Product Description

The diversity of woody plants in the Southeast is unparalleled in North America. Native Trees of the Southeast is a practical, compact field guide for the identification of the more than 225 trees native to the region, from the Carolinas and eastern Tennessee south through Georgia into northern Florida and west through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas into eastern Texas. For confident identification, nearly 600 photographs, close to 500 of them in color, illustrate leaves, flowers and fruits or cones, bark, and twigs with buds. Full descriptions are accompanied by keys for plants in both summer and winter condition, as well as over 200 range maps. Crucial differences between plants that may be mistaken for each other are discussed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82942 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-04
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Review
“I found this book to be very informative and a good source for any amateur or avid outdoorsman.” (Journal of the Botanical Research of Texas )

From the Back Cover

• Describes 229 trees native to the southeastern United States
• 591 photographs fully integrated into the text
• Range maps show tree distributions in the Southeast and adjoining areas
• Covers the Carolinas, eastern Tennessee, Georgia, northern Florida, Alabama, Mississipi, Louisiana, and eastern Arkansas and Texas
• Includes keys to trees in both summer and winter conditions
• Compact, field-friendly refernece for students, professionals, tree lovers and native plant enthusiasts

About the Author
L. Katherine Kirkman is at the J. W. Jones Ecological Research Center in Newton, Georgia.

Donald J. Leopold has been studying native plants for nearly 30 years. He is currently at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse. His Native Plants of the Northeast (2005) is also published by Timber Press.

Claud L. Brown is retired from the University of Georgia.

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Text for Tree Identification
Native Trees of the Southeast by Kirkman et al. is an excellent field guide. As a professional forest ecologist I'm often faced with field identification problems for several groups of species. As such we usually carry several plant keys, floras, and field guides with us. These manuals are not always helpful because of the broad overlap in characteristics among similar species. Native Trees of the Southeast is a cut above for at least three reasons. First, the keys provided are concise and easy to use. Not all sources provide keys. Second, the inclusion of winter keys (a rare occurrence) is of particular assistance. Third, for each individual species the authors provide a section on how to distinguish that species from others that are similar in appearance. This last item alone makes this book a must have for anyone interested in tree identification.

informative, easy to use, helpful photography
This is an excellent guide- The dichotomous keys rely on traits observable in the field, and are separated into summer and winter keys. Each species entry includes descriptions of relevant leaf, twig, bark, flower, and fruit traits, with color photos (with the text, not in a separate section) and distribution maps. One of my favorite features of the book is the "Distinguishing Characteristics" passage for each species; for some reason, some other keys I've used neglect to mention some very obvious identifying traits that are included here. There is also a glossary and illustrated descriptions of ID terms that would make this an easy key for beginners too.

Best I have found so far
This is the best field guide to southeastern trees I have found yet. It was exactly what I was looking for to help identify the hardwoods on our property (of which I have identified over a dozen species so far) as well as in the Appalachians when we go on hikes. The abundant color photos were exactly what I was after. The range maps are also very helpful for process of elimination. I have a much more comprehensive guide to eastern North American trees which contains more information than this one, but it has only line drawings for identification and is much harder for me to use. The only addition to this guide that would be nice for a novice would be one or more indexes based upon leaf shape and/or other attributes.