Grasses, Sedges, Rushes: An Identification Guide

Lauren Brown and Ted Elliman have produced a delightful update to her 1979 Grasses: An Identification Guide. The new book retains the original organization, keys, descriptions, and fluid line drawings, with the addition of photographs, updated text and nomenclature, and a few new species (Microstegium, among others). This is an outstanding field guide for botanists who have been afraid to dip their toes into the world of wind-pollinated linear-leaved plants, featuring common species, simple keys, and clear illustrations. The book covers the northeastern United States, from Maine to Minnesota and south to Delaware and Iowa, with an updated and expanded introductory essay on the ecology and history of the American prairie. For the most part, the book is organized by species, rather than by families or genera. There are comprehensive descriptions of the Juncaceae and of a few genera (Carex, Bromus, Dichanthelium, Setaria). The simple keys lead to a short list of similar-appearing species, which then requires the user to compare the full-page treatments. A hand lens is useful but not necessary for most species. Once species are identified, the user can begin to build concepts of genera and families. All of the major genera of Cyperaceae are included, although most feature only a single species. Carex (with over 200 species in the region covered) is represented by 14 species treated in depth. Six species of Juncus and one Luzula are included. The most comprehensively covered family is the Poaceae. The more than 90 species illustrated include the major cultivated cereal grains and most common species. Since the order of species follows the keys, species in the same genus may be separated (for example, Leersia virginica is on p. 98, L. oryzoides on p. 151), making it sometimes a little difficult to develop a generic concept or compare congeners. The book also includes some linear-leaved wind-pollinated nongraminoids (Plantago, Typha, Sparganium, Equisetum) that may be confusing to the beginner. The end material includes useful lists of species by habitat, flowering times, and size. There is an improved and expanded section on what to do if the user fails to identify a species (‘‘If You Do Not Find Something in This Book’’), and a good up-to-date list of references for