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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Texas harbors an astonishing array of trees, from the towering Bald Cypress and Loblolly Pine of deep East Texas to the Alligator Juniper and Arizona Cypress of the Trans-Pecos mountains. Some, like the Flowering Dogwood and Eastern Redbud are renowned for their lovely spring flowers; the Pecan, for its tasty nuts. Scattered throughout the state, however, are countless trees less well known to all but the most proficient botanist. The Rio Grande Valley, for example, offers habitat for such subtropical species as Sierra Madre Torchwood, Tenaza, Tepeguaje, Colima, and Baretta that occur nowhere else in the United States. Carmine Stahl and Ria McElvaney, in The Trees of Texas, have created a book that will allow even the beginning naturalist to identify this bewildering array. A convenient key sorts the species by leaf shape, the most obvious characteristic, and life-size photographs of those leaves illustrate the species accounts. Trees with elongated leaves are group together, as are those with paddle-shaped or heart-shaped foliage or the various types of compound leaves. Entire leaves may have pointed or rounded tips, each with smooth or rough edges. The reader has only to find the proper leaf shape in the key and then peruse those species that apply. Both test and illustrations also contain useful and diagnostic information on range, growth form, bark, flowers, and fruits. Although nontechnical, The Trees of Texas contains a wealth of fascinating information on both native trees and those introduced species that are widely naturalized. The authors discuss the potential size and growth rate of trees valuable for landscaping purposes; they also warn against highly invasive aliens that should not be cultivated. The appendix even contains some recipes for using wild edibles, long a trademark of Carmine Stahl. Stahl and McElvaney have packed an enormous amount of data into their species accounts. They show how Native Americans and early pioneers used the various trees for food, medicine, clothing, and shelter, and they also discuss the origin of both the common and the scientific names, information that is ignored in most botanical references. Here one finds, for example, brief biographies of the early botanists and naturalists who blazed floral trails across Texas and the nation. The reader not only can identify Mohr, Lacey, Havard, Emory, and Vasey Oaks or Wright, Gregg, and Roemer Acacias, but learn about the people for whom they were named. Stahl and McElvaney have done a commendable job in producing The Trees of Texas. Crisscrossing this enormous state, they found and photographed a vast array of fascinating species and share the results of that quest with their readers. Here beginner and experienced naturalists alike can learn to identify most Texas trees while, at the same time, delving into the folklore, history, and wildlife ecology of the Lone Star State.”--John and Gloria Tveten
(John and Gloria Tveten )
About the Author
Carmine Stahl is a naturalist and forester, recently retired as program coordinator at Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens and the Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center in Houston, Texas.Ria McElvaney is an attorney, writer, and illustrator, whose idea for this book originated with her own desire to learn about trees and her frustration with the organization of available state tree books.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Barking up a Texas Tree ....,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Trees of Texas: An Easy Guide to Leaf Identification (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series) (Hardcover)
First I must say that this work deserves praise. It really is a good book in many respects. The photographs are good. The region/county zones within a Texas map are detailed and useful. Each tree has one to several descriptive paragraphs about the tree including uses, growth rate, height, and sometimes a snipet of history.
You'd expect that though. What you'd also expect but is unbelievably absent, are two of the three most important identification tools for identifying any tree ... a picture or drawing of the tree itself (!) and bark identification. The only way to identify your mystery tree is if you have a leaf from it. Count how months in Texas our trees are leaf-bearing and subrtact that number from 12. The remainder is how many months this book sits useless on the shelf. It's a shame too, because what IS in the book is well done. This would make an excellent companion book with any other that shows the actual tree (a glaring omission) and a close-up, or even a discription of, the bark. Buy it if you can pair it with another book that gives you the other two pieces of the puzzle .... I haven't yet found it.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Trees of Texas Is the Easiest of ID Books to Use,
By Judy M. Long (Waco, TX United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Trees of Texas: An Easy Guide to Leaf Identification (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series) (Hardcover)
The format of this book, with its large detailed photos, makes identification easier than any plant book I've ever used. When I looked through a friend's book, I determined to get a copy for myself. The only thing I would change about the book would be to put 'native' or 'exotic' high on the page, but the information is in there.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Big pictures,
By Susan K. Hughes "wordwright" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Trees of Texas: An Easy Guide to Leaf Identification (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series) (Hardcover)
One of the best features of Trees of Texas is the large pictures of leaves that can readily be used to identify species.
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