Southern Appalachian Wildflowers

Rating:
Summary: A must-have for wildflower hunters
Review: "Southern Appalachian Wildflowers" is not just a beautifully illustrated field guide, but one that is a joy to use! It is organized in a very intuitive and easy-to-use manner -- grouped by the colors of the flowers. The descriptive texts that accompany the wonderful photographs are really informative and clear. This is the only guide I found with information on when (blooming seasons) and where (habitats) to find wildflowers and with references (including contact information) on parks throughout the region. This was incredibly useful for planning a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Another great feature is that this is a hardy, really practical field guide to take along on those long rambles -- sporting a compact size and water resistant cover. I recommend this wonderful field guide to anyone visiting the Southern Appalachian region - novice and experienced wildflower enthusiasts alike!

Rating:
Summary: A must-have for wildflower hunters
Review: "Southern Appalachian Wildflowers" is not just a beautifully illustrated field guide, but one that is a joy to use! It is organized in a very intuitive and easy-to-use manner -- grouped by the colors of the flowers. The descriptive texts that accompany the wonderful photographs are really informative and clear. This is the only guide I found with information on when (blooming seasons) and where (habitats) to find wildflowers and with references (including contact information) on parks throughout the region. This was incredibly useful for planning a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Another great feature is that this is a hardy, really practical field guide to take along on those long rambles -- sporting a compact size and water resistant cover. I recommend this wonderful field guide to anyone visiting the Southern Appalachian region - novice and experienced wildflower enthusiasts alike!

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: After being impressed by two previous guides in this series (Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers and North Woods Wildflowers, both by Doug Ladd), I plunked down the $ for this version in anticipation of an interesting, informative guide. What I received was, unfortunately, a pretty sad excuse of a wildflower guide. Surely the Southern Appalachians deserve better.

This guide is plagued by a number of problems. First of all, there is a notorious concentration on non-native plants that could have been reserved for a "weeds" or "non-native" section like that included in the "North Woods Wildflowers" guide. These non-native species, although certainly present in the region, do not contribute to the region's unique character, and should have been relegated to a "second tier" status. Surely, Jeffersonia diphylla or the Hexastylis spp. are better representatives of the rich diversity of the region than are Daucus carota or Centaurea jacea. So, in this regard, I guess this guide is a better fit on a beginner's bookshelf than on a wildflower enthusiast's or botanist's case.

Secondly, the photography is markedly poorer than it was in the aformentioned guides. Photos are often out-of-focus or badly washed out by poor lighting conditions. In such cases, the photos merely do not do the plants justice. In several other cases, the photographs are from such distances as to make key identifying characteristics unintelligible.

Thirdly, there are serious formatting problems to contend with. There is quite a bit more "white space" than in the aforementioned guides. This waste calls for (a) an addition of species, (b) enlarging photographs or adding line drawings, or (c) adding more text to the descriptions.

Fourth, the writing is poor. Here is an example: "Other beardtongues, such as Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon canescens), which looks a lot like Foxglove Beardtongue, but its trumpet-shaped flower is not swollen in the middle, also grow in the Southern Appalachian Mountains." In other words, ugh. Was there an editor for this project?

Fifth, the manual relies on Asa Gray's nomenclature. This adds unnecessary complication, as Gleason and Cronquist (1991) has become the standard in nomenclature used by most current wildflower guides.

Sixth, misidentifications and faulty information are also present. On page 125, there is a nice photograph of Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) labeled as "Purple cress," with a description of Cardamine douglassii. The plants look nothing alike. How did this error slip by the "editor?" Also, there is a reference to the "purple petals" of Echinacea purpurea. Ray flowers, anyone?

All in all, I would suggest both beginners and enthusiasts to consult another guide. Very disappointing. I will maintain a wary eye when I encounter new Falcon guides in the future.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent, illustrative, and well organized field guide
Review: Collaboratively compiled and written by wildflower experts Barbara Medina and Victor Medina, Southern Appalachian Wildflowers is an exquisitely beautiful and very practical volume illustrated with a color photograph of each spotlighted variety of wildflower. The photographs enhance a straightforward and informative text description with information on blooming seasons, habitat, and useful comments. If you are a wildflower enthusiast planning an excursion through the southern Appalachian countryside, or wanting to select and grow any of these plants in your own garden or horticultural green house, then you will find Barbara and Victor Medina's Southern Appalachian Wildflowers to be an excellent, illustrative, and well organized field guide.

Rating:
Summary: Flower Enthusiast
Review: I agree with the Midwest Book Review's assessment of Barbara and Victor Medina's "Southern Appalachian Wildflowers." Far from being "plagued by problems," as a reader from Ohio stated, I think the layout and photos are beautifully done. A lot of guides I've seen are so crammed and busy that they're confusing to read. The fact that the Medinas' books use white space is a huge selling point, not a disadvantage at all. The photos are consistent and clear, and the text is informative. It's disheartening to think that an unknown curmudgeon can come along and make claims that might steer flower enthusiasts from an exceptional guide. If readers pick up the book and see for themselves, chances are high that it'll be welcome addition to their collection.

Rating:
Summary: Flower Enthusiast
Review: I agree with the Midwest Book Review's assessment of Barbara and Victor Medina's "Southern Appalachian Wildflowers." Far from being "plagued by problems," as a reader from Ohio stated, I think the layout and photos are beautifully done. A lot of guides I've seen are so crammed and busy that they're confusing to read. The fact that the Medinas' books use white space is a huge selling point, not a disadvantage at all. The photos are consistent and clear, and the text is informative. It's disheartening to think that an unknown curmudgeon can come along and make claims that might steer flower enthusiasts from an exceptional guide. If readers pick up the book and see for themselves, chances are high that it'll be welcome addition to their collection.

Rating:
Summary: A Helpful Guide
Review: The descriptions and photographs in the book have been useful to us in identifying local flowers in Maryland. Many of the same plants that grow in the Southern Appalachians grow east of the Maryland Appalachian Mountains where we live.