This comprehensive guide includes taxonomic keys to the families, genera, species, and infraspecific taxa of all the known vascular plants of Arkansas.

This comprehensive guide includes taxonomic keys to the families, genera, species, and infraspecific taxa of all the known vascular plants of Arkansas.

An Arkansas Florilegium is a late-flowering extension of the work initiated sixty years ago with University of Arkansas botanist Edwin B. Smith’s first entries in his pioneering Atlas and Annotated List of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas. Soon after this seminal survey of the state’s flora was published in 1978, Kent Bonar, a Missouri-born Thoreau acolyte employed as a naturalist by the Arkansas Park Service, began lugging the volume along on hikes through the woods surrounding his Newton County home, entering hundreds upon hundreds of meticulous illustrations into Smith’s work. Thirty-five years later, with Smith retired and Bonar long gone from the park service but still drawing, Bonar’s weathered and battered copy of the atlas was seized by a diverse cadre of amateur admirers motivated by fears of its damage or loss. Their fears were certainly justified; after all, the pages were now jammed to the margins with some 3,500 drawings, and the volume had already survived one accidental dunking in an Ozark stream. An Arkansas Florilegium brings Smith’s and Bonar’s knowledge and lifelong diligence to the world in this unique mix of art, science, and Arkansas saga.

This attractive, heavily illustrated field guide is the most comprehensive accounting of the woody plants of Arkansas ever published. Features of the guide include: - Species accounts for nearly all the trees, shrubs, and woody vines of the state, including common and scientific names, descriptions, habitats, and distributions, as well as notes on current and potential species of conservation concern, introduced and invasive species, wildlife and human uses, history, and ecology - More than 1,500 color photographs highlighting important characters for identification - County-level distribution maps - Detailed sections on ecoregions and habitats of Arkansas as they relate to the woody flora - Visual key to aid in quickly identifying a plant to genus - Dichotomous keys for the 32 largest genera including the oaks, hickories, and hawthorns - Full glossary of technical terms featuring botanical drawings - Complete index of scientific and common names A field guide designed for outdoor use, Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Arkansas is an encyclopedic resource for identification and appreciation of the state's trees, shrubs, and woody vines. The book will appeal to educators, scientists, conservation professionals, and outdoor enthusiasts. The book's comprehensive listings of plant photographs, drawings, maps, and cross reference keys will support greater understanding and appreciation of the state's plants and the habitats that support them. The book will be a valuable companion for all who appreciate Arkansas flora in rural, urban, and wilderness areas. You will want to have a copy in your backpack as well as on your bookshelf.

"An Arkansas Florilegium is a late-flowering extension of the work initiated sixty years ago with University of Arkansas botanist Edwin B. Smith's first entries in his pioneering Atlas and Annotated List of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas. Soon after this seminal survey of the state's flora was published in 1978, Kent Bonar, a Missouri-born Thoreau acolyte employed as a naturalist by the Arkansas Park Service, began lugging the volume along on hikes through the woods surrounding his Newton County home, entering hundreds upon hundreds of meticulous illustrations into Smith's work. Thirty-five years later, with Smith retired and Bonar long gone from the park service but still drawing, Bonar's weathered and battered copy of the atlas was seized by a diverse cadre of amateur admirers motivated by fears of its damage or loss. Their fears were certainly justified; after all, the pages were now jammed to the margins with some 3,500 drawings, and the volume had already survived one accidental dunking in an Ozark stream. An Arkansas Florilegium brings Smith's and Bonar's knowledge and lifelong diligence to the world in this unique mix of art, science, and Arkansas saga." -Book jacket.