Weeds in the Urban Landscape
Where They Come from, Why They're Here, and How to Live with Them
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
A comprehensive identification guide to 189 common weeds in the urban environment, explaining their families and characteristics, with strategies for managing their presence in the garden and fields
This engaging field guide for the urban explorer, gardener, or armchair enthusiast traces the history of weeds as they migrated out of the Middle East with human tribes and spread across Europe and the Americas, details the folklore surrounding them, and explains their role in the evolution of agriculture and human civilizations as well as their many uses for medicine, food, animal fodder, and soil enhancement. Richard Orlando provides detailed descriptions of 189 common weeds—found across the U.S.—describing their families and characteristics, and suggesting strategies for managing their presence in the garden and field. Abundant illustrations enhance the text and facilitate plant identification. An annotated bibliography and index of botanical names, in addition to a detailed explanation of Integrated Pest Management, make this an essential reference for anyone with an interest in the world outside our doors.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Orlando, who worked in the grounds department at UC Berkeley for nearly 30 years, conceived of this deeply researched guide to weed identification and control while teaching an urban weeds course at a community college. Unable to find a suitable textbook for the course, he created this one, which identifies weed families, helps gardeners control weeds, and places weeds in historical and natural contexts. Weeds are not just unwanted, out-of-place plants, Orlando maintains: they "belong to a specific group of plants that follow us around, that are supremely well adapted to colonizing the bare, disturbed ground." The bulk of the book profiles 189 weeds, with each profile including the identifying features of the plant, where it originated, as well as its nomenclature. Orlando also discusses the cultural history of each plant, including its use in folklore, songs, poetry, and recipes. For example, the entry on "tree of heaven," which is native to China and believed to have been introduced to the United States by Chinese miners, notes the plant's "cinematic claim to fame" in the film adaptation of Betty Smith's novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The last section emphasizes integrated weed management. While the book is primarily a reference guide for controlling weeds, the historical context and cultural references add a holistic dimension that will appeal to general readers with an interest in botany. (May)
