Field Guides | Regional Floras | Other Floras | More Technical References
Some resources listed below are available online at the links provided.
FIELD GUIDES
These generally include species descriptions and illustrations, often with keys to identification.
Wildflowers
1.1.1 Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Lawrence Newcomb. 1989.
Black and white line drawings, descriptions, and useful keys to identification of wildflowers of the northeastern US.
1.1.2 Wildflowers in the Field and Forest: A Field Guide to the Northeastern United States. Steven Clemants and Carol Gracie. 2005.
Color photos of flowers and leaves; species descriptions and range maps indicating flowering times.
1.1.3 A Field Guide to Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-Central North America (Peterson Field Guides). Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny. 1998.
Black and white line drawings, descriptions, and keys to identification of wildflowers of the northeastern and north- central US.
1.1.4 National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers--Eastern Region. Revised Edition. 2001.
Color photos of flowers and fruits, and species descriptions.
Trees and Shrubs
1.2.1 National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees-- Eastern Region. 1980.
Species descriptions and color photos of leaves, fruits and bark.
1.2.2 Tree Identification Book : A New Method for the Practical Identification and Recognition of Trees. George W. Symonds and Stephen V. Chelminski. 1973
1.2.3 The Shrub Identification Book: The Visual Method for the Practical Identification of Shrubs, Including Woody Vines and Ground Covers. George W. Symonds and A. W. Merwin. 1973.
Grasses
1.3.1 Grasses: An Identification Guide by Lauren Brown. 1992.
Line drawings and descriptions of the most common native grasses.
Ferns
1.4.1 Field Guide to Northeastern Ferns by Eugene C. Ogden; illustrated by Anne E. Lacy and Kathryn M. Conway. 1981.
Mosses, Hornworts and Liverworts
1.5.1 Mosses of the Great Lakes Forest. Crum, H.A. 1976.
This book is preferred by some people as a beginning key.
1.5.2 The Enthusiasts Guide to Liverworts and Hornworts of Ontario. Ley, L. & J. Crowe. 1999.
Available for $10 from the Claude Garton Herbarium.
Lichens
1.6.1 The Macrolichens of New England by James Hinds and Patricia Hinds. 2008.
Species descriptions, identification keys, and color photos.
1.6.2 Lichens of North America by Irwin M. Brodo, Sylvia Duran Sharnoff, and Stephen Sharnoff. 2001.
Species descriptions, identification keys, and color photos.
Mushrooms
1.7.1 Mushrooms of Northeastern North America by Alan E. Bessette, Arleen R. Bessette and David W. Fischer. 1997.
1.7.2 MushroomExpert.Com
Online at: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/
A good online reference. Even includes hints for photographing mushrooms!
REGIONAL FLORAS
These floras cover specific parts of the Finger Lakes Region. The first two are classic works, long out of print, but available at local libraries.
2.1.1 Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Cayuga Quadrangle 42°-43° N, 76°-77° W. Clausen, R.T. 1949. Memoir 291, Cornell Univ. Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, NY.
2.1.2 The Flora of the Cayuga Lake Basin, New York: Vascular Plants. Wiegand, K. M. & A. J. Eames. 1926. Memoir 92, Cornell Univ. Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, NY.
Identification keys, description, and regional distribution.
2.1.3 Vascular Plant Species of the Cayuga Region of New York State. Wesley, F. R., S. Gardescu, and P. L. Marks. 2008.
This flora includes native and non-native vascular plants of the Cayuga Region of NYS. It is available online at:
Online at: http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/9413/6/Wesley_et_al_2008_EXCEL2.pdf
2.1.4 The Tompkins County Flora Project is an online, searcheable database of herbarium specimens of native and naturalized plants collected in Tompkins County and housed in the Bailey Hortorium Herbarium at Cornell. Many species are pictured, and links are provided to other image sources.
Online at: http://www.plantsystematics.org/tompkins.html
3.1.1 New York Flora Atlas. New York Flora Association, Albany, NY.
Online at: http://newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu
The New York Flora Atlas is a source of information for the distribution of plants within the state. Species occurrence by NY county; links to online image galleries and other floras are provided.
3.1.2 USDA Plants Database. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2007.
Online at: http://plants.usda.gov/
Images, and range maps, with links to other references.
3.1.3 The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual. Second Edition. Ann Fowler Rhoads, Timothy A. Block, and Anna Anisko. 2007.
Useful descriptions and line drawings of many species that grow in the Finger Lakes Region of NY as well as in Pennsylvania.
3.1.4 Flora of the Northeast. A manual of the vascular flora of New England and adjacent New York. Second Edition. Dennis W. Magee and Harry E. Ahles. 2007.
Useful keys to field characters and line drawings of many species that grow in the Finger Lakes Region of NY as well as in New England.
4.1.1 Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Edition. Henry Gleason and Arthur Cronquist. 1991.
Technical keys and descriptions of northeast flora.
4.1.2 Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual: Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Noel H. Holmgren, Patricia K. Holmgren and Henry A. Gleason. 1998.
Illustrations of all species described in the Manual of Vascular Plants (above).
4.1.3 Gray's Manual of Botany. Eighth Edition. A handbook of the flowering plants and ferns of the central and northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. M.L. Fernald. 1950.
Identification keys and descriptions; few illustrations.
4.1.4 Flora of North America.
The most up-to-date treatments of native and naturalized flora of North America. Ultimately a 30 volume series; completed volumes are available at Cornell's Mann Library or accessed online at: http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/FNA/.
4.1.5 Mosses of Eastern North America. 2 volumes. H.A Crum & L.E. Anderson. 1981.
These are the standing classic volumes for those who wish to truly delve into moss taxonomy of the region.
4.1.6 Bryophyte Flora of North America Project.
Online access to current taxonomic treatments, etc.
Online at: http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/BFNA/bfnamenu.htm
4.1.7 The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America east of the Hundredth Meridian. 6 volumes. R. M. Schuster. 1966-1992.
As the dates of publication and the number of volumes suggest, this is a monumental work on liverworts and hornworts on this continent. However, most volumes are no longer in print and many of the keys are not user friendly, especially for beginners.