Synopses & Reviews
In this new, complete Guide to Texas Grasses, Robert B. Shaw and the team at the Texas AandM University Institute of Renewable Natural Resources provide an indispensable reference to the worldandrsquo;s most economically important plant family. After discussing the impact of grass on our everyday lives as food, biofuels, land restoration, erosion control, and water become ever more urgent issues worldwideandmdash;the book then provides:a description of the structure of the grass plant;details of the classification and distribution of Texas grasses;brief species accounts;distributional maps;color photographs;plus black-and-white drawings of 670 grass speciesandmdash;native, introduced, and ornamental. Scientific keys help identify the grasses to group, genera, and species, and an alphabetized checklist includes information on: origin (native or introduced); longevity (annual or perennial);growth season (cool or warm season); endangered status;and occurrence (by ecological zone).
A glossary, literature citations, and a quick index to genera round out the book.
Guide to Texas Grasses is a comprehensive treatment of Texas grasses meant to assist students, botanists, ecologists, agronomists, range scientists, naturalists, researchers, extension agents, and others who work with or are interested in these important plants.
Review
andquot;. . . an amazing achievement on many levels. . . allows the layperson like me to get a better understanding of the grasses of our very diverse state. The design and layout are fabulous.andquot;andmdash;Jill Nokes, author, native plant horticulturist and conservation management consultant
Review
andquot;Weighing roughly 6 pounds, its 1,080 pages cover every variety of native, introduced and ornamental Texas grass. That would be 670 species, with this book providing a detailed drawing and botanical description of each one.andquot;--statesman.com
Review
andquot;..not a field guide but a manual...The heft of this opus results from its beautiful presentation on rather thick paper stock and its text and superb illustrations...floating in abundant white space...recommended.andquot;--R. Schmid, emeritus, University of California, Berkeley
Review
and#8220;An important addition to the bookshelves of amateur botanists, seasoned rangeland professionals, and tenured taxonomists; it contains information pertinent and usable to a wide range of people interested in grasses. The value of a book can be measured by the breadth and diversity of the audience that finds it informative. Robert Shaw has included something for almost everyone in his Guide to Texas Grasses. As Shaw astutely points out, as go the grasses, so goes human society.and#8221; and#8212;Barry Irving, University of Alberta
Synopsis
In this new, complete Guide to Texas Grasses, Robert B. Shaw and the team at the Texas AandM University Institute of Renewable Natural Resources provide an indispensable reference to the worldandrsquo;s most economically important plant family.
About the Author
ROBERT B. SHAW, professor of ecosystem science and management at Texas AandM University. Shaw coauthored (with Frank W. Gould) the second edition of Grass Systematics (Texas AandM University Press, 1983) and is the author of Grasses of Colorado.