Weeds (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press) (Paperback)

by Alexander C. Martin (Author), Jean Zallinger (Illustrator) "Most of the plants called weeds look ""weedy.""..." (more)
Key Phrases: weedy species, serious weed, waste places, Pacific Coast, Old World, Bermuda Grass (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This handy identification guide to the plants that cause billions of dollars annually in crop loss and control measures include information on:

-The harm that weeds cause
-Benefits from weeds
-Major weed habitats

Accurate full-color illustrations and descriptive text identify the principal weeds and weed groups that invade lawns, gardens, fields. and roadsides. Range maps show distribution within the United States.


About the Author
Golden Guides first appeared in 1949 and quickly established themselves as authorities on subjects from Natural History to Science. Relaunched in 2000, Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press feature modern, new covers as part of a multi-year, million-dollar program to revise, update, and expand the complete line of guides for a new generation of students.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (April 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582381607
• ISBN-13: 978-1582381602
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,329 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  Books > Outdoors & Nature > Plants

• This is item 36 in The Golden Guide Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you can't tell a plantain from a thistle...., September 17, 2003

By	OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Weeds (Golden Guide) (Paperback)

I never really appreciated "weeds" before I bought this little book. You see, I didn't really buy it for practical identification purposes. I bought it out of idle curiousity and a need to kill time. This was because I was working a job in an isolated and overgrown industrial park and identifying the plants that were overgrowing the complex seemed to be both distracting and contructive.

In a very short period of time I was able to identify every plant, flowering and nonflowering. The illustrations show the flowers, the leaves, the seeds, and often the form of the entire plant above ground. Plus, the concise text gives pertinent facts about the plants' properties, habits, history, and range. In fact, a small range map of the United States is included for every single species. Since the book contains only about 130 major species (all you will probably ever need) it is fast and easy to flip through for identification. There are two notable omissions in the text however- Kudzu and Cannabis....

One thing that really stuck with me after using this book is how many of our most common plants actually came from abroad- early Indians would have had no idea what they were!

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Weeds, September 4, 2002

By	J. Lindner (Gem Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased this book as a companion to another field guide, Wildflowers. I've never been able to differentiate between weeds and wildflowers, but after perusing both works, I've determined that my yard has far more weeds than wildflowers.

This is a handy reference with good illustrations and text written for the non-botanist to understand.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read, not so easy to ID with, July 3, 2002

By	secondadd "secondadd" (Dublin, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This is an enjoyable book for kids and adults, with lively commentary and good descriptions of where you're likely to find these plants.

There are several downsides: a) I can't really identify much from this book; I don't find the illustrations helpful. Smartweeds, for example, are not shown with their common purple splotch. "Weeds of the Northeast" is far better for identification, especially when you are dealing with seedlings. b) Some common weeds like garlic mustard and yellow foxtail are not included. Maybe it's time for a revision, since the copyright reads 1987.

Once I ID a weed, though, it's always fun to pull out this book and read what they have to say about it. For this reason - and its reasonable cost - I recommmend it.