Customer Reviews

Weeds of the Northern U.S. and Canada: A Guide for Identification

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Strangely enough in Canada this book has "CANADA" writ large under weeds with the "& northern united states" in small letters on same cover!! Anyways, I bought this book because it is so clearly indexed by both seedling and adult stage (categorized by leaf type, and then subcategorized by flower color). It has very clear photos, so I am not sure what the other reviewer is talking about. The photos include separate photos of flowers, seeds, whole plant, and sometimes leaves and other distinguishing characteristics (ie leaf attachment in the grasses). There are a few places where a better photo of leaves would help, esp if the plant is in the between seedling and flowering stage.But compared with the three other books I have on weeds, the illustrations are much more precise and easy to reference.

This is definitely a book written for crop farmers, since there is more information on how much it depreciates crop yield ("Reasons for Concern"), than how to get rid of the weed for gardeners.However, I think that once you can identify a weed, it is very simple to find info (chemical, organic etc) on how to deal with it.

One feature that I find excellent is "Similar Species", which includes a photo.I find that this helps remove doubt in identification, or gives a hint where to look if one is mistaken.

Seeing as how I am trying to identify weeds in order to find edible ones rather than eradicate them, I would have appreciated an "edible/poisonous/inedible" designation for each plant. However once I have identified it, I can then refer to a more detailed book such as "Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide: by Elias & Dykeman" to see if the plant is edible and how to prepare it.

The main reason I am giving this book 4 stars vs 5 is that it seems to be lacking some fairly common weeds. I cannot find deadly (climbing) nightshade in it, which grows here in Montreal alleyways. Nor could I find goldenrod (Solidago L.). I really don't understand how such common weeds could be left out.

Basically an easy to use reference guide that is handy to flip through and consult while out in the field.

This is a good resource, although I prefer Uva's Weeds of the Northeast mainly because of its superior pictures. Some of the pictures in this book aren't very helpful for identifying plants. For example, I couldn't recognize first-year burdock leaves from the pictures. Some common northeastern US weeds are missing too, although that complaint can't also be made from the Uva book. The writeups are good though, and I'm sure it'll be a reference I'll use.

This reference guide aids in identification of weeds at all stages of growth. The easy to read text is complemented by excellent photographs. A must have if you need to know what the weed is.

I'm a city gardener and found this book amazing in telling me what wasn't suppose to be growing there. Appears to be written as an agricultural reference but great for city folks too! Never knew weeds were so beautiful! Lovely photographs!

Photos tend to be dark and not in sharp focus. The dark photographic backgrounds make it especially difficult to see the adult plants clearly. Line drawings would have been helpful, perhaps necessary, if the reader is going to use this book for weed identification. Information on specific weed control would have been a helpful addition.

Most weed books have too many line drawings, or pictures of weeds in only one stage of growth. This book has the weed from seed, to seedling to maturity. I especially liked the cross-reference to similar weeds, so you can be aware that you might be confusing the two and can then check the referenced page number. The book is well organized with colour codings, has a great pictorial glossary and the index contains both the common name and the latin name. There is a quick flower key colour at the beginning of the book, so you can start your search with the easiest of efforts.
I am also pleased it isn't a huge bible of weeds, too heavy to take with you in your backpack. Instead, it is the right amount of information and anything further and needing more of a detailed account can be found out later on the internet.

What is a weed to one, can be a beautiful flower to another! I think the book is fabulous. It is filled with wonderful pictures, thorough descriptions of each stage of growth, and great keys (mature plants by flower color, seedlings, grasses). A MUST if you're trying to determine if that plant growing in your garden is worth keeping. Note: this book is written from an agrigulturalist perspective, hence my comments regarding weeds vs flowers. That said, it is still a great source of information for all gardners as well as farmers and other comercial industries.

I found this book to be helpful in identifying the 'weeds' in my region of the Pacific Northwest. However as a university level botany student I have learned that not all the binomial names in the book are correct. Best advice to confirm id with the USDA plant website, or with Hitchcock. I really liked the info on seed viability and sprout photos.

The book was in excellent condition and it was recieved in great time. I would not hesitate to use this vendor again

This is simply the best identification book on weeds that I've found. It includes common and latin names with full-color pictures at each stage of growth. Weeds are organized by family of weeds - aster, mustard, mint, grass, etc. The index also includes both common and scientific names.

Within 10 minutes of picking up this book I found out the names of 5 different weeds that have been plaguing my gardens - that no one else was able to identify. The descriptions are clear and to the point and aren't bogged down in minutiae like more formal botany textbooks. It's especially useful if you are trying to garden organically. I only wish I had found this book years ago.