A Field Guide to Ferns and their related families: Northeastern and Central North America with a section on species also found in the British Isles and Western Europe (Peterson Field Guides) (Paperback)

~ Boughton Cobb (Author), Roger Tory Peterson (Editor), Laura Louise Foster (Illustrator) "EACH OF the four classes of the Pteridophytes has its own characteristic behavior in producing, bearing, and propagating its spores..." (more)
Key Phrases: diagnostic arrows, vallecular cavities, fertile subleaflet, Diagnostic Arrows, British Isles, Christmas Fern (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

More than 500 species of northeastern and central North American ferns are described and illustrated, with helpful details such as color, leaf shapes, measurements, and root forms. An illustrated key aids in quick identification.

About the Author

Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world's greatest naturalists, received every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Peterson Identification System has been called the greatest invention since binoculars. These editions include updated material by Michael O'Brien, Paul Lehman, Bill Thompson III, Michael DiGiorgio, Larry Rosche, and Jeffrey A. Gordon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 301 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395975123
• ISBN-13: 978-0395975121
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #429,261 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good pocket field guide for the amateur field bontonist, August 9, 2000

By	Stephen W. Siebert (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews

The black and white pen and ink illustrations in this field guide are excellent. Like all Peterson Field Guides, the book begins with a short description of ferns in general and a brief glossary of taxonomic terms particular to ferns. The book is arranged (somewhat frustratingly so for the more experienced Field Botonist) by major plant characterstic. The taxonomic keys are sparce and generally ineffective. Each species identified in the book has a detailed drawing and a description written in easy to understand language. These descriptions include the principle defining characterstics of each fern, and a description of its habit.

The book lacks a information about each ferns geographic distribution and prominance. This sometime leads the amatuer to mis-identifying the sometime confusingly similar fern species.

This book comes in true field guide size. It is light and compact and easily taken to the field. Dispite its weaknesses, I still take it to the field when I go somewhere outside the mid Atlantic after even after six years of wetland delineation field work.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Does a good job of covering a limited scope, October 23, 2000

By	Brian Welch (Lilburn, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have found this field guide to be very useful, though frustratingly limited in scope. The illustrations and diagnostic data are very nice, though somewhat limited - for example, immature frond forms (when different from mature) and unique fiddlehead forms are not shown. On the plus side, this guide covers fern allies such as club mosses. Also, don't let the black-and-white illustrations put you off, they carry more useful information than color photos (of which there are some) of a fern would. My most serious beef with this field guide is that it ignores ferns which are marginally hardy or hardy only in the warmer areas of Northeast and Central North America. Don't expect to find information on Thelypteris kunthii, for example. Final analysis: If you are willing to accept its limitations, you will find this guide to be very useful.