Product Description

The definitive treatment of the trees and tree-like plants of Sonora, a remarkably diverse and biologically important region, ranging from some of the driest and hottest areas in North America to cool, temperate woodlands and the northernmost tropical regions in the New World. The majority of the trees in this semi-arid region are at their northern limits in the Americas in this state and many range to South America. Thus, this book will be important to biologists in regions well outside of the area covered. Felger is the recognized expert in the area, and the book contains an enormous body of information nowhere else obtainable. The introductory chapter contains biotic and climatic information and an analysis of the geographical distributions of the trees of a state that is poorly known biologically. Two hundred eighty-five species of native and naturalized trees are covered, featuring extensive identification keys and illustrations, most of them newly produced for this book. The descriptive species accounts include common names, indigenous names, and synonyms, detailed botanical descriptions, ecological and geographic data, geographic ranges, natural history, economic uses, and, in many cases, other information such as horticultural uses and conservation status.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #142274 in eBooks
• Published on: 2001-03-31
• Format: Kindle Book
• Number of items: 1

Review

"[A]n important contribution to the botany of the North American desert realms. ... Although we have seen a lot of books on palms in recent years, this one gives an intimate perspective on the Sonoran palm flora, with useful features such as a diagram comparing leaf structure in Brahea, Sabal, and Washingtonia. The Trees of Sonora is a beautifully produced volume in terms of typography, reproduction of illustrations, and editing ..."--Grady L. Webster, Herbarium, University of California, Davis.

About the Author
Richard S. Felger is at Drylands Institute, Arizona. Matthew B. Johnson is at Desert Legume Program, University of Arizona.

Customer Reviews

A Definitive Book on Sonoran Trees
Sonoran tree communities range from coastal mangroves along the Gulf of California to pine forests atop the Sierra Madre on the continental divide, with thornscrub and tropical deciduous forest filling many of the gaps. While many genera familiar to gringo tree-watchers can be found in Sonora's 285 species-dendroflora -- such as pines, oaks, junipers, alders, ashes,cottonwoods and willows -- most are tropical Americans pressing on their northern boundaries. This new sylva, the first of the state of Sonora, documents the tree species of this enormous oft-overlooked region.And it does so with extraordinary grace and style, blending careful plant science with elegant botanical illustrations and photographs, and clear, accessible writing. For example, "The acorns are eaten fresh and are often consumed in local cantinas - the floors becoming littered with the empty shells" (Emory oak) and "No other Sonoran oak has leaves so densely velvety and fuzzy on both surfaces" (Chihuahua oak).
Among the ecological,historical, and descriptive information in the species narratives are the English, Spanish, and local Indian names of the taxa, as well as shrewd evaluations of the numerous nomenclatural and taxonomic issues that surround many of the species. As a writer of tree books who values reliable, original, and clear information on the dendroflora of botanical regions, I consider this book a rare find. Its authors have spent many years in fruitful field study of a rugged and undervalued region and have produced a volume of the highest quality. Their publisher has done a fine job of designing and manufacturing this attractive contribution to the Mexican flora.