Customer Reviews

Arizona Flora, Second edition

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This is the classic work on Arizona Flora identification. Revised in 1970, it covers nearly 4000 species of higher plants native to Arizona. This is a highly technical work of based on descriptive taxonomy. I expect that recent advances in genetic typing will soon make works of this sort obsolete, but until such advanced techniques are widely available, this remains an invaluable handbook for the specialist working with Arizona flora. This book is difficult for the amateur to use for two reasons. First, there are essentialy no illustrations, relying instead on subtle distinctions of scientific descriptions. Lacking the necessary technical vocabulary, most amateurs will be quickly frustrated. However, the book does contain an excellent glossary (excepting the lack of illustrations) so with patience, advanced amateurs can make use of the keys. The second problem is less easily solved. Many of the key distinctions are made from plant characteristics observed at widely different times of the plant's life cycle. For example, reference to the petioles or lack thereof of the seedling's cotyledons may be made followed by references to the shape or character of the seeds or seed pods. This limits the usefulness of the key in many cases where the plant is only observed at a single point in time, generally while flowering. As an amateur wildflower observer, I generally use this as a reference to confirm or refine an identification made in the field or from photographs. My initial identification, usually to at least the family and usually the genus, is generally made with the aid of other works, such as the Peterson Field Guides, various other works specializing in desert or Arizona flowers and Ricketts 3 volumes covering the Southwest. But for all that, if you're serious about wildflower identification, then this is a book that must be part of your reference library. The included ranges and flowering times will often be enough to distinguish two similar appearing species.

Arizona Flora is an essential resource for Arizona botanists who want to identify anything beyond what color guides can offer. A more up-to-date AZ Flora is in production, but will be awhile before available as one volume, although parts can be accessed on line via the ASU Herbarium website.

One has to expect that if one uses a technical key one has to learn the technical vocabulary, so that really is not a negative. In addition, many excellent keys have no illustrations (see Munz, Flora of California) so that really isn't a negative either.

However I have to agree with mhuth that the keys are terrible. Compared to Munz or Hitchcock, they are VERY difficult to use. In addition, there are no detailed descriptions of the species!!! Munz had a third more species in California and he managed to include a fine description for each species. This makes it difficult to run all the lines when the key doesn't work which is often.

Finally as mhuth says, it is quite dated. Much has happened since this flora came out.

There is a partial alternative. The professionals are feeling the pain too and are writing a flora complete with species descriptions, range maps and illustrations. Some of the families are already available. Look up Vascular Plants of Arizona Project on the web for more information.

Hopefully this future book will someday be available on Amazon. In the mean time, buy your copy of K & R and supplement it with the above.