A comprehensive, richly illustrated photographic field guide to the ferns and lycophytes of the eastern United States and Canada

This is a comprehensive photographic field guide to the ferns, spikemosses, clubmosses, and quillworts of eastern North America. Accessible yet scientifically accurate, the book will appeal to beginners and experts alike and enhance the field experience of any user.

Keys, range maps, detailed color photographs, and facing-page species descriptions aid exploration and allow reliable identification of all 305 species found in the area covered by the book—the United States east of the Mississippi and contiguous Canada, except for extreme northern and northeastern Canada. An introduction provides an easy-to-understand overview of identifying characteristics, life cycles, and evolutionary history. Checklists allow readers to record species they have seen, in four subregions. Indexes feature a complete list of common and scientific names, including synonyms, ensuring that users can find the plants they are looking for and keep track of changes in taxonomy. In addition, information about hybrids, polyploids, and reticulate relationships is provided, illuminating the fascinating processes that have led to such a rich diversity of species.

Modern and innovative, this is the definitive guide to the ferns and lycophytes of eastern North America. Covers all 305 species, belonging to 96 genera and 30 families Features detailed color photos of all species—and facing-page species descriptions Provides checklists for keeping track of species seen Includes common and scientific names and notable synonyms

Emily B. Sessa is a botanist with more than fifteen years’ experience studying the ecology and evolution of ferns and lycophytes. She is the Patricia K. Holmgren Director of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium at the New York Botanical Garden, and a former president of the American Fern Society.