Wildflowers (Herbaceous Plants) Bibliography
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Loosely speaking, plants that regrow from the ground each year, either from seed or from roots persisting from previous years, are herbaceous plants, and are listed here. See also the bibliography of trees and shrubs, or the bibliography of arid climate plants. 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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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. |
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National Audabon Society Field Guide to New England Author(s): Alden, Peter; Cassie, Brian Publisher: Andrew Stewart Publishing, 1998 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Part of a series of regional field guides, this compact guide covers the most common members from all walks of life, as well as sites of interest and even some field astronomy. If you like the outdoors and are curious about nature in all forms, this is a great choice. Photos are great, though space is necessarily tight for such an ambitious range. 448 pages. |
Covers Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont |
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Author(s): Anderson, Edward F. Publisher: Timber Press, 2001 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This beautiful 776-page encyclopedic reference covers the cactus family, encompassing 125 genera and 1810 species of cacti from all over the world. Descriptions are detailed, but the author successfully minimizes specialized botanical jargon. There are 1000 high quality photographs, and the native range of each species is described. Plants are ordered by genus and species. This book is an encyclopedia, not a field guide—it lacks identification guides such as dichotomous keys or indices based on shape or color—so you will need other guides to assist with initial IDs. Other arid climate plants such as aloes, agaves, and succulent Euphorbias are not included. But this book is the modern day standard for cacti. |
Worldwide coverage. |
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Author(s): Botanical Register Published: 1836 Comments: A magazine devoted to gardening in the United Kingdom. |
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Author(s): Bowers, Nora & Rick, Tekiela, Stan Publisher: Adventure Publications, Inc., 2008 Comments: This compact 432-page guide describes about 200 wildflowers. Facing pages include a photo and a non-technical description. |
Covers Arizona. |
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Author(s): Bowers, Nora and Rick; Tekiela, Stan Publisher: Adventure Publications Inc., 2008 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This compact guide, 236 pages in length, describes about 50 common cacti found in Arizona and, typically, surrounding states. Cacti are organized by stem type, a readily identifiable feature, into cylindrical, segmented, stick-like, and columnar stems. Typically a main photo is complemented by three smaller photos of plant details. Descriptions cover plant features and list similar species. |
Covers Arizona. Duh. |
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National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America Author(s): Brandenburg, David M. Publisher: Andrew Stuart Publishing, Inc., 2010 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This hefty (673-page) book covers more than 2,200 species, with extensive photos, detailed range maps, and brief non-technical descriptions. A key in the beginning is organized by flower color, while the body of the book is organized by plant family. Although the photos are well done, they are necessarily small, and there are few drawings; and the organization by plant family does not make it easy to identify by page-flipping. I use other wildflower guides first, going here for confirmation. This book is an excellent resource for browsing to become familiar with more species. |
Covers the United States and Canada. |
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The Cactaceae: Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family Author(s): Britton, Nathaniel Lord, Rose, J. N. Publisher: Press of Gibson Brothers, 1919 See also: Download free from the Biodiversity Heritage Library |
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An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions Author(s): Britton, Nathaniel Lord, and Brown, Addison Published: 1913 See also: Download free from the Internet Archive Biodiversity Heritage Library Comments: This magnificant 3-volume text, approaching 2,000 pages, describes and illustrates thousands of flowering plants. That a work from 1913 still serves as a most respected reference today is testimony enough to scope and quality of this work; that two people assembled it is even more amazing. |
Covers the northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions. |
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Wildflowers in the Field and Forest Author(s): Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2006 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Lists 1400 species of the northeastern United States, organized by flower color, then leaf characteristics. Descriptions are short and fairly non-technical. There is a photo (sometimes with additional inset photos) for each species. Range maps are fairly detailed, not just restricted to state boundaries. Each pair of opposing pages lists species descriptions on the left page, and photos on the right, for several related species. 445 pages. |
New England |
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The Book of Forest and Thicket: Trees, Shrubs, and Wildflowers of Eastern North America Author(s): Eastman, John; illustrated by Hansen, Amelia Publisher: Stackpole Books, 1992 View at: Amazon.com Comments: I love these books! (See also The Book of Swamp and Bog and The Book of Field and Roadside.) Learning to identify a plant is one matter, a pleasant challenge to be sure, but one that leaves us with only the most superficial of introductions. What if you could be fully immersed in the world of the plant? Eastman's books describe a relatively small number of common species in rich but not overly technical detail. I feel like a tiny bee might, as I see the insects that frequent the plant, the fungal blights it must tolerate, the birds who favor its fruits, its friends and associates. Amelia Hansen's detailed line drawings focus sometimes on the plant itself, but often on some aspect of the plant's environment. These books aren't really field guides, but they are much more. 212 pages. |
Eastern North America |
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Author(s): Eastman, John; illustrated by Hansen, Amelia Publisher: Stackpole Books, 1995 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Describes "trees, shrubs, and wildflowers of eastern freshwater wetlands." This book, and others in the series, is not a guide in the traditional sense. It describes a relatively small number of common species in their full ecological context, providing deeper insight into the world that surrounds each plant. The author lists birds and other associated animals; insects that feed on (or in some cases are digested by) the plants; pollinators and gall-producing insects; and fungal threats. Descriptions are rich with detail, but not overly technical. 237 pages. |
Eastern North America |
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The Book of Field and Roadside: Open-Country Weeds, Trees, and Wildflowers of Eastern North America Author(s): Eastman, John; illustrated by Hansen, Amelia Publisher: Stackpole Books, 2003 View at: Amazon.com Comments: I love these books! (See also The Book of Swamp and Bog and The Book of Forest and Thicket.) Learning to identify a plant is one matter, a pleasant challenge to be sure, but one that leaves us with only the most superficial of introductions. What if you could be fully immersed in the world of the plant? Eastman's books describe a relatively small number of common species in rich but not overly technical detail. I feel like a tiny bee might, as I see the insects that frequent the plant, the fungal blights it must tolerate, the birds who favor its fruits, its friends and associates. Amelia Hansen's detailed line drawings focus sometimes on the plant itself, but often on some aspect of the plant's environment. These books aren't really field guides, but they are much more. 336 pages. |
Eastern North America. |
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Peterson Field Guides: A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs Author(s): Foster, Steven & Duke, James A. Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2000 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This 411-page guide lists plants found in the eastern and central United States, listing their real or alleged medical properties. Descriptions cover historical beliefs about the plants as well as more recent research. Includes identifying photos. |
Covers states east of, but excluding, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico. It does not fully cover the southern half of Florida or the southern and western halves of Texas. Adjacent regions of Canadian provinces are included. |
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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 |
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Author(s): Lindman, Carl Axel Magnus Published: 1926 See also: List of species drawings at Project Runeberg Comments: Wonderful detailed paintings of various species. |
Covers Sweden. |
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Author(s): Loddiges, C. Published: 1817 See also: Download free from Google books Comments: This long-running periodical magazine contained many beautiful paintings of various flora. |
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Author(s): MacKay, Pam Publisher: Globe Pequot Press, 2003 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This book covers the Mojave Desert, including Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and Joshua Tree National Park. It provides detailed descriptions and excellent photos for over 300 plants. Descriptions are clear and free of jargon. 337 pages. |
Mojave Desert |
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Berry Finder: A Guide to Native Plants with Fleshy Fruits Author(s): Miller, Dorcas S., illustrated by Day, Cherie Hunter Publisher: Nature Study Guild Publishers View at: Amazon.com Comments: This diminutive 58-page guide uses black & white line drawings and plain english to provide a simple flowchart for identifying plants by their berries. Part of a series of such guides, it is a surprisingly effective aid. |
Covers Eastern United States and Canada. |
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Author(s): Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.) Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 1977 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This 490-page guide describes 1350 wildflowers. Many wildflower guides organize plants by flower color and shape, but Newcomb’s “... system of identification is based on natural structural features that are easily visible even to the untrained eye.” I found this arrangement to be counterintuitive at first, but I find myself using this book more and more often. The guide contains many high quality black & white line drawings. |
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Peterson Field Guides: A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers Author(s): Niehaus, Theodore F., Ripper, Charles L., Savage, Virginia Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 1984 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Describes over 1500 species of wildflowers found in portions of the southern and southwestern United States. Employs black & white line drawings, and some paintings, pointing out identifying features with arrows. Plants are presented by flower color, then organized by other identifying features such as flower shape, family, or seed appearence. Text descriptions are short, but focused on positive identification. |
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Peterson Field Guides: A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North Central North America Author(s): Peterson, Roger Tory, McKenny, Margaret Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 1968 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This 420-page guide organizes 1,293 wildflowers by color, then shape. Facing pages contain written descriptions on one side and detailed black & white line drawings, or sometimes color paintings, on the other. This is the layout that I like best. It permits quick comparisons among similar-appearing plants. Text descriptions are sometimes a bit too brief, but the 1,344 drawings make up for it. |
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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. |
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Succulents: The Illustrated Dictionary Author(s): Sajeva, Maurizo & Costanzo, Mariangela Publisher: Timber Press, 1994 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Contains 1200 excellent photographs covering roughly the same number of species from more than 195 genera of succulent plants. This is not a guide book—entries are organized by genus and species. Organized with six items per page, descriptions are a bit anemic. 238 pages. |
Worldwide. |
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National Audabon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers, Western Region Author(s): Spellenberg, Richard Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This 862-page guide contains 940 photos of wildflowers found in the western half of the United States, organized first by color, then by flower shape. Photos are contained in front half of the book, partly to make it a little easier to scan for possible matches, and partly perhaps as a concession to printing costs. Discussions and identifying details are presented in the second half of the book. Personally, I think this organization is simplest for amateurs who are learning how to identify plants, though I wish that scientific names were included with the photos, as well as with the descriptions. |
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Author(s): Stephenson, Ray Publisher: Timber Press, 2005 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Provides cultural information for more than 400 stonecrop species and varieties, an increasingly popular plant for use in gardens and pots. |
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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. |
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Author(s): Taubert, Paul Hermann Wilhelm (1862-1897); Engelmann (ed.) Published: 1891 See also: Download or browse free at the Biodiversity Heritage Library |
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Author(s): Taylor, Patricia A. Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, 1996 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This book is a guide to selecting native American flowers, shrubs and trees in gardens and landscapes. It reviews the history of use of native plants. It presents eighteen public gardens in Canada and the United States. Finally, it describes over 500 plants, organized by plant type (e.g. trees, shrubs, groundcovers), then by common name. 325 pages. |
North America |
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National Audabon Society Field Guide to North American Flowers, Eastern Region Author(s): Thierer, John W., Niering, William A, Olmstead, Nancy C. Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This 879-page guide contains 950 photos of wildflowers found in the eastern half of the United States, organized first by color, then by flower shape. Photos are contained in front half of the book, partly to make it a little easier to scan for possible matches, and partly perhaps as a concession to printing costs. Discussions and identifying details are presented in the second half of the book. Personally, I think this organization is simplest for amateurs who are learning how to identify plants, though I wish that scientific names were included with the photos, as well as with the descriptions. |
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Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz. Author(s): Thomé, Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Published: 1885 See also: Download book free from the Biodiversity Heritage Library |
Covers Germany, Austria and Switzerland. |
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Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest Author(s): Turner, Mark, Gustafson, Phyllis Publisher: Timber Press, 2006 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This book organizes over 1,200 species, first by flower color, then by flower shape, in a format that averages three flowers per page. Each species includes a photo, a range map, and a non-technical description. I like its simple, straightforward format. This 511-page guide gets a lot of use, despite its relatively limited area of coverage. |
Covers the Pacific northwest: Washington, Oregon, part of northern California and some of southern British Colombia. |
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Author(s): Turner, Roger Publisher: Timber Press, 1995 View at: Amazon.com Comments: This book, written by an English euphorbia enthusiast in association with the hardy plant society, describes euphorbias that are suited to growth in temperate climates. Most euphorbias (there are about 2000 total) are tropical or semi-tropical, and this guide omits those. Although targeted at gardeners, the guide contains photos and detailed descriptions of these plants. 192 pages. |
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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. |
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Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants Author(s): Wunderlin, R. P., and B. F. Hansen Publisher: Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, 2008 See also: The Institute for Systematic Botany Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants Comments: From the web site: “The Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants is a joint effort by the Institute for Systematic Botany, the University of South Florida and the Florida Center for Community Design + Research to provide users with a comprehensive searchable database of vascular plants in the State of Florida. Florida, with over 4,200 species of native or naturalized ferns and seed plants, is the third most floristically diverse state in the United States. The Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants provides a source of information for the distribution of plants within the state.” |
Covers Florida. |
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Author(s): Zachos, Ellen Publisher: Timber Press, 2005 View at: Amazon.com See also: Author's web site: Comments: This book describes about 175 tropical plants that are suitable as indoor plants. The author concentrates on plants that are relatively unusual in indoor gardens, and she has a sure eye for eye-catching species. Her descriptions for planting and caring for these species are engaging and free of jargon. Plants are organized by genus and species. 328 pages. |
Indoors |
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Guide to the Aloes of South Africa Author(s): van Wyk, Ben-Erik; Smith, Gideon Publisher: Briza, 1998 View at: Amazon.com Comments: Describes 125 species of aloes. 304 pages. |
Covers South Africa. |
