Practical Botanist

Describes the complete range of plant groups and how to identify different species, and explores the plant life of different environments, including urban areas, agricultural lands, woodlands, wetlands, seashores, deserts, and high country

Subtitled "An essential field guide to studying, classifying, and collecting plants," this new addition to Fireside's "Practical" series is not a field guide in the usual sense, being too large (7 x 9) and too unwieldy and lacking the detail and completeness of the classic guide, e.g., the Petersen Field Guide series. Rather, it is more of an introduction to habitats, such as "Grasslands," and selected common plants found there, such as grasses, trees and shrubs, and wildflowers, listed in tabular form by English name. The lack of Latin or botanical names may cause some confusion. Despite these caveats, naturalist Imes has written a concise, well-ordered, and lavishly illustrated book suitable for public library science collections. A Rodale Book Club and Garden Book Club selection; see also Steve Parker's The Practical Paleontologist, reviewed below.
- Richard Shotwell, Han cock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.