Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 495 pages
- Published by: Heyday Books March 28, 2007
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 1597140503
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-1597140508
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Book Dimensions:
8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
- Weighs: 2.1 pounds
Product Description
An introduction to the botanical richness of one of southern California s major waterways The Santa Ana River is the largest watercourse in the heavily populated coastal plain of southern California. Despite the encroachment of urban development, however, the river and its environs are home to over eight hundred plant species. In this seminal guide to the flora of the Santa Ana River, Oscar F. Clarke and his team have compiled descriptions of three hundred species, accompanied by 3,200 images and illustrations. The book also serves as an introduction to basic botanical concepts, applying phylogenetics the study of evolutionary relationships between species to taxonomic structure. Surprising connections emerge with an understanding of the relationships between these plants, as well as between the trees, flowers, and other types of flora in all regions of the world. The culmination of a lifetime of botanical study, this guide is a must-have for anyone interested in learning more about green, growing things.
About The Author
Oscar F. Clarke established the Herbarium at the University of California, Riverside, and has studied and taught natural history throughout his life. Supported by his wife, Marsia Alexander-Clarke, Oscar has assembled a team to complete this comprehensive guide begun twenty years ago.
Reader Reviews
Oscar Clarke's book on the Santa Ana River has a very special meaning for Southern California. It illustrates the surprising and beautiful results from imported water. The most dramatic demonstration is in the Santa Ana River. Superficially the Santa Ana doesn't appear to be such a great river. But that is because most of the flow is underground. And much of that water was imported. Users along the course pass the used water to the soil beneath them, and it joins the flow. The result is a springtime display (and year-round too) of water-loving plants, and drier species on the slopes above. The magic of imported water brings back the floristic beauty that we might have supposed was lost with the "development" of Southern California. Of course we also get species that were considered alien, but many of them are beautiful too. Oscar's easy and natural approach to evolution-based systematics is described on Page 5. He tells how to remember the series: kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, species. For the huge Sunflower family, this series is not sufficient to bring order, and the family is divided into 14 tribes (as listed on Page 355) before dividing further into genus and species. Oscar's description of tribes in the Sunflower family appears to be a traditional listing, similar to that in Munz, P.A. "A Manual of Southern California Botany" (1935), referenced by Oscar. But there has been some moving of particular genera to different tribes, some merging of tribes, some name updates, and the addition of two tribes from Africa, including that of the Freeway Daisy. Getting technical for a moment, I can remark that the division into tribes is imperfect, with overlaps and uncertainties due to the contrary effects of speciation and evolutionary convergence. More recent floras such as the encyclopedic and authoritative 1993 Jepson Manual attempt to improve upon the tribes with newly constructed "groups", but I think the imperfection remains. The book is an easy introduction to flower hunting for beginners. But those who have lists of flowers from past jaunts, and would like to recall pleasant memories, can also use it. There can be confidence that nearly every species along the Santa Ana River is included.
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