text request

[Monique Reed]

We are using Vascular Plant Taxonomy by Walters and Keil, 4th ed.  It
is up to date, easy to read, and fairly comprehensive--i.e., does a
good job presenting common families of the N. Temperate region. 
Includes chapters on techniques and concepts of systematics, basic
plant anatomy, and collecting and keying.  About $40 in paper.

The Smith you mention is good, and still good for the basics, but W&K
is better.  It even gets into some of the realignment of families and
subclasses that is the result of DNA work and not just traditional
morphological studies.

Monique Reed


Douglas Jensen wrote:
> 
> I'm asking for opinions and suggestions on a text for a class I will be
> teaching this summer.
> 
> It is Field Botany, for graduate students.  Most of them will be MEd.'s,
> working on their initial certification in teaching natural science or
> biology.  I have a good lending library for them:  Radford's Flora plus
> other floras (is it florae?) and field guides.
> Right now, I'm looking for a book that can help them identify families,
> but the only two I have are quite old, and I know at least one has an
> out of date taxonomy.  I have:
> Smith, J.P. 1977.  Vascular Plant Families.  Mad River Press.
> and
> Baumgardt, J.P. 1982.  How to Identify Flowering Plant Families.  Timber
> Press.
> 
> Either of these would do for me, but I wonder if any of you have
> knowledge of more recent books that are good or whether you have
> experiences and strong opinions with either of the Smith or the
> Baumgardt book.
> 
> thanks,
> 
> Doug
> 
> --
> Douglas P. Jensen
> Assistant Professor of Biology
> Converse College
> 580 East Main Street
> Spartanburg, South Carolina 29302
> (864)596-9123
> fax: (864)596-9201
> 
> ---