Orchids of Minnesota

Orchids of Minnesota

Welby R. Smith, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Illustrated by Vera Ming Wong

OUT OF PRINT

The first and only fully illustrated field guide to the orchids of Minnesota, this volume is both a field guide and a flora of scholarly quality. Includes a section on the biology of orchids (anatomy, physiology, ecology, and geographical distribution), a key to the orchid genera and a description of each of the 43 orchid species native to Minnesota. Each species is accompanied by a detailed line drawing, a North American range map, and a Minnesota county distribution map.

"Happily, this book equips amateur naturalists with all the basic tools needed to launch voyages of discovery into the Minnesota landscape; illustrated keys, distribution maps, species accounts, meticulous illustrations by Vera Ming Wong, an excellent set of color photography, and a good bibliography, all packaged in a handsome and accessible design. Although I love Minnesota winters, I found myself impatient, perusing this guide, for the arrival of spring. I wanted to set out at once into the field, Smith's book in hand, to make my own discoveries. This is a volume every Minnesota naturalist will want to own." —Paul Gruchow, The Minnesota Volunteer

"A superb handbook for the entire Upper Midwest region. Vera Ming Wong's drawings are truly lovely and provide great support to the text, but color plates are also provided to help convey the delicate beauty of these terrestrial orchids in situ. Overall, Smith and Wong have produced a very readable but botanically precise book. With this field ecology approach to identification, the reader has a much greater chance of actually finding a flowering plant in the wild, recognizing it accurately, and appreciating its unique place in our natural world." —HortScience

"Magnificent. Smith's exquisitely produced book is broadly useful." —Taxon

"This splendid, detailed guidebook, which will be almost as useful to orchid hunters throughout the Northeastern and Midwestern United States as to those in Minnesota, reminds us that the forty-two species described form 'a rowdy pioneering bunch of orchids that could be called the advance guard or lunatic fringe of orchid evolution'. Mr. Smith admires his brave forty-two, and writes about them in a way that pulls the reader along." —Common Knowledge

"Concise, authoritative and accurate. It is also cleverly written in such a way as to appeal to either a professional or a novice. Orchids of Minnesota is for any serious field botanist in the northeast and for anyone who wants to learn about a fascinating group of wildflowers. Its value extends for beyond Minnesota. It could be used to identify and learn about the majority of orchids found in any part of Canada. It is a must for anyone who collects the best orchid floras of the world. Both the quality of the book and the remarkable value for the price will increase its popularity and accessibility." —Canadian Field-Naturalist

160 pages | 9 figures, 43 plates, 54 photographs | 1993



Orchids of Minnesota Welby R. Smith, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Illustrated by Vera Ming Wong		OUT OF PRINT
The first and only fully illustrated field guide to the orchids of Minnesota, this volume is both a field guide and a flora of scholarly quality. Includes a section on the biology of orchids (anatomy, physiology, ecology, and geographical distribution), a key to the orchid genera and a description of each of the 43 orchid species native to Minnesota. Each species is accompanied by a detailed line drawing, a North American range map, and a Minnesota county distribution map. "Happily, this book equips amateur naturalists with all the basic tools needed to launch voyages of discovery into the Minnesota landscape; illustrated keys, distribution maps, species accounts, meticulous illustrations by Vera Ming Wong, an excellent set of color photography, and a good bibliography, all packaged in a handsome and accessible design. Although I love Minnesota winters, I found myself impatient, perusing this guide, for the arrival of spring. I wanted to set out at once into the field, Smith's book in hand, to make my own discoveries. This is a volume every Minnesota naturalist will want to own." —Paul Gruchow, The Minnesota Volunteer "A superb handbook for the entire Upper Midwest region. Vera Ming Wong's drawings are truly lovely and provide great support to the text, but color plates are also provided to help convey the delicate beauty of these terrestrial orchids in situ. Overall, Smith and Wong have produced a very readable but botanically precise book. With this field ecology approach to identification, the reader has a much greater chance of actually finding a flowering plant in the wild, recognizing it accurately, and appreciating its unique place in our natural world." —HortScience "Magnificent. Smith's exquisitely produced book is broadly useful." —Taxon "This splendid, detailed guidebook, which will be almost as useful to orchid hunters throughout the Northeastern and Midwestern United States as to those in Minnesota, reminds us that the forty-two species described form 'a rowdy pioneering bunch of orchids that could be called the advance guard or lunatic fringe of orchid evolution'. Mr. Smith admires his brave forty-two, and writes about them in a way that pulls the reader along." —Common Knowledge "Concise, authoritative and accurate. It is also cleverly written in such a way as to appeal to either a professional or a novice. Orchids of Minnesota is for any serious field botanist in the northeast and for anyone who wants to learn about a fascinating group of wildflowers. Its value extends for beyond Minnesota. It could be used to identify and learn about the majority of orchids found in any part of Canada. It is a must for anyone who collects the best orchid floras of the world. Both the quality of the book and the remarkable value for the price will increase its popularity and accessibility." —Canadian Field-Naturalist 160 pages \| 9 figures, 43 plates, 54 photographs \| 1993