Ferns, Spikemosses, Clubmosses, and Quillworts

OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA

Emily B. Sessa*

This richly illustrated field guide to the ferns, spikemosses, clubmosses, and quillworts of eastern North America is accessible yet scientifically accurate, valuable to beginners and experts alike.

Keys, range maps, detailed color photographs, and facing-page species descriptions aid exploration and allow reliable identification of the ferns and what have traditionally been called “fern allies” known to occur in the area covered by the book. An overview of identifying characteristics, life cycles, and evolutionary history is contained within the introductory pages — as well as information about hybrids, polyploids, and reticulate relationships, illuminating the fascinating processes that have led to such a rich diversity of species.

Modern and innovative as well as comprehensive, the helpful juxtaposition of beautifully graphic images within the keys makes one wonder, Why has no one communicated this so clearly before?

• Covers all 305 species known to occur in the United States east of the Mississippi and contiguous Canada (except for extreme northern and northeastern Canada), 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.

Princeton University Press.