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Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska
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This best-selling field guide features 794 species of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, aquatics, grasses, ferns, mosses and lichens found along the coast from Oregon to Alaska. Color photographs and line drawings help you identify and learn about the fascinating plants of the Pacific Northwest coast. Engaging notes on each species describe aboriginal and other local uses of pla
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Paperback, 528 pages
Published
March 31st 1994
by Lone Pine Publishing
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Start your review of Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska

This is my "go to" book for all plants I find on the farm, in our woods and on my walks. It gives a balance of identification, uses and local culture. It will always occupy a prominent place on my current bookshelf and I will never be finished reading it.
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Have I read this cover to cover? No. But this is my go-to guide for PNW plant ID. While I was an undergraduate at the University of Washington, Bothell campus, this was my textbook in a number of nature and field based classes. This is the text I learned to ID wetland and forest plants, in the winter by their buds no less. I still have my Pojar on my shelf and frequently bring it along on camping trips or out to my “mobile office” at work in the field with WDFW. I particularly love the dichotomo
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These are my favorite field guides. I learned about the Lone Pine field guides during my environmental science field camp during the summer of 2007 and got very enthusiastic about keying out plants. Now I'm in Alaska and have tried many resources to get to know the plants around here and this guide remains the best one. It makes me want spring and summer so I can get outside and watch things grow!
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Excellent reference book for those who wish to hike with their encyclopedias. A good cover of the PNW plants but not too heavy to bring along. Nicely organized and even if I am totally unfamiliar with the plant I can find it pretty easily in the book. Otherwise, I have read the book back to front several times looking for plants and enjoyed every minute of it.

If you live on, or travel through a lot, the coast of the West Coast (B.C., Washington and Oregon - I don't know about Alaska yet): it is an excellent reference.
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Plants of the Pacific Northest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska features nearly 800 plants common to the coast of the Pacific Northwest and is one of my most often referenced plant books. Boasting over 1,000 each photos and drawings, plants are described in good detail including information about plant structure such as leaf shape and color, fruit types and flowers. Color-coded range maps accompany each plant species and in addition the book lists the ecology, what habitat ty
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This guide is so dense with information that if it didn't have a well written information introductory a person would be lost reading it.
I loved comparing this book to another book "The new whole foods encyclopedia" by Rebecca Wood.
I can walk outside and forage for whole foods. That wasn't the original intent but that's how the idea started. Could I take a hike, identify the plans around me and if I was hungry have a snack? How would I know if it was safe to eat.
This great little guide is so ...more
I loved comparing this book to another book "The new whole foods encyclopedia" by Rebecca Wood.
I can walk outside and forage for whole foods. That wasn't the original intent but that's how the idea started. Could I take a hike, identify the plans around me and if I was hungry have a snack? How would I know if it was safe to eat.
This great little guide is so ...more

I picked this book up years ago when I was teaching plants at a summer camp in the Oregon coast range, near the southern end of this books range. It was fantastic. Sure, the experts out there will use the Jepson guide, but this book hits the sweet spot for casual naturalists like me. The dichotomous trees are simplified so normal people can use them, and the full color photos are beautiful and really help with identification. Most importantly though, the authors have a knack for choosing the mos
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This is one of 3 books I keep in the truck with me no matter where I go. The other two are a field guide (noted elsewhere) and a USFS forest pathology text for this area. I ain't gonna be stumped by nothin', nohow! This book has been a standard of mine since 1996. My original copy is battered and beaten but still readable; the revised version is what I carry today. The "revisions" are mostly taxonomic or superficial, and I'm not greatly affected by either.
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this book is invaluable and friggin' hilarious. lots of solid information for accurate plant id'ing, tips and pointers for medicinal and edibles and thorough resource listings for more information. I particularly love the entry about wapato, a riparian root, that when improperly roasted, causes horrific farts.
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Feb 06, 2008
Morgan Djuna Sorais Harrigan
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
nature
This is the BEST plant identification guide for the Pacific North West I have ever seen. The photographs and drawings are clear and easy to apply to real plants. All of the notes about the plants are very well written and include facts about medicinal, food, and other uses. If you live in North West and love the outdoors, this book is very nice to have around.

Hmmmm, neophyte plant-girl goes to Oregon and seeks to figure out what the hell is surrounding her. I mean, what's with this moss? What is that? Bamboo? In the middle of the city? Rotting detritus everywhere and not a thought as to why the leaves are so gargantuan, so perfectly fluted to catch the waning light. Hence, the happiness of Pojar's guide in my backpack.
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Jan 17, 2010
Grass_Roots Books and Music
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
_elizabeth
This full-color, comprehensive field guide has easy-to-use keys and thorough description of not only each plant’s natural history, but its cultural significance and uses. Photographs are shown side by side with botanically accurate drawings to aid in identification. Taking this guide with you to the forest or field is the next best thing to having a pro botanist along.

A beautiful book of plants from our coastal area and also includes Alaska and Oregon (down to Eugene). It is so comprehensive and the pictures are great for identifying plants. Another score at a garage sale today, and I have already sat the evening going through the book. It has a good organization, which should help a person fairly easily identify a plant.

Long considered one of the essential text for anyone interested in plants, its excellent photos and easy to use text make it ideal for experts and amateurs alike. For coastal explorers, its compact size means it'll fit easily into a backpack if you want to take it along on an excursion. But at the very least, you should have a copy sitting on your bookshelf in your home or your classroom.
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Obviously not as much use to my friends back east. But if you need to know about the flora around here, get this book. I'm taking it back east when I move to remind me that for every horrible Seattle driver there is a lovely Seattle tree.
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I have several other plant identification books. This is the best one by far for my area (the central Oregon coast). The information beyond simple plant identification is exceptionally useful. I purchased the book in the late 1990's but I "read" it every year.
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This is an outstanding reference book. I'll never be finished reading it and appreciating the brilliant research that went into its production. Every plant is explained botanically and culturally. This is a very special book.
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Mar 01, 2015
Debbie
is currently reading it
I bought this book in Washington in August 2010. I've taken it with me on every trip to the Pacific Northwest. Reading it is ongoing, it's not really a book you read page to page, except maybe the intro.
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Twists, turns, red herrings, the usual suspects: These books have it all...and more. If you love mysteries and thrillers, get ready for dozens...
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