Grasses of Florida
368 pages, 7 x 10
498 b/w images, 1 map
Hardcover
Release Date:08 Jan 2019
ISBN:9780813056050
Grasses are the fourth-largest family of flowering plants worldwide. In Florida, grasses occur in every habitat and are the dominant ground cover across many regions. Grasses of Florida is the first complete systematic account of the grasses that occur in the wild throughout the state.
David Hall presents taxonomic descriptions of 118 genera and 463 species of the grass family, classified scientifically as Poaceae. Supplemented by over 500 illustrations, these accounts feature details on grass habitats, distribution both in-state and worldwide, frequencies of occurrence, and months of flowering. Descriptions of subfamilies and a key to the tribes of Florida grasses are also provided.
Additionally, Hall explains the geographic variations within Florida and the ways the state’s soil and topography foster its great diversity of vegetation. He lists the major habitats referenced throughout the book, from pine flatwoods to coastal marshes to prairies, and the types of plants associated with each. A helpful section on morphology breaks down the structure of grass plants, highlighting their complexity and variety.
The up-to-date information in this book is necessary knowledge for anyone involved in agricultural and livestock production, weed control, erosion management, aesthetic landscaping, or conservation of Florida’s native plant communities. Due to the extensive uses and tremendous diversity of grasses, this book is an essential identification guide.
David Hall presents taxonomic descriptions of 118 genera and 463 species of the grass family, classified scientifically as Poaceae. Supplemented by over 500 illustrations, these accounts feature details on grass habitats, distribution both in-state and worldwide, frequencies of occurrence, and months of flowering. Descriptions of subfamilies and a key to the tribes of Florida grasses are also provided.
Additionally, Hall explains the geographic variations within Florida and the ways the state’s soil and topography foster its great diversity of vegetation. He lists the major habitats referenced throughout the book, from pine flatwoods to coastal marshes to prairies, and the types of plants associated with each. A helpful section on morphology breaks down the structure of grass plants, highlighting their complexity and variety.
The up-to-date information in this book is necessary knowledge for anyone involved in agricultural and livestock production, weed control, erosion management, aesthetic landscaping, or conservation of Florida’s native plant communities. Due to the extensive uses and tremendous diversity of grasses, this book is an essential identification guide.
A lasting, monumental, and invaluable work. There is no other treatment that focuses on the grasses of Florida. Provides descriptions and keys that comprehensively cover native and naturalized taxa, waifs, cultivated taxa, and other rarities. Any attempt to understand the grasses of the southeastern U.S. should start here.’—Alan R. Franck, director and curator, University of South Florida Herbarium
‘An extremely valuable addition. Provides an updated key to Florida grasses that will better enable biologists to identify grasses in the field and the laboratory.’—Quinton Guy Anglin, wetlands specialist, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
David W. Hall is the owner and operator of an environmental consulting firm in Gainesville, Florida, and is the former director of plant identification and information services at the University of Florida. He is author or coauthor of several books on plant identification and forensics, including Forensic Botany: A Practical Guide.
