Description
Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive, fully illustrated field guide to Minnesota’s nearly 250 species of sedges and rushes
When most of us encounter a sea of what seem like grasses, we don’t know if we’re looking at a bog or a fen, a swamp or a marsh or a meadow. What we’re seeing probably aren’t even grasses. They are sedges and rushes, which frequently make up the majority of plants in a wetland—and 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 beautiful—noteworthy 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 Minnesota—an invaluable resource for specialists, naturalists, and wild plant lovers.
Trade Review"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 plant’s 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
Table of ContentsContents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Minnesota County Map
Introduction
Key to the Genera of Sedges and Rushes in Minnesota
The genus Bolboschoenus
The genus Bulbostylis
The genus Carex
Carex section Acrocystis
Carex section Albae
Carex section Ammoglochin
Carex section Bicolores
Carex section Carex
Carex section Careyanae
Carex section Ceratocystis
Carex section Chlorostachyae
Carex section Chordorrhizae
Carex section Clandestinae
Carex section Deweyanae
Carex section Dispermae
Carex section Divisae
Carex section Filifoliae
Carex section Glareosae
Carex section Granulares
Carex section Griseae
Carex section Heleoglochin
Carex section Hirtifoliae
Carex section Holarrhenae
Carex section Hymenochlaenae
Carex section Lamprochlaenae
Carex section Laxiflorae
Carex section Leptocephalae
Carex section Leucoglochin
Carex section Limosae
Carex section Lupulinae
Carex section Multiflorae
Carex section Obtusatae
Carex section Ovales
Carex section Paludosae
Carex section Paniceae
Carex section Phacocystis
Carex section Phaestoglochin
Carex section Phyllostachyae
Carex section Physoglochin
Carex section Porocystis
Carex section Racemosae
Carex section Rostrales
Carex section Scirpinae
Carex section Squarrosae
Carex section Stellulatae
Carex section Vesicariae
Carex section Vulpinae
The genus Cladium
The genus Cyperus
The genus Dulichium
The genus Eleocharis
The genus Eriophorum
The genus Fimbristylis
The genus Juncus
The genus Luzula
The genus Rhynchospora
The genus Schoenoplectiella
The genus Schoenoplectus
The genus Scirpus
The genus Scleria
The genus Trichophorum
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
