Mosses, Lichens and Ferns of Northwest North America [Paperback]

Dale Vitt (Author), Janet Marsh (Author), Robin Bovey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1988

The classic guide to the bryophytes of the West is back in print. This book brings the small yet beautiful world of mosses, liverworts, lichens, and ferns to those interested in understanding more about their surroundings. These plants are relatively inconspicuous plants which nonetheless play significant roles in the ecology of forests and tundra.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book fills a great void in any library of field guides for our area. ...excellent introductory material...an essential addition to the library of anyone interested in studying those intriguing "little" plants of both native habitats and gardens. --Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

This book is comprehensive and probably the only guide the amateur will ever need to gain insights into the mysterious world of mosses, lichens, and ferns. --Borealis Magazine --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0919433413
• ISBN-13: 978-0919433410
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, December 12, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Mosses, Lichens, and Ferns of Northwest North America (Photographic Field Guide) (Paperback)

The beautiful photos of lichens and mosses are the best feature of this book. Even many of the harder to identify crustose lichens are included and equally well photographed in this handsome guide. It is difficult to get a handle on lichen identification without some formal training, but this book will enable you to at least make identifications for some of the easier foliose and fruticose ones, such as parmelia or usnea, for example, and perhaps the more difficult ones too as you become more knowlegeable and experienced. The crustose lichen, rhizocarpon geographicum, for example, isn't that hard to identify from the tile-like pattern it makes on rocks and the lime-green color and black apothecia on the plant thallus.

Along with the photos, there are good descriptions and range maps showing plant distributions.

I had the opportunity to take supposedly the only full-semester lichenology class being taught that year in the entire U.S. by the late, great Harry Thiers, back in the mid-80's at San Francisco State University, a graduate botany course in which I'm proud to say I got an A. So I have some formal training in the area, and feel I can judge a good book on the subject when I see it, and this beautifully illustrated field guide is definitely worth the relatively modest price.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed pictorial guide to primitive plants, October 19, 2001

By 

J. Mark Taylor "sphinxring" (Olympia, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mosses, Lichens, and Ferns of Northwest North America (Photographic Field Guide) (Paperback)

Focused on the moist parts of western North America, this guide uses photos, range maps, and keys to identify and describe the primitive plants that are everywhere around us, but poorly understood. Great for plant exploration in the cool parts of the year. If you've ever wondered about those beautiful green carpeted forest floors, the delicate life growing on trees and rocks, or the lacey ferns in the fields and woods, this book is for you.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice collection of regional information, December 25, 2007

By 

T. Vanover "Perpet Student" (Washington, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mosses Lichens & Ferns of Northwest North America (Lone Pine Guide) (Paperback)

- As a graduate student I read many books focused on mosses and lichens. This guide is quite a refreshing addition to my library. It is easy to read and in English - not scientific jargon! I find it to be a good collection of information about the 'Mosses, Lichens & Ferns in NW North America'. I purchased it as a regional reference of moss and lichen data. I was not disappointed. The inclusion of ferns and liverworts is very appropriate for this region of the continent! (Some of the pictures aren't as great as those in Lichens of North America - but still good.) It is just the right size for a day pack complete with good quality paper. Another quality Lone Pine Product.