Newcomb's Wildflower Guide: An Ingenious New Key System for Quick, Positive Field Identification of the Wildflowers, Flowering Shrubs and Vines of Northeastern and North-central North America [Hardcover]

Lawrence Newcomb (Author), Gordon Morrison (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1977

Lawrence Newcomb's system of identification on wild flowers is based on natural structural features that are easily visible to the untrained eye and enables amateurs and experts to identify almost any wildflower quickly and accurately.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 490 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); 1st edition (April 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316604410
• ISBN-13: 978-0316604413
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #651,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple System Eases Wildflower Identification, October 8, 2002

By 

Craig L. Howe "The Pointed Pundit" (Darien, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Paperback)

The author's system allows even amateurs like me to quickly and accurately identify wildflowers.

It is as simple as answering five questions which point the user to the appropriate page in the book where the flower is described and pictured. The text is great. The first sentence of each description distinguishes that plant from all others in that group.

If you are looking for a wildflower guide, they do not get better than this one.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wildflowers made easy: an indispensable reference., May 18, 1998

By 

Morrie Gasser ([e-mail]) (Hopkinton, Mass.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Paperback)

If you're going to buy just one book on wildflower identification, this is it. While not foolproof, this system is the best I've seen. It beats by far other methods using color and shape of flower, as used in the Audubon and Peterson field guides (though both the latter have their place, and you should get both if you're really serious).

A most unique aspect of this book is that it includes shrubs as well as plants normally considered wildflowers, adding greatly to its utility for the amateur observer.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent source for the student botanist, January 12, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Paperback)

The Newcomb's Guide is not the first field guide that I have ever used, but it is the one that I use most for identification of flowering plants in the Northeast. I found the key very easy to use, which results in rapid identifications. Eventhough it is not totally complete, it is an excellent guide for student botanists who want to learn about N.E. flowers with only this guide as instruction. More guides should be written in this style!