"John and Gloria Tveten
Looking for more than just the names of the wildflowers that grace our highways, fields and forests? The Tveten's book showcases gorgeous photos, combined with interesting information about the wildflowers identified. From the authors' introduction: """"This guide is intended for a broad audience without botanical training. We have kept the use of technical terms to a minimum, defining those that have no common counterpart in everyday language. We believe that the brief descriptions, along with the color photographs, will enable the interested observer to identify most of the wildflowers that occur in the immediate Houston area.
No book of this scope, of course, can treat all the flowers that might be encountered, but this one has the advantage of focusing on a limited area. Most of the available wildflower books treat the entire state or a large region of it, and the options are even more numerous. The 210 species included here were selected as representative of Houston flora and the various families found along area roadsides, in vacant lots, and even as ""weeds"" in urban lawns and gardens. Where several similar species occur, one may need to consult more technical manuals. However, most readers will be content to identify such confusing plants to the genus level. In those cases, the most abundant of the closely related species have been selected for inclusion in this book.
Species accounts are arranged by color: white, yellow, red/pink, blue/violet, and green/brown. It is not always possible to draw distinct boundaries between these color groups, particularly in the case of the purplish flowers. For them, the reader will want to compare a plant with the pictures and descriptions in both the red/pink and blue/violet sections. Individual flowers may also vary in color within a species. For example, some plants have blossoms ranging from white to pale pink or blue. In spite of the problems in classifying flowers by color, most beginning enthusiasts will find the system easier to use than a classification by family.
We have kept botanical descriptions to a minimum within the accounts and have included other information on such topics as folklore, the edibility or poisonous properties of the plants, medicinal uses, and the sources of their common and scientific names. The reader may also wish to consult the preliminary summaries of the various plant families in order to place species in a broader context.
All photographs were taken in their natural settings by the authors. However, we frequently used an electronic flash in order to obtain the sharpness and depth of field necessary to portray the flowers in detail. Too often, dim light and brisk winds make photography by natural light all but impossible, and we have placed a premium on photos useful for identification.
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Paperback, 6 x 9 in., 319 pp., 220 color photos, 1997."
