The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California (Hardcover)

by James C. Hickman (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This is one remarkable cutting-edge flora. Put it on your shelf, peruse it and abuse it, fondle it, learn from it. But most importantly, do yourself a favor--buy it!"--"American Society of Plant Taxonomists

Product Description
First published in 1925, Willis Linn Jepson's Manual of the Flowering Plants of California has been a standard reference for teachers, students, and naturalists. Since that time, hundreds of new species have been identified and botanical investigation has become more sophisticated. Now Jepson's philosophy of making such information available to all is again realized in this new volume, which includes a wealth of material accumulated over the past decades. With contributions from two hundred botanists across North America, this is the most comprehensive resource and identification guide to nearly eight thousand varieties of native and naturalized California plants. The means to identify plants (using key traits and illustrations) is accompanied by special information such as horticultural requirements, endangerment, toxicity, weed status, and notes on the management of sensitive species. Identification keys have been designed for ease of use, and terms have been simplified and illustrated, making the new Manual the most authoritative field guide for the expert and amateur alike.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1424 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (April 23, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520082559
• ISBN-13: 978-0520082557
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,771 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #1 in

  Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Botany > Plant Geography

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but not for beginners, July 15, 2000

By A Customer

This is an excellent book covering thousands of species of flowering plants of California. The book does contain a brief introduction to keying plants and a glossary of plant terms, but despite these features, I believe that the beginner would find this book difficult to use. It's size and complexity can be intimidating, and without color pictures (which aren't always accurate, but helpful for the beginner) it can be a frustrating experience for the novice.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the uninitiated, January 12, 2001

By A Customer

This book is an excellent botanical key listing a huge number of plants. It is not your average "audubon" guide, since it requires you to key out the plant in question using botanical systematics. Definitely a good reference book, but hard to use casually to find out what that tree is in your front yard!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Reference and Learning Guide, April 28, 2002

By A Customer

This is an excellent guide. Very comprehensive, however you must have formal education in botany and plant ID in order to effectively use the guide to key plants to genus and or species. Not recommended for the average person. Just people who are plant nerds!