Trees and Shrubs of California (California Natural History Guides) [Perfect Paperback]

John D. Stuart (Author), John O. Sawyer (Author), Andrea J. Pickart (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520221109 | ISBN-13: 978-0520221109 | Publication Date: May 14, 2001 | Edition: 1

California's varied landscape is characterized by a spectacular abundance of plant life, including a magnificent variety of trees and shrubs. This is the first book to combine the trees and shrubs of California in one accessible field guide. Trees and Shrubs of California identifies and describes native California tree species and most common shrub species. The text is complemented by more than 200 beautiful line drawings, 300 range maps, and 40 color photographs.
In their introduction, the authors discuss the dominant vegetation types, climates, principal landforms, and elevations of California's ecological regions. They explain the classification system and nomenclature used in the book, which includes both scientific and common plant names and is based on the 1993 edition of The Jepson Manual. The authors also provide a step-by-step explanation of how to use the dichotomous keys to identify plants and distinguish between trees and shrubs.
This user-friendly field guide minimizes technical terms and includes a checklist, making it an invaluable resource on California's profuse vegetation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Finally a guide to the woody plants of wildland California! The easy-to-follow vegetative keys, revealing drawings, crisp color photos, and handy range maps combine to make this a beautiful, reader-friendly resource to the novice and the expert alike. Each species has a page of text, including notes on habitat, morphology, and economic importance." - Michael Barbour, editor of California's Changing Landscapes "I love this book. It is warmly welcome as a guide for California's avid public, a public that includes natural history lovers, conservationists, consultants, agencies, and public and private land managers. It is useful, usable, packed with accurate information, and cannot help but assist us in the difficult job of preserving our natural heritage." - Jake Sigg, President, California Native Plant Society"

From the Inside Flap

"Finally a guide to the woody plants of wildland California! The easy-to-follow vegetative keys, revealing drawings, crisp color photos, and handy range maps combine to make this a beautiful, reader-friendly resource to the novice and the expert alike. Each species has a page of text, including notes on habitat, morphology, and economic importance."--Michael Barbour, editor of California's Changing Landscapes

"I love this book. It is warmly welcome as a guide for California's avid public, a public that includes natural history lovers, conservationists, consultants, agencies, and public and private land managers. It is useful, useable, packed with accurate information, and cannot help but assist us in the difficult job of preserving our natural heritage."--Jake Sigg, President, California Native Plant Society

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 500 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (May 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520221109
• ISBN-13: 978-0520221109
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK, September 15, 2001

By 

P. van Rijckevorsel (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trees and Shrubs of California (California Natural History Guides) (Perfect Paperback)

This would seem to be OK. Nicely printed with attractive line-drawings that give a good overall picture of what the plant looks like (not quite one for every species, also somewhat short on botanical detail) and distribution maps (one for every species). A separate section with pretty decent color photographs (39 total).

The downside is that this is a guide for North and Central California, with the occasional South Californian species thrown in, which makes it a compromise. Also I don't really like the size: I would have preferred a bigger page size in a less chunky volume. But good value for money overall.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars California's Floral Treasures, November 8, 2002

By 

K. Smith "kensmithsf" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trees and Shrubs of California (California Natural History Guides) (Perfect Paperback)

This is a wonderful reference book for more serious California native plant enthusiasts. It has detailed drawings of most referenced plants and also shows a map illustrating the native range of every specimen (which I find particularly interesting). Although I have found some missing species -- I really value this book. It is a great companion to the Sunset Western Garden Book (I go back and forth between the two). It also provides information on non-native plants that have long naturalized in the Golden State.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, June 18, 2008

By 

H. Swinehart - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trees and Shrubs of California (California Natural History Guides) (Perfect Paperback)

This book is exactly as described and what I wanted. After a trip to the Channel Islands where great precautions are taken to keep the environment as natural and pristine as possible, I developed an interest in California's flora and fauna. This book along with some other natural history guides has given me a new perspective on living in Southern California.