H.D. Harrington

Excerpt from Preface:
"Some years ago I wrote How to Identify Plants, a guide for the identification of plants in general. The grasses were intentionally omitted from that publication, mostly because of lack of space, but with the intention of treating them separately later on. How to Identify Grasses and Grasslike Plants attempts to provide this treatment by offering as much practical help as possible for those attempting to learn the rather specialized technique of identifying these plants. It is based on the writer's many years of experience in watching several thousand students acquire this skill.

"However, this book in no way promises an 'easy way to identify' the plants included, since this is an impossibility for grasses, sedges, and rushes. Many of the species look superficially alike, and, in order to ditinguish them accurately, one must be able to check their technical characters. Visual memory as to their general appearance is very helpful, but it is not always sufficient. You must know not only 'what it is' but also 'why it is what it is' before you really know grass. In fact, it is often better to know also why it is NOT some closely related species! The first two steps necessary are learning to diagnose accurately and learning to identify efficiently. This will take a reasonable amount of effort and perseverence....."

Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction
• Vegetative Morphology of Grasses
• Spikelet Morphology of Grasses
• Spikelet Modifications of Grasses
• Inflorescences of Grasses
• Collecting and Pressing
• Sedges (Cyperaceae)
• Rushes (Juncaceae)
• Manuals and Floras
• Suggestions for Identifying Grasses
• Identification of Grasses in Vegetative Condition
• Illustrated Glossary