Agnes Chase's First Book of Grasses: The Structure of Grasses Explained for Beginners [Paperback]

Agnes Chase (Author), Lynn G. Clark (Author), Richard W. Pohl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 1996

For almost seventy-five years, Agnes Chase's First Book of Grasses has been the classic guide to the structure of this complex group of plants. Clearly written and copiously illustrated with line drawings, the book is accessible to those with little or no botanical training, yet it also is respected by botanists as an authoritative introduction to agrostology.

Last updated in 1959, the book now has been thoroughly revised to reflect current scientific knowledge, nomenclature, and classification. Divided into twelve lessons, the guide first surveys the basic vegetative and reproductive parts of a grass plant, then in succeeding lessons takes up increasingly more complex modifications. Formally recognized groups of grasses are discussed in a taxonomic context, with the principal focus on grass structures, particularly those of inflorescences and spikelets. Virtually all of the species discussed are illustrated with detailed line drawings. With the addition in this edition of a lesson on bamboos, coverage now extends to tropical regions and encompasses all major groups of grasses. The book also includes a short biography of Agnes Chase in the foreword and, for the first time in this edition, a glossary accompanies the appendices on grass classification.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An affordable and valuable addition to any horticulturist's bookshelf. . . . [This book makes] the seemingly insurmountable complexity of the grass inflorescence accessible to horticulture students and botanists alike. . . . Many of the illustrations are from the first edition, and are exquisite in their detail and clarity.”—HortScience

“Beautifully illustrated and a handy companion to a botanical garden.”—New Scientist

“A new edition of the classic botanical introduction to agrostology covering the major groups of grasses found in the Americas. Truly a standard, Chase first published the guide in 1902 and was considered the preeminent agrostologist of American grasses at the time of her death in 1963.”—SciTech Book News

About the Author

Lynn G. Clark is Associate Professor of Botany at Iowa State University. Richard W. Pohl (1916-1993), Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Botany at Iowa State University and author of How to Know the Grasses (3d ed. 1978), was regarded as the foremost authority on American grasses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press; 4th edition (April 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560986565
• ISBN-13: 978-1560986560
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.3 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, September 28, 2000

By 

magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Agnes Chase's First Book of Grasses: The Structure of Grasses Explained for Beginners (Paperback)

Although my botanical interests lie mainly in mycology and dendrology, I was truly delighted to find this little book. It is simply the best way to get a conceptual understanding of the structure of grasses and the main genera in a way that will definitely aid your ability to identify them in the field using more traditional taxonomic keys. Normally, such keys lead you from the specific characters to the taxon/concept itself, but with this book, you learn the more powerful concepts that unify and differentiate the various genera. This was a tremendous aid to me in my field identification of this important group, because after reading this book several times, I basically knew what was going on, instead of just "cookbooking" it using the typical botanical key.

I have sort of an amusing story associated with this book. By the time I had memorized this book I could basically identify any grass at least to the genus level by sight, and then I could consult a more detailed taxonomic key from there for the species. I was once sitting around a fire with my fellow mycologists, who were somewhat amused I had somehow learned how to identify the grasses, which, even for a botanist, are an esoteric group. So when they asked what I was doing, I said that once you understood the grasses, even an apparently desolate, boring, sand lot down the block can provide hours of fun. Mycologists are used to spending hours tramping through the woods in search of interesting mushrooms, so they found this quite funny and everybody laughed at the thought.

Anway, Agnes Chase loved the grasses and this book is filled with that enthusiasm in this clear and concise book, helping to make one of the most difficult areas of plant identification easier to deal with.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle introduction to a challenging subject, May 30, 2000

By 

Adam Stauffer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Agnes Chase's First Book of Grasses: The Structure of Grasses Explained for Beginners (Paperback)

Highly recommended for "wannabe" botanists and plant lovers, this book divides the complexity of grasses into twelve relatively simple lessons. It is perfect for quickly gaining a basic understanding of the taxonomy of grasses, and, of course, impressing your friends at parties with lines like "hey check out the florets on this pedicellate spikelet." (Lesson 3)

This book is a primer not a field guide, check out Knobel/Faust for a good companion volume.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a botany student's dream come true, March 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Agnes Chase's First Book of Grasses: The Structure of Grasses Explained for Beginners (Paperback)

As a first-year botany student, I was overwhelmed by the confusing tables and cryptic systems when trying to identify certain plants. I am so relieved to find a guide like Agnes Chase's First Book of Grasses, where identification methods are made simple, yet remain as factual and dependable as the volumes on horticulture and botany for advanced students. The book is a classic in the world of botany, however the updated fourth edition makes it all the more useful in relation to the ever-changing world of scientific knowledge. This guide is a must-have for any beginner in botany as it opens the doors to the world of agrostology in such a clear and dependable manner.