Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada is the longest continuous mountain range in the United States. It contains over 50 percent of California's total flora, approximately 405 plant taxa endemic to the Sierra, and 218 taxa considered rare. Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada inventories the flora of the entire range, including comprehensive descriptions of the plants; their traditional uses as food, medicine, or for making tools and other utensils; and information about their habitat. The authors describe the natural history and ecology of Sierra Nevada plants in terms of plant communities and life zones, and outline the basic principles of ethnobotany, the classification of plants, and methods of collecting plant specimens and protecting rare species. The plant descriptions are accompanied by line drawings of each major species, and the book includes a table of Sierra Nevada habitats and their associated plants, along with a list of threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant species found in the range. This text is an essential guide for botanists, outdoors aficionados, and anyone interested in the intricate connections between plants, their environment, and our human species.

Author: Ray S. Vizgirdas, Edna M. Rey-Vizgirdas
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
Published: 10/01/2009
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.24lbs
Size: 9.76h x 6.76w x 0.81d
ISBN: 9780874177893

About the Author
Ray S. Vizgirdas is a fish and wildlife biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Boise, Idaho. He has studied mountain environments in the West for more than 25 years, including the Sierra Nevada and northern Rocky Mountains. As a professional biologist, he has worked with numerous rare and endangered species ranging from gray wolves to rare plants. He holds concurrent positions as an instructor of field biology at the University of California, Riverside, and at Idaho State University and teaches a variety of field natural history courses. Ray is also the author of several books and articles on natural history, mountain and alpine ecology, and ethnobotany.

Edna M. Rey-Vizgirdas is a forest botanist in the Boise National Forest. She also teaches field biology courses at the University of California, Riverside, and at Idaho State University. She leads a variety of natural history tours and field biology courses in the western US and Canada, focusing on native plants, ethnobotany, wildlife, and winter ecology. She also teaches botanical illustration, art classes for elementary school kids, yoga, snowshoeing, and nordic skiing.


This title is only available via back order