Northwest Weeds: The Ugly and Beautiful Villains of Fields, Gardens, and Roadsides

by Ronald J. Taylor

Northwest Weeds describes and illustrates the prominent and ever-present weeds of the northwestern United States and adjacent Canada. Full-color photographs and the accompanying text emphasize the weeds' identifying characteristics. The book includes information on the origin, distribution, aggressiveness, and edibility of each weed.

Genres: Gardening, Reference, Nonfiction, Field Guides, Plants, Nature

183 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Chrisl · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 1000s of hours of weed plucking, I continue to wonder about plant names ...
Have owned Taylor for many years. It contains a headband of markers ... useful, my go to book for plant identification.
***
Taylor starts with a quite apt quote:
"Oh you who plow and reap and sow,
guard well your acres from this foe,
nor vigil cease, nor labor spare
lest weeds become harsh tyrants there."
(W. Van der Zweep, 'Golden Words and Wisdom about Weeds)
***
Have experienced interesting migrations of vegetation where I live, starting with a healthy population of sage ... to now, when cheat grass is primary target, along with a multitude of secondaries. (Land has water rights from local irrigation district.)



got some recycled 'stickies' from the desk ... will be marking

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best book for identifying flowers that are commonly found here in Oregon. The prolific and common flowers easy to find in real life aren't to be found listed in most wildflower books. They can be found here though with great photos and descriptions!

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the handiest flower book I own. I carry it with me in the car in the summer, and have it handy at home in the winter, and I consult it regularly. Weeds are the most common wildflowers anyone sees, especially in an urban environment, and this book was designed to help you identify them. It does a FINE job, too.
The pictures in the book are very helpful in identifying the plant - the photos capture the most identifiable aspects of each weed. The descriptions are accurate and in plain English, not technical botanical terms, which helps us amateurs a lot.
The weeds include both native plants and foreign species, with notes about how invasive each plant is, and where you can find it, or how to keep it away from your yard. If the plant is edible or poisonous, that is also in the write-up. If you are looking for native plants that are NOT weeds, you'll need a different book.
There is a brief introduction where the author defines weeds, and notes geographical coverage. The plants are organized by plant families, but if you don't know what family the weed you seek belongs through, just page through until you find the picture - the book is not that thick. There's also an index of common names and an index of botanical names. At the back of the book are line drawings with characteristics of leaves and flowers to help with identification.
All in all, an amazingly useful book.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It helped me identify my wild geranium and verified a few I'd guessed at. The photos were mostly helpful, but sometimes only showed part of the plant. It didn't list all the unidentified plants I was looking for. The mystery plant that looks potato-y is probably another variety of nightshade.
Best one I've found, thus far.
I was amused by his generally nonjudgmental attitude-- except for those weeds that put out runners. They'd better be pretty if they are hard to eradicate!!

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference. I do wish it had photos of not just the flower but the earlier vegetative stages of the plant life cycle— for horticulturists or restoration techs you can’t afford to let a questionable plant flower to nail a positive ID.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm using this book to identify some of the wild plants in my yard and garden. I used it previously while living in Wyoming and Wisconsin. It is still useful here in Indiana, since many of the plants are quite widespread. Like all plant identification and use books, this is not complete; there must be enough information already known about plants to fill the library. So use more than one book or reference, and be cautious of internet information; each one will say something slightly different. Plus your reactions to these plants will vary... What a lot of variety!

[Skedatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author gets emotional about some of these. For example, speaking of the Himalayan Blackberry on pg. 58 "Its vicious, flattened spines hold tenaciously."

That is very true, but the wording amuses me.

Ah, the power of words. :)