Wildflowers of Florida and the Southeast Library Binding – July 12, 2011

This is an excellent book for a very large number of wildflowers found in Florida. However, the Index is inadequate. For instance, if you want to look up an Orchid, there are no items listed in the Index under "Orchids." They are listed under one of their many common names. For example, the commonly called "Butterfly Orchid" in Florida, is called the "Florida Butterfly Orchid" in this book. I've never heard it called that, so couldn't find it in the Index. The same applies for the Goldenrods, Asters, and other plants. They should be listed as a group such as "Orchids," "Goldenrods," and "Asters" with the individual plants and their one or more common names underneath. Perhaps they could put out a simple index of this sort for those of us who have already purchased the book.

This is the BIG Flower book of Florida wild flowers. At over 800 pages it is the largest popular guide to flowers of the Southeast region that I know. It is intended for the interested public and is not a detailed scientific tretise with taxonomic keys on botanic identification. What it does contain is a very approachable, clear text description with an excellent color photograph of 768 flower species arranged according to flower color. The photos are of excellent quality and are large enough and of such clear, accurate focus that the eye can easily see the details of the description. It is all printed on high quality kaolin paper. As such this becomes a weighty volumne hardly a field guide to carry in your back pocket. But it is the first to turn to in identifying a new found flower. In the Introduction it contains a brief description of the several ecological habitats of the geographic area covered. Thus we have coastal communities, mesic communities and xeric communities and the plant life appropriate to them. It also has a clear glossary and good index.I have for years used Dr. Hall's previous book on Florida wildflower as an authoritative text for helping in identification. It had only line drawings not in color but it was most useful. There are about a dozen texts in my collection of guides to Florida wildflowers and all are useful in their way. I also have a number of taxonomic books on botanic identification such as Wunderlin's excellent keys but there's no color pictures, alas). When I lead Flower Walks for interested parties at several nature preserves in Florida I try to bring along several of these if there is a volunteer to carry them. In the future I'll have to work hard to solicit a volunteer to carry this great (!) book. But it is well worth it. Highly recomended!

I have had this book for almost a year now and decided it was time to give it a review it deserves. I was leery about spending so much money for a book but so glad for my investment. It really covers a ton of flowers with beautiful color photographs, and I feel this book is worth every penny it cost, great quality and quantity.I do a lot of hiking in all regions of Florida and the southeast. I also love photography and photograph nature which includes lots of wildflowers, since I love gardening. I have found most of my photographed wildflowers in this book and can now identify the wildflower I photographed. It is a really big book with tons of pages and you can't carry it with you while out hiking, but I snap my photos and later can look them up in the book.I love how it is sectioned by the coloring of the flowers, although I might feel a blue is purple, but eventually I find my wildflower. I've only come across a very few that I wasn't able to find, but hey you can't know every flower out there. I keep this book in my camper most the time so when I get back from a hike and can look up my flower right then and there. No Internet when I'm out hiking.I'm very glad I found this book, it has been very useful to me. If you love wildflowers, you'll want this book.

I was very hesitant in purchasing this book because of the price. Yes, it has been very helpful in helping me to indentify lots of wildflowers. My gripe is, a book this grand should have decent accompanying photographs to help in the identification process! The absolute, majority of the pictures in this book are absolutely horrendous! Fuzzy, out of focus. I take better pics with just my cell phone. If I had written this book, I would be embarrassed to use almost any of the pics that were used in this book. Had I known that, I doubt I would have purchased this book! However, the sections are divided very nicely by wildflower color, making it easy to narrow down your identification. A helpful book? Yes but, better pictures should have been a number one objective!

As an avid amateur gardener, I have always craved being able to identify plants around me, and discern plants from weeds. This book makes a marvelously useful reference. Grouping by flower colors makes it very easy to find what I seek between its covers. It is obviously a labor of love and erudition. A valuable combination!

I have many native wildflower books and this is one of the best yet. The fact that it's divided into colors makes it a must have.....

helpful that it is classed by flower color.