This book was recommended to by by a university professor who uses this as a textbook in class, and I can certainly see why. There are several outstanding features besides the excellent disctiptions and pictures of plants at diferent stages of growth. How to identify a weed, a dichotomous key, shorcut ID tables, and a grass chart. Every gardener should have this book in her/his library. Of course, along with the knowlege in this book is the old "chestnut" every gardener should know, "A plant is a weed if it's growing where you don't want it to grow."
September 18, 2008

Useful, but ignores native/nonnative plants

As many have said, this book is very useful for identifying weed-like plants. I have already used it to id more plants more easily, than I have with any of my other id books.

The downside, is that it essentially ignores whether plants are native or not. To me, that matters A LOT. Native plants may be considered weeds, but they are much more supportive of wildlife and in tune with the ecosystem, and I think the distinction is worthy of being made. Even descriptions for non-native plants that are considered to be invasive make little mention of this fact.
September 18, 2008

Weeds of the Northeast

A comprehensive book, easy to locate the various types of weeds. I was puzzled by a weed? that popped up last year and again this year Only in increasing numbers. I was finally able to locate and identify it using this book.
September 08, 2008

useful field guide for weeds

Because this book is selective and regional rather than comprehensive, it has been extremely useful in identifying and providing info on the "weeds" I am likely to see. The descriptive information on all stages of the plant, in combination with photos, rather than a focus on flower and secondarily on leaves, make this easy to use for nonexperts like myself; it also sets it apart from the (also useful) Newcomb book and other field guides I have. (In gardening, it is especially useful to be able to identify weeds at their early stages.) The organization of the book is reasonable, but it is also easy enough to leaf through to spot weeds by photo.
The "weed management" focus of the book (weeds being viewed from the standpoint of crops, orchards, and nurseries) means that it includes native as well as nonnative plants (although the descriptions mention where the weed is a native). It is interesting to me to see what native plants are considered nuisances. My own primary interest is in environmental balance, the promotion of native plants, and the control of invasive nonnatives, and while this not a main resource for me, I find it very useful.
Incidentally, I have Eastman's "The Book of Field and Roadside," which is an extremely entertaining, idiosyncratic adjunct.
August 13, 2008

Really needed

A very useful book for those of us in the northeast seeking to identify weeds and wildflowers. Certainly a one-of-a-kind publication.
July 18, 2008

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs (Princeton Field Guides)
by Whitney Cranshaw

Grasses: An Identification Guide (Sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute)
by Lauren Brown

Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes of the Northern United States
by Edward Knobel

Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation
by Donald J. Leopold

Newcomb's Wildflower Guide
by Lawrence Newcomb