"Weeds of the West'
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: "Weeds of the West'
- From: M* H* <M*@worldnet.att.net>
- Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 23:59:06 -0700 (MST)
Barbara Mann wrote:
>
[snip]
>
> Griff, there is such a book, but it might not be as useful for you as for
> me; it's WEEDS OF THE WEST. It's a really beautiful book designed by range
> weed specialists ("weed" being defined as any plant cows won't eat, and
> includes not just the invasive introduced species, but also many
> wildflowers, among them I. missouriensis). Each species has a page of text
> and a full-page glossy color photo. The easiest way to order it is from:
> The Western Society of Weed Science
> P.O. Box 963
> Newark, CA 94560
>
> If I remember rightly, it was $30 or $35 when I got it a year ago. It is
> one of my most cherished and useful plant identification guides.
Yes! My son gave me this for my birthday last year & it's super. He's
getting into gardening now & often drags me up the hill to his place to
ask 'is this a keeper or not', which I can't always answer, so we both
use the book a lot.
One teensy disagreement with you -- the authors define as weeds plants
that are not good "browse" for cattle, sheep & horses (& sometimes for
deer & elk), those that are/can be poisonous to same, or invasive plants
that choke out more nutritious stuff. It has never been proven to my
satisfaction that Iris missouriensis is ever truly poisonous to critters
(I've never known of or heard of any who ATE any part of the plants) but
ranchers here used to grub these out of their pastures & hayfields with
a vengence. (Not so much now as there are hardly any working ranches
left in my part of Colorado.)
WEEDS OF THE WEST is, ironically, excellent for IDing many wildflowers
-- I was surprised to find out how many Western "natives" turn out to be
intros from the old world, often brought in in crop seeds.
Anyway, it's a dandy book, very handsome, well-produced & useful.
Marte in the mtns Zone 4/Sunset 1 Colorado
