As a Texas-based writer, I am obviously partial to books and field guides that deal with the flora of my geographical area. Fortunately, the wide variety of plant life here (over 5,000 plants of wide geographical diversity grow here) makes this an area that includes plants that are found in many other parts of the U.S. The book contains almost 400 striking four-color photographs by Mr. Miller, who is a well-known photographer of the area. The guide identifies over 650 species of plants of this area.
The primary author has previously published A Practical Guide to Edible and Useful Plants (Texas Monthly 1987; see HerbalGram No. 15 for review) and is the co-author of a two-volume Texas Parks and Campgrounds. Thus, she is well aware of the descriptions and uses of much of Texas flora.
The descriptions of plants are arranged in five sections: herbaceous wildflowers, vines, trees and shrubs, cacti and related plants, and miscellaneous plants. As is common in most field guides, the herbaceous wildflowers are grouped by color to facilitate identification. Each plant has an outline of the state of Texas, with shaded areas indicating the geographical region of the plant. In my opinion this book contains some of the best photography I've seen in any field guide.
Article copyright American Botanical Council.