Grasses

by Mohlenbrock, Robert H.; Meyer, Miriam Wysong; Nelson, Paul W.

• ISBN13: 9780809323609
• ISBN10: 0809323605
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-07-31
• Publisher: Southern Illinois Univ Pr

Summary

Since the publication of the first edition ofGrasses: Panicum to Danthoniain 1973, twenty additional taxa of grasses have been discovered in Illinois that are properly placed in this volume. In addition, numerous nomenclatural changes have occurred for plants already known from the state, and many distributional records have been added. This second edition updates the status of grasses in Illinois. Paul W. Nelson has provided illustrations for all of the additions. Because the nature of grass structures is generally so different from that of other flowering plants, a special terminology is applied to them. In his introduction, Robert H. Mohlenbrock cites these terms, with descriptions that make the identification of unknown specimens possible. Mohlenbrock's division of the grass family into subfamilies and tribes is a major departure from the sequence usually found in most floristic works in North America. Synonyms that have been applied to species in the northeastern United States are given under each species. A description based primarily on Illinois material covers the more important features of the species. The common namesPaflic Grass, Billion Dollar Grass or Japanese Millett, Thread Love Grass, and Goose Grassare the ones used locally in the state. The habitat designation and dot maps showing county distribution of each grass are provided only for grasses in Illinois, but the overall range for each species is also given.

Author Biography

Robert H. Mohlenbrock taught botany at Southern Illinois University Carbondale for thirty-four years, retiring with the title of Distinguished Professor. Mohlenbrock has been named SIU Outstanding Scholar and has received the SIU Alumnus Teacher of the Year Award, and the AMOCO Outstanding Teacher Award. Since 1984, he has been a monthly columnist for Natural History magazine. Among his forty-four books and more than five hundred publications are Macmillan’s Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Field Guide to the U.S. National Forests, and Where Have All the Wildflowers Gone?

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Preface to the Second Edition	xiii
Preface	xv
Introduction	1	(14)
Illustrated Key to the Genera of Grasses in Illinois	15	(27)
Descriptions and Illustrations	42	(1)
Poaceae---Grass Family
Subfamily Panicoideae	42	(169)
Subfamily Eragrostoideae	211	(126)
Subfamily Bambusoideae	337	(2)
Subfamily Oryzoideae	339	(10)
Subfamily Arundinoideae	349	(10)
Appendix: Additions and Changes to the First Edition	359	(76)
Summary of the Taxa of Grasses in Illinois	435	(2)
Species Excluded	437	(2)
Glossary	439	(4)
Literature Cited	443	(6)
Index of Plant Names	449