Newcomb's Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb

An ingenious key system for quick, positive field identification of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and vines in Northeastern and North-central North America.

Amateur and expert alike can quickly and accurately identify almost any wildflower using Lawrence Newcomb's system, which is based on natural structural features that are easily visible even to the untrained eye. Every time you see an unknown plant, ask yourself the same five questions (related to the type of plant and the structure of its petals and leaves), and you will be directed to the page on which the plant can be found. Beautiful illustrations make confirmation easy.

I have tried Newcomb's key on flowers I know, and have been delighted by the ease with which they can be identified. The illustrations seem clear, precise, and definitive. This very salutary combination should make this guide a boon to amateur as well as the professional botanist...-- Eliot Porter

Anyone who likes wildflowers and is planning a vacation trip to the North Central or Northeastern states will do well to take along this new guide.-- Dallas Morning News


Will be most useful for the identification of wild plants by amateurs and plant lovers. It is certainly an innovative guide for field trips...-- S. Dillon Ripley, Smithsonian Institution

Little Brown and Company

Pub Date: April 13, 1989

0.77" H x 7.72" L x 4.88" W

490 pages

paperback