I first heard of Newcomb's
Wildflower Guide while studying biology in university. It was a
highly recommended book and used widely by field biologists.
Newcomb's is a plant identification book that uses a logical key system
to identify flowering plants, shrubs, and vines of Northeastern and
North-central North America. Other plant identification books may group
plants by the colour of the flower, which will inevitably have you flipping
through the pages until you identify your plant in question. This book on
the other hand, provides a key system that will help you identify your plant
according to its structural features. This is how the identification
process works:
- answer 5 questions, which are grouped according to flower type, plant type, and leaf type, and determine the corresponding 3 digit number
- find the 3 digit number in the locator key
- turn to the page where the plant is described, and confirm your plant by the text description and illustration
This book provides a key system
that is systematic and efficient, and is accompanied by detailed illustrations of
plants. As a student studying biology, I have used this book in the field
and found it to be an indispensable reference tool. Though no longer a
student, I still continue to use it during my pastime nature walks. I
highly recommend this book, for amateurs, experts, and nature lovers alike.
No comments:
Post a Comment