Wild Plants Of The Sierra Nevada

The first comprehensive look at the many uses, from historical to pharmacological, of vascular plants found in the Sierra Nevada. The Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada is the longest continuous mountain range in the United States. Covering about 20 percent of California’s land base and part of western Nevada, it offers an exceptional variety of topographic relief and environmental conditions that allow for a high diversity of plant species, many of them endemic to the range. The Sierra 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 their habitat; plus "quick keys" to help identify similar species. The authors’ introduction describes the natural history and ecology of Sierra Nevada plants in terms of plant communities and life zones, addressing the impact of such variables as climate, elevation, soil, and precipitation. They also outline the basic principles of ethnobotany, the role of plants in nutrition and human medicine, 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. Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada is an essential guide for botanists, outdoors aficionados, and anyone interested in the intricate connections between plants, their environment, and our human species.

Ray S. Vizgirdas is a fish and wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Boise, Idaho. He holds concurrent positions as an instructor of field biology at the University of California, Riverside, and at Idaho State University. 

 

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. 

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