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Newcomb's Wildflower Guide Paperback – April 13, 1989
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Amateur and expert alike can quickly and accurately identify almost any wildflower using Lawrence Newcomb's system, which is based on natural structural features that are easily visible even to the untrained eye. Every time you see an unknown plant, ask yourself the same five questions (related to the type of plant and the structure of its petals and leaves), and you will be directed to the page on which the plant can be found. Beautiful illustrations make confirmation easy.
- Print length490 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
- Publication dateApril 13, 1989
- Dimensions4.75 x 0.88 x 7.75 inches
- ISBN-100316604429
- ISBN-13978-0316604420
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Editorial Reviews
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"Anyone who likes wildflowers and is planning a vacation trip to the North Central or Northeastern states will do well to take along this new guide."―Dallas Morning News
"Will be most useful for the identification of wild plants by amateurs and plant lovers. It is certainly an innovative guide for field trips...―S. Dillon Ripley, Smithsonian Institution
Product details
- Publisher : Little, Brown and Company; Reprint edition (April 13, 1989)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 490 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0316604429
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316604420
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 4.75 x 0.88 x 7.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #40,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #21 in Flowers in Biological Sciences
- #37 in Botany (Books)
- #54 in Outdoors & Nature Reference
- Customer Reviews:
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Customer Review: Great guide, not great condition
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Customers find the information quality of the book great and complete. They also describe the layout as well-written and illustrated. Opinions differ on the ease of use, with some finding it excellent and easy to use, while others say it's tricky for beginners.
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Customers find the book's information quality good. They mention it's a great companion to easily figure out plants, their purpose, and what to do with them. Readers also appreciate the well-thought-out system for plant identification. They say it's fantastic for anyone interested in learning to identify wildflowers. They mention the dichotomous guide is easy to use and genius.
"...Once you figure out how the guide works - its a great companion to easily figure out plants, their purpose and what you can use and what you should..." Read more
"...The key is very good.Newcomb's also possesses an excellent index that lists plants both by common name and scientific name...." Read more
"...It covers a wide variety of wild plants. I have been using it for over 40 years. Still the best. An essential field guide for the curious." Read more
"An actual system to identify plants…not just thumbing through the book or hoping they are in flower because that is the only clue you have!..." Read more
Customers find the book well-written and illustrated. They appreciate the clear writing and illustrations. Readers also mention the book is organized and in great shape.
"...Bravo to the author and illustrator. You will always hold a place in my heart for what you have given me in this guide. Thank-you Bonnie" Read more
"...It is well laid out, and has a clear dichotomous key...." Read more
"...And the drawings (which I usually prefer to photographs) are clean and clear...." Read more
"...Another criticism I have seen is that the book does not organize plants by taxonomic relationships...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the ease of use of the book. Some mention the key is excellent and clear, while others say the material is very tricky to figure out and not easy for beginners. They also mention the methodology is complicated and confusing.
"...This guide is not perfect...." Read more
"...The key is very good.Newcomb's also possesses an excellent index that lists plants both by common name and scientific name...." Read more
"...Harder to use of flower isn’t present." Read more
"...but the format and organization of the material is very tricky to figure out." Read more
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Easy Peasey (esp. for newbies!)
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I got this one because I had seen it before, and another friend of mine who is a Forester said it was the best guide for plant identification.
The book's greatest asset by far is its key; it allows you to get very close to the species you're looking for based on a few easily identifiable characteristics (the arrangement and type of leaves, and the number of petals) that even a total novice can understand. Once you've found the correct page to start on, it lists plants by genus and provides reasonably good pictures and short descriptions. There have been a few times where I've failed to identify a plant through Newcomb's, identified it some other way (e.g. iNaturalist), and then come back to Newcomb's and realized I had missed some important feature. The key is very good.
Newcomb's also possesses an excellent index that lists plants both by common name and scientific name. Once I started to get the hang of things, I found this index extremely helpful if I had a hunch about a plant's genus, since I could find it in there and go directly to its species without going through the key.
The book is not without its faults, however. For example, the genera are not always correct, and some species really are missing. For example, the genus of American Asters, Symphyotrichum, is listed under Aster, and it appears that Persicaria longiseta is completely absent (this has caused a decent amount of confusion for me, because the book invariably leads me to spotted lady's thumb instead). Both of those are, I think, a simple result of the guide's age, and are neither fatal to its quality nor to your botanical learning.
Another criticism I have seen is that the book does not organize plants by taxonomic relationships. For a serious botanist this is undoubtedly a real problem, but I think that might be a strength for some beginners. I can only speak for myself, but I've used other guides that *were* organized by families and found them somewhat confusing. The process of learning plants just by their morphological characteristics has given me enough points of reference that now those taxonomic relationships make more sense. Therefore, I would caution anyone new to botany who is questioning buying Newcomb's on that basis -- try it out. It's not an expensive book, and it will get you out there in the woods and fields. Learning about nature by sight, touch, and smell is the fundamental thing; let the taxonomy come later.
Top reviews from other countries
I have used this book with friends ( young and old) and with students in my Biology classes . A great resource .









