource you need, and it is an excellent complement to other guides if you need to identify plants from a wider or different area. Includes keys that require moderate, but not advanced, understanding of botanical terminology. 528 pages.	Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska, from the coast to the mountains.
	Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen Author(s): Sturm, Johann Georg (Painter: Jacob Sturm) Publisher: Nrnberg: Gedruckt auf Kosten des Verfassers, 1796 See also: Download free from the Biodiversity Heritage Library Comments: This German guide contains color paintings and descriptions of a variety of plants. It is about 574 pages long.
	Weeds of the Northeast Author(s): Uva, Richard H.; Neal, Joseph C.; DiTomaso, Joseph M. Publisher: Comstock Publishing Associates, 1997 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This 396-page guide describes 299 common or economically important weeds. Facing pages offer a detailed description of each weed, and multiple photographs of various aspects of the plant, including seeds. Includes several tables and keys.	Covers northeastern North America south to Virginia, north to Maine and southeastern Canada, and west to Wisconsin.
	The Grasses of the United States Author(s): Vasey, George Publisher: Washington Government Printing Office, 1883 Comments: The full title is The Grasses of the United States: being a Synopsis of the Tribes and Genera, with Descriptions of the Genera, and a List of the Species. Precise drawings.	Covers the United States.