An illustrated guide to Iowa prairie plants

Christiansen and Muller have prepared this guide to the plants native to the tallgrass prairie in Iowa. It covers almost 300 species characteristic of the tallgrass prairie, giving a black-and-white line drawing and brief description of the plant, its habitat, and the time of year it flowers and fruits. The drawings are well done, and they generally give a good representation of the plant. The introduction gives a very brief discussion of the tallgrass prairie and a synopsis of plant families. There are few other synopses or keys to help in distinguishing closely related pairs or groups of species within the families--the student often must compare the drawings and descriptions with little guidance as to which characters are most reliable. Many of these species are widespread, so the book should be useful throughout the tallgrass prairie region (Illinois to eastern Kansas and southern Minnesota). General readers; undergraduates; professionals; two-year technical program students. Copyright 2000 American Library Association