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Daniel F. Ring Assistant Professor |
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See also: Pathfinders for Biology and Zoology
GUIDE
Guide to Information Sources in the Botanical Sciences (Ref. QK 45.2 .A1 D38 1996) provides a thorough review of the botanical literature: journals, indexes, abstracts, professional associations, dictionaries and encyclopedias, etc.
DICTIONARIES
There are five dictionaries in our collection: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Botany (Ref. QK 9 .C67 1992) contains 5000 entries drawn from ecology, earth sciences, earth history, evolution, genetics, plant physiology and cytology. Plants and Their Names, a Concise Dictionary (Ref. QK 96 .P35 1995) is aimed at the non-specialist. It identifies 16,000 of the more common plants by their scientific and common names. A Dictionary of Botany (Ref. QK 9 .L735 1980) includes about 5,000 terms with some illustrations. A Dictionary of Botany (Ref. QK 9 .U8 1967) is similar but not interchangeable with the previous title as it includes terms used in biochemistry, soil science and statistics. Although older, A Glossary of Botanic Terms (Ref. QK 9 .J3) is very useful as it contains about 25,000 terms and it lists their derivation, accent, and variations in spelling.
The reader is also referred to two other books which, while not botanical dictionaries in the strict sense, are still related. Dictionary of Economic Plants (Ref. QK 9 .U6 1968) presents a "brief description of economic plants in their broadest sense, with their products and principal use." An Ecological Glossary (Ref. QH 541 .C3) includes terms used in the ecological literature. In most instances, it presents the term and then cites its first use in the literature. Life Science Dictionary contains 8300 terms related to botany, cell biology, etc. Also take a look at Dictionary of Botanical Terms. Glossarist picks up many botanical dictionaries.
HANDBOOKS & MANUALS
Manual of Botany (Ref. QK 117 .G75) describes over 8,000 vascular plants. For each species, it lists description, range, habitat and usually an illustration. Very similar to the above title is Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (Ref. QK 117 .G49). Taxonomy of Vascular Plants (Ref. QK 93 .L38) is divided into two parts. Part 1 presents the "practical and theoretical" aspects of taxonomy such as principles, history, nomenclature and Part 2 enumerates 264 vascular plants. Also noteworthy is Common Families of Flowering Plants (Ref. QK 495 .A1 H4 1997) which describes 25 common plant families in taxonomic order and provides details of plant structure. Guide to Flowering Plant Families (Ref. QK 115 .Z65 1994) covers 130 families with 23 charts, 2158 plates. Articles are scholarly and include bibliographies.
ATLAS
A Color Atlas of Plant Structure (Ref. QK 642 .B68 1996) contains an interesting chapter on plant morphology and several chapters on major aspects of plant structure.
INDEXES AND ABSTRACTS
Biological and Agricultural Index. ( Ref. QH 1 .A1 B56)
A subject index to over 200 English language journals in agriculture and biology. The years 1983 through current are available through FirstSearch-database name, BioAgIndex. Library owns 1965-1998 in paper format.Biological Abstracts. (Ref. QH 301 .B37)
This is the place to go for a more definitive search for journal articles as it is international in coverage. The library owns 1926-1992 in print format. A manual search can be a bit cumbersome so ask the reference librarian for help. It is also computer searchable for a fee.Web of Science.
This database covers Science Citation Index from 1990 through current.Science Direct
Provides full text coverage to 90 journals to which we subscribe.GenSciAbs
General science literature from the US and Europe.JSTOR
Full text backfiles of journals. Go to advanced and click on botany.
FLORA
Kresge Library has a good collection of flora reference books, the most important of which is Wild Flowers of The United States (Ref. QK 115 .R5), a 15-volume set which is divided by geographic region. Wild Flowers provides descriptions of the plants, habitats, seasons and color photographs. It is aimed at the layman. A recent title, in three volumes, is Flora of North America: North of Mexico (Ref. QK 110 .F55 1993). Other books on wild flowers include Michigan Wildflowers in Color (Ref. QK 167 .L8 1991); Michigan Wildflowers (Ref. QK 167 .S58 1966); Wild Flowers of America (Ref. QK 112 .W35), notable chiefly for its 400 color paintings; and Wild Flowers (Ref. QK 117 .H68 1934), which has excellent color photographs. Flowers of the Wild, Ontario and the Great Lakes Region (Ref. QK 203 .O6 Z52 1982) is also a fine book for the layman as it combines simple prose with color plates.
For the student desirous of something more compact, we have Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Ref. QK 118 .N42); A Field Guide to Wild Flowers of Northeastern and North-Central North America (Ref. QK 118 .P5); and The New Field Book of American Wild Flowers (Ref. QK 118 .R5). Similar in size if not purpose, they assist the layman in identifying wild flowers.
Aside from wild flowers, we have several other books on flora. Among these are several titles related to plants of medicinal or poisonous nature: Drugs and Foods from Little Known Plants (Ref. QK 99 .A567), which lists plants, their physical characteristics and location, all on one line. Guide to Medicinal Plants (Ref. QK 99 .S3213 1977) is a better choice, giving more complete information, such as "applications" and "active constituents." For poisonous plants, see Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms of North America (Ref. QK 100 .A1 T87 1991), Poisonous Plants of the United States (Ref. QK 100 .U6 M8) & Dangerous Plants (Ref. QK 100 .A1 T35).
For students interested in the "international flora," two titles, both incomplete, are on our shelves. Flora Europaea (Ref. QK 281 .T8) is a 5-volume set of which we own volume 1, "Lycopodiceae to Platanaceae." Gives descriptions of each species, distribution and citation to article where first identified. Plants of the World (Ref. QK 98 .W7213) is a 3-volume set of which Kresge Library owns volumes 1 and 2. It is useful for a more "encyclopedic" treatment of plants as it combines extensive narrative with extensive photos, many in color. Atlas of the British Flora (Ref. QK 306 .P4 1976) presents maps showing the geographic distribution of plants in the British Isles. The Encyclopedia of Plants is useful for the gardener: botanical names of plants, common names and so on. Here are some other useful sites: Plant Encyclopedia; Nature's Best Encyclopedia of Plants.
TREES
A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America (Ref. QK 481 .P4 1966) and A Natural History of Western Trees (Ref. QK 481 .P42 1953) are companion volumes, both in terms of authorship and format. Aimed more at the scholar than the layman, these books go beyond "mere" tree identification and provide extensive narrative, up to ten pages and more on each tree species.
For a more "thumbnail" sketch, we have Handbook of the Trees of the Northern States and Canada East of the Rocky Mountains (Ref. QK 481 .H8). Information is limited to one page and includes maps, photos and brief narrative. Arranged by genus.
For those interested in tree identification, we have The Tree Identification Book (Ref. QK 482 .S9 1958), which provides pictures of leaves, flowers, fruit, twig and bark. Handbook of Trees for the Midwest (Ref. QK 484 .M51 S7) is another book in this genre. The International Book of Trees (Ref. QK 475 .J56 1980) attempts in words and pictures to provide the essential differences among groups of trees. The first section provides handy information on trees--how they grow, their maintenance and pruning. It also has two sections on "Conifers" and "Broadleaves."
MUSHROOMS
The Encyclopedia of Mushrooms (Ref. QK 617 .D53 1979) is the best book we have on the subject, in terms of currency, its "encyclopedic" narrative and its many color pictures. Its scope includes their biology, lifestyle, habitat and their use as a food source; even some recipes are included. The Mushroom Book (Ref. QK 605 .M3 1904) and Field Book of Common Mushrooms (Ref. QK 617 .T5 1948) are short on narrative but long on factual information: tables, pictures and descriptive information. A Glossary of Mycology (Ref. QK 603 .S53 1971) presents mycological terms "whatever their origin or application, whether modern or obsolete, popular or trivial, old wives' terms or scientific phrases." Also includes plates. Dictionary of the Fungi (Ref. QK 600.35 .A35 2001) is a classic that covers all aspects of lichens, mushrooms, slime moulds, water moulds and yeasts.
INTERNET SOURCES
Meta Sites
Virtual Library of Botany
This is a very comprehensive site, especially good on institutions, botanical gardens and universities.Botany (from ACRL)
This has got to be the best meta site out there. It's all here: gateways, meta sites, images and more.Resources
Internet Directory for Botany
There are about 100 or so sites, all alphabetically arranged by the title. Be sure to look at the bottom for other virtual libraries in botany and related fields.Internet Directory for Botany
This is a very comprehensive site, especially good on institutions, botanical gardens and universities.Internet Public Library's Plant Biology (Botany)
This site does not utilize a "directory" format so you don't know what you will find unless you look at each site.Yahoo's Botany
Arranged in a directory format and covers these topics:
- Archaeobotany
- Botanical and Horticultural Libraries
- Botanical Gardens
- Desert Vegetation
- Education
- Ethnobotany
- Fall Foliage
- Herbaria
- Horticulture
- Institutes
- Journals
- Mangroves
- Mycorrhiza
- Nomenclature
- Organizations
- Paleobotany
- Palynology
- Photosynthesis
- Phycology
- Phytopathology
- Plants
- Web Directories
Internet Directory for Botany
Thousands of sites that can be searched by a search engine or by subject.The Plant Pathology Internet Guidebook
Botanical Society of America Online Image Collection
Plant Pathology Internet Resources
Tree of Life Web Project
Good for phylogeny and biodiversity.University of Wisconsin-Madison Plant Systematics Collection
Good for images of 250 families and 1000 genera of vascular plants.Botany (National Biological Information Infrastructure)
Links to gardening, general reference sources, species, plant sciences and four more categories.Botanicus
This site is an electronic library of botanical literature from the 18th and 19th centuries.
American Journal of Botany
Searchable back to 1997.
