And a related species, P. psyllium,
is the primary source for the
active ingredient in the “regulat-
ing” product Metamucil.
For the writers and native
Texans LaShara J. Nieland and
Willa F. Finley, botanical study is
both vocation and avocation.
They love what they do, and
they do what they love, and it
shows in the book. The two met
in the biology department at
Abilene Christian University in
1970 and quickly discovered
their common interest in biology
and plant science. Both taught
botany labs.
Nieland earned an M.S.
degree in biology education at
Abilene Christian and began
teaching in public schools. Finley
completed Ph.D. studies at the
University of Nebraska and pur-
sued a career in agriculture. She
has worked in ag research and
agribusiness around the world.
Though the two biologists’
careers took diverse paths, they
reconnected in 1997 in the
Odessa public schools, where
Nieland was teaching honors
biology classes. Finley took a job
there teaching science at the sec-
ondary level for four years. She
now is a senior agricultural eco-
nomics researcher for LMC
International
in
Oxford,
England.
Both women have always
enjoyed identifying and photo-
graphing native plants in the
field, and they produced all 500
or so photographs (without indi-
vidual credits). Nieland created
plant study guides and work-
books for her students over the
years and enjoyed taking them
and their parents into the field
for plant identification and study.
Obviously penned by serious
biologists, Lone Star Wildflowers is
nevertheless intended for a gen-
eral audience. The book is writ-
ten in clear, accessible language
without compromising scientific
accuracy. Rather than compiling
a separate glossary of special-
ized terms, Nieland and Finley
make all such terms clear within
the text, a method referred to as
an embedded glossary.
The section early in the book
describing plant families is
arranged alphabetically and dis-
cusses each family’s most rele-
vant characters, growth habits,
uses and so on. Such useful
information is often omitted
from other native plant field
guides. Or it is presented only in
a complex botanical key.
Nieland and Finley, however,
give one just enough botany to
satisfy without turning the book
into a science lesson. And
instead of calling the section
“Family Descriptions” or
“Selected Plant Families,” they
call it “Family Biographies,” a
wonderfully sensitive title sug-
gesting relationships of living
things.
The main body of the book is
the 218 species discussions
arranged according to flower
colors. The hues range from red
and orange to gold and yellow,
green/lime, blue and laven-
der/purple; then to rosy pinks
and finally, shades of white. This
is not the first wildflower field
guide to employ flower-color
grouping, but as far as I know, it
is the most refined. And the
color renditions of the flower
photos are for the most part
right-on.
Within each color section,
plants are further grouped by
family and then by genus.
“Exploring Further” pages at
the end of each color section
provide supplemental photos
and text that illustrate more
striking details, such as leaf
shapes and arrangements, seed-
pods, field appearance and so
on. Abundant cross references to
related pages are an invaluable
aid to study.
The authors write in com-
plete sentences throughout the
text – rare in field guides – using
precise, colorful, witty and
informed language. They
describe the swollen nodes of
the Polygonaceae, for example,
as resembling “knobby arthritic
knees.” The stamens of some
species of the Solanaceae (night-
shades) are “shamelessly huge.”
The flower structures of certain
verbenas are “reminiscent of a
gingerbread man that has fallen
into the purple dye vat.”
Other kinds of facts included
in the text: traditional medicinal
uses by Native Americans and
early settlers, food preparations
used historically in South -
western cultures, plant toxicities
to humans and livestock and for-
age value for wildlife and live-
stock, competitive behavior of
plants with implications for
rangeland management, land-
scaping suggestions, legends and
myths based on plant character-
istics, origins of scientific and
common names and growth
stages (young plants, buds,
mature seed heads and fruits)
depicted in photos.
One caveat for the Far West
Texan: The book is statewide in
range and therefore cannot cover
but a fraction of our plants.
However, it is excellent on the
Trans-Pecos plants that it does
include, and you will learn a
great deal that will augment and
enrich your knowledge and
appreciation of plants in general.
This is the first book by this
knowledgeable and talented
duo, but let’s hope it is not the
last.
24 Hour ATM
Loans
Personal Banking
Business Banking
Marfa National Bank
a facility of the
301 S Highland Ave Marfa
432.729.4344 • 877.729.4344
www.marfanb.com
Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute
Est. 1974
botanical gardens
cactus & succulent greenhouse
hiking trails
1 Presidio Bank
ST
HWY 67 Presidio
432.229.3724 • 888.488.4111 • Telebank: 432.729.4999
www.firstpresidio.com
25th
Native Plant Sale
April 23 & 24!
located on ST HWY 118
outdoor & indoor exhibits 4 mi. S. of Fort Davis
nature shop closed major holidays
workshops & programs Open 9-5, Mon.-Sat.
citizen science opportunities www.cdri.org
school & tour groups welcome 432-364-2499
Cenizo
Second Quarter 2010
21