Customer Reviews

Common Weeds of the United States

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The black ink line drawings by Regina O'Hughes, prepared from herbarium specimens, are exquisite in detail and scientific accuracy and are works of art, besides. The nearly 500 pages, drawings on right hand page (9 inches by nearly 7 inches), text and distribution map on left hand page, make this a comprehensive, yet easy to understand and use, reference book. First published in 1970 by the United States Department of Agriculture, this Dover republication book is a tremendous value for the money and its contents are as timely today as they were 30 years ago. These are the plants that Peterson Field Guides ignored. The book contains an extensive bibliography for those who want to further their study of these amazing plants. This book is definitely worth 5 stars!

This book has some common weeds. Most of my books are for identification of grasses, trees, wetland plants, and flowers. Sometimes the weeds don't fall into those categories and I've found them in this book rather than some of the others. It's an older book, so some of the names might have changed, but with online sources and/or a checklist like the Vascular Plants of Texas the older names don't hurt.

I picked this book up secondhand to add to my collection of similar volumes. Mostly I use Weeds of the Northeast (Comstock books) and also National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers--E: Eastern Region - Revised Edition, but quite a few others as well, some out of print. This one is so outdated that it's basically useless.

The drawings are detailed, yes, and there is one for almost every plant. Very nice. There is no listing at all for Heracleum / Giant Hogweed, which has become a health hazard in some areas. Poison ivy and poison oak are listed as completely separate species with no indication of the range of appearance -- and no mention of the "Toxicodendron" taxonomy now preferred. (Regarding poison ivy, I very much like this book: The Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac Book: A Short Natural History and Cautionary Account.) The lack of attention to detail in getting the names right is appalling. I must admit that the listing for "hemp" (Cannabis sativa) is pretty cute. I would like to be able to field ID hemp dogbane, which we do have in my area, but I can't yet, and the entry in this book isn't any help either. I suspect that for some plants nothing replaces a living person pointing out that first example.

The book has a copyright date of 1970 but really feels more like a relic of the 1950s. I am writing this in 2010. Aside from the cute listing for "hemp," and the historical value of the range maps, I can see no reason for this book to take up shelf space as an actual field reference item. Not to say people may not find it of value as part of a collection of USDA titles, or for the drawings. It's useless to me. I wish they'd come out with an updated version.

I farm and am always curious about weeds that come up in my fields this book has been very helpful, when you know what weeds you are trying to kill, you can pick the right herbicide for the job.

I have had this book for decades. The black and white illustrations make identification easy. The information is geared more to agricultural conditions than the backyard but being as farms and backyards have the same weeds that is not a drawback. Highly recommended.

Ok, but not enough detail for me. Probably good for beginning plant lovers. I donated it to my local library book sale.

For years, I just pulled them. Then I got curious -- what are these critters? How do they propagate? So, I ordered two booksWeeds of the Northeast (Comstock books) as well as "Common Weeds of the United States". Two sources are better than one -- always! I bring home my specimens from the garden and try to sort out what my garden -- not me! -- is growing.
Sometimes, the color photos in "Weeds of the Northeast" show me exactly what I have. With other invaders, I have found the answer in "Comon Weeds". The black and white drawings sometimes capture what a human observes better than a photo.
Plants are as different as people, and somtimes a human (not a camera) deciding what makes this plant itself is better captured in pen and ink and mind.
And, perhaps, most important -- what a treasure of a book to just browse!
While this book is old and may not be helpful to a commercial farmer who wants to just "kill 'em". It is a wonderful source for a non-biologist who wants to understand "Who grows here -- and why".
I think, because of this book, I have become a fan of weeds! I still pull them and put their bodies in the compost pile, but now I name them and -- in part -- understand them.
A great book -- imagine this -- human knows the weed, captures what her mind knows of the weed in pen on white paper -- no single specimen may have ever looked like this -- and you look at the pen drawing and say "Yes!" this is it!

The weeds in my pasture was identified by my local AG office and only 1 was in the book out of 5. As far as I'm concerned the book was useless to me.

It may be an arcane subject; but I wanted to know about these seemingly untamed natural "flowers." They have been here since our ancestors brought the majority of them in from their motherlands. Many came in the bags and cracked leather shows of the first Mayflower passengers to stepoff the boat. I wanted to know the names and habits of these seemingly uninvited guests.

And now my neighbor has borrowed the book, I fear I must buy a second copy.