Vascular Plants of New Mexico

About this book

A flora to all known and documented vascular plants in New Mexico.

A multidecade effort involving over sixty contributing botanists, Vascular Plants of New Mexico is an exhaustive treatment that contains taxonomic keys, plant descriptions, plant community types, elevation ranges, and general plant distributions, along with endemic and/or threatened status, of more than 4,000 known vascular plants in New Mexico.

In addition, this guide is enriched with colour photographs of New Mexico vegetation, colour plates of more than two hundred of the rarest species, and nineteen oil paintings by New Mexican artist Rod Hubble, capturing the stunning variation and beauty of the landscapes. Appropriate for plant enthusiasts, amateur botanists, professional biologists, consultants, academics, ecologists, and land management personnel, this book includes user-friendly keys and readable, consistent taxonomic treatments by expert authors.

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Contributors
Introduction
Noteworthy Historical Collectors
Geology
Vegetation
Factors Affecting Vegetation
Elevation
Slope Position
Aspect
Soil Texture
Plants Themselves
Regional Climate
Nutrients and Toxic Compounds
Vegetation History
Vegetation Classification
Alpine Tundra
Subalpine Coniferous Forest
Montane Coniferous Forest
Subalpine-Montane Grassland
Coniferous and Mixed Woodland
Juniper Savanna
Plains-Mesa Grassland
Desert Grassland
Chihuahuan Desert Scrub
Plains-Mesa Sand Scrub
Great Basin Desert Scrub
Montane Scrub
Closed Basin Communities
Using a Dichotomous Key
Nomenclature
Rarity, Endemism, and Endangerment
Conventions Used in Species Descriptions

Key to the Vascular Plant Families of New Mexico
Key to Main Groups
Ferns and Lycophytes
Gymnosperms
Angiosperms

Ferns and Lycophytes
Gymnosperms
Angiosperms

Photos of Rare, Endangered, and Endemic Plants of New Mexico
Appendix I: A Brief History of White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico
Appendix II: Checklist of the Flora of White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico
Glossary
Literature Cited
Index of Botanical and Common Names

Oil paintings by Rod Hubble
Color plates of rare, endangered, and endemic plants of New Mexico

Customer Reviews

Biography

Kenneth D. Heil is the founder of the San Juan College herbarium and was a lead field botanist and supervising editor for the Flora of the Four Corners Region. He is the author of numerous scientific papers, several booklets on threatened and endangered species in New Mexico, and the Audubon Society Pocket Guide, Familiar Cacti: North America.

Steve L. O'Kane, Jr. was a lead field botanist and coeditor for the Flora of the Four Corners Region and is an emeritus professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Northern Iowa.