Wild Plants Of The Sierra Nevada Hardcover - 2005

From the publisher

The first comprehensive look at the many uses, from historical to pharmacological, of vascular plants found in the Sierra Nevada. The Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada is the longest continuous mountain range in the United States. Covering about 20 percent of California's land base and part of western Nevada, it offers an exceptional variety of topographic relief and environmental conditions that allow for a high diversity of plant species, many of them endemic to the range. The Sierra contains over 50 percent of California's total flora, approximately 405 plant taxa native to the Sierra, and 218 taxa considered rare. Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada inventories the flora of the entire range and includes comprehensive descriptions of the plants; their traditional uses as food, medicine, or for making tools and other utensils; and their habitat; plus quick keys to help identify similar species. The authors' introduction describes the natural history and ecology of Sierra Nevada plants in terms of plant communities and life zones, addressing the impact of such variables as climate, elevation, soil, and precipitation. nutrition and human medicine, the classification of plants, and methods of collecting plant specimens and protecting rare species. The plant descriptions are accompanied by line drawings of each major species, and the book includes a table of Sierra Nevada habitats and their associated plants, along with a list of threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant species found in the range. Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada is an essential guide for botanists, outdoors aficionados, and anyone interested in the intricate connections between plants, their environment, and our human species.