Long rainy Oregon days give us time to read and to increase our plant knowledge. Even in the winter, when the opportunity to test-drive them is lacking, the appearance of two new northwest floras is very welcome. A review from an amateur such as myself might be considered lightweight. However an amateur background is a valid test for the usefulness of keys for the enthusiastic non-specialist.
With the upcoming 2000 North American Rock Garden Society's Annual Meeting in the Mt. Rainier area and the temptation to plan additional northwest treks, these two new floras each have a unique and timely geographic focus. Mount Rainier National Park has an endless variety of wildflower sites ranging from lush temperate forests with ferns and showy orchids such as Corallorhiza striata to snowmelt species such as Pulsatilla occidentalis.
Although it is the lesser-known of the two areas, Steens Mountain is home to several endemics, including an especially garden-worthy penstemon with wonderfully oversized flowers, P. davidsonii var praeteritus. The rich and diverse Steens Mountain flora highlights both Basin and Range and Cascades provinces with some additional spice from Rocky Mountain and Sierran areas. A trip to either or both regions will not disappoint the lover of wildflowers, wildlife, geology, and gorgeous scenery. Floristic zonation from desert to alpine can be enjoyed within a remarkably small region surrounding Steens Mountain.
Both books are available from
OSU Press
The press encourages you to order through your local bookseller or club. NARGS
Bookstore will carry the Mt. Rainier flora and have copies available at the
Annual Meeting. NARGS members wishing to purchase in advance of the meeting can
order the floras at a discount from the
NARGS Book Service
"Flora of Mt. Rainier National Park" by David Biek. (Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press, 2000) ISBN 0-87071-470-8 (6"x9" paper) US$ 29.95 505 pages, map, line drawings, color photos, bibliography, glossary, keys, appendix: "Plants added to the Flora", index including common names
David Biek's "Flora of Mt. Rainier National Park" is the product of extensive research and study of both herbarium and field specimens. An added bonus: the librarianship of the author is revealed in the meticulous detail, documentation (especially of plant names) and overall organization. It has enough detail to serve well the professional botanist and yet is highly readable and easy to follow.
One of the outstanding features especially appreciated by an amateur is the fine introductory keys to each plant family. Ordinary field guides skimp on this important aspect. This book is the best of both worlds: the packable size and conciseness of a field guide with thoroughness worthy of a full-fledged flora. The drawings are the tried and true classics of Jeanne R. Janish and are used courtesy of University of Washington Press. Those of you who use and appreciate the Hitchcock and Cronquist Floras will be familiar with these fine drawings. Line drawings have an advantage over photos in eliminating visual clutter and permitting focus on relevant plant details. Yet we have the best aspects of both media since color photos are also included.
The introduction gives specific instructions for using the flora. Have you ever gotten "lost" in a key or gone up a seemingly "blind alley" to become stumped on plant id? Biek provides back-reference numbers in parentheses to help you discover where you might have "taken a wrong turn". For a neophyte this feature is especially appreciated. Although intended for Mt. Rainier, this handy flora is so comprehensive that it will be useful for adjoining areas as well. For each plant found in the park, both native and introduced, Biek provides essential information about habitat and ecology. He gives a good sampling of localities that are accessible and representative. This information is especially helpful to an enthusiastic visitor or specialist who aspires to see specific plants in bloom and wishes to plan hikes and travels accordingly.
"Flora of Steens Mountain" by Donald H. Mansfield. (Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press, 2000) ISBN 0-87071-471-6 (6x9" paper) $US 29.95 410 pages, line drawings, maps, color photos, bibliography, glossary, separate indices: Families, Genera, and Common Names
This welcome flora covers an isolated and unique mountain area in southeastern Oregon that has been described as a glaciated alpine peak rising abruptly out of the desert. The packable volume covers a larger region than its title suggests. The area essentially includes the southern half of Harney county. It takes in such diverse regions as the Alvord desert basin, Riddle Mountain, and Diamond Craters. As the author points out this is an area where coverage supplied by three well-known regional floras meet and overlap in varying degrees: "The Jepson Manual of Higher Plants of California" (Hickman 1993); "Flora of the Pacific Northwest" (Hitchcock and Cronquist 1973); and "Intermountain Flora" (most recent edition: Barneby, et. al 1990) Well-known and beloved alpine species include both Rocky Mountain representatives such as Sedum debile and Sierran species such as Claytonia nevadensis.
Because it is fully comprehensive and centers on material that is peripheral in the aforementioned floras, Mansfield's new flora is useful to anyone botanizing in southwestern Oregon and adjoining areas in Idaho. Those who travel to this region may wish to take in nearby regions such as the Pueblo Mountains as well as the rocky sagebrush flats that are home to the beautiful endemic Penstemon cusickii. Weather and access in this region are unpredictable. Thus it is best to have numerous options and alternatives in this remote area a portion of which is also considered part of "Oregon's Outback".
Many of the same easy-riding organizational features of the Mt. Rainier flora are also found in the Steens Mountain flora. However the Janish drawings used are grouped together at the end of the volume making their use a bit awkward. In assessing the overall ease of use this single shortcoming can be forgiven. The introduction provides excellent guidance for those who are new to keying plants. With examples, it explains clearly how a dichotomous key works. There is a brief but very encouraging section on how to collect plant specimens for later study and an especially fine yet concise introduction to plant names with a concluding sentence sure to bring a wry smile: "The expectation that our taxonomic categories are fixed pigeonholes will be unfulfilled." (p. 26)
The introduction also includes an overview of the biogeography, geology, climate, and both natural and human history of the area. The challenge of accommodating both the motivated but unskilled amateur and the professional botanist is met. Mansfield serves a wide readership excellently. Both of these new floras will stand the test of time and usage well. Both authors view the compilation of a flora as a dynamic and ongoing process as evidenced by their respective establishment of related webpages.
Donald Mansfield's Steens Mountain Flora Page is currently under construction.
David Biek's The Flora of Mount Rainier webpage serves as the home page for the flora. Note that unfortunately the URL below as published in the hard copy flora at least in some browsers will result in an error page: www.wolfe.net.com/~biek
This dual book review has been posted to Penstemon-L and published in the spring edition of the Emerald Chapter, NARGS, News. Corrections, critique, and comments are always welcome.