Sedges and Rushes of Minnesota: The Complete Guide to Species Identification

(Paperback)

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Description

The first comprehensive, fully illustrated field guide to Minnesotas nearly 250 species of sedges and rushes

When most of us encounter a sea of what seem like grasses, we dont know if were looking at a bog or a fen, a swamp or a marsh or a meadow. What were seeing probably arent even grasses. They are sedges and rushes, which frequently make up the majority of plants in a wetlandand they can tell us, by their presence and pattern of occurrence, what kind of wetland it is. Quick to respond to changes in habitat, they are good indicators of ecological conditions. As significant as they are in the natural environment, sedges and rushes are also simply beautifulnoteworthy features in a garden and in the wild.

This book is an expert, accessible guide to the nearly 250 species of sedges and rushes in Minnesota. With its finely detailed photographs and descriptions, Sedges and Rushes of Minnesota enables quick and reliable identification of these often difficult-to-distinguish species. As an in-depth introduction or a handy field guide, the book is the first complete, comprehensive reference on these important plants of Minnesotaan invaluable resource for specialists, naturalists, and wild plant lovers.

Reviews

"Welby Smith has followed up on his wonderful Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota and created another gem with Sedges and Rushes of Minnesota. Smith takes the intimidating world of rushes and sedges and chronicles them in an easy-to-use field guide and resource that is the first of its kind for the state. This is a magnificent resource that will no doubt by used by botanists, naturalists, interpreters, and nature enthusiasts for generations to come."Bryan Wood, Executive Director, Audubon Center of the North Woods

"This hefty volume brings care and expertise to a regional plant species study."ARBAonline

"Any reader who picks up this guide will be consumed with the rare and curious disease of sedge fever, in which sufferers are compelled to know and key out all the rushes and sedges, even those without edges."CHOICE

"If you are looking at a plant catalogue trying to decide which sedge to add to your yard, you can use this book to find the plants distribution and habitat."The Trumpeter

"Overall, this book provides an excellent, user-friendly guide to the sedges and rushes of Minnesota. I recommend it highly to all field biologists involved in botanical inventories in the central part of the continent, and to students of these two families in general."The Canadian Field-Naturalist

"This book is thoroughly referenced, clearly written, and beautifully illustrated. Professional botanists throughout Minnesota and the Midwest will definitely want to have this book in their field pack or on their shelf."The Great Lakes Botanist

"The individual accounts are thorough, accurate and include good field characters that are useful in separating the species covered with others it could be confused with."Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas

Author Bio

Welby R. Smith is the Minnesota State Botanist with the Department of Natural Resources in Saint Paul. He is author of Native Orchids of Minnesota and Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota and a contributor to Minnesotas Endangered Flora and Fauna, all from the University of Minnesota Press.

Richard Haug has been a native plant enthusiast and photographer for thirty-five years.