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The Plants of Pennsylvania
An Illustrated Manual
Ann Fowler Rhoads and Timothy A. Block. Illustrations by Anna Anisko
Second Edition
1,056 pages | 7 x 10 | 2,645 line drawings, 4 maps
$69.95, $4.90 tax, S&H $9.45= $84.30.
Click here for Mail/Fax Order Form

Please note:  
The Morris Arboretum will host an afternoon tea and book signing on December 2 at 2PM with authors, Block and Rhoads, and illustrator, Anisko. Reservations are required. Call 215-247-5777 x109.

by Christine Pape
Editor, Seasons

In 2000, the Arboretum celebrated the release of The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual. This 1,000 page guide was the culmination of years of research by the authors, Arboretum botanists Drs. Ann Rhoads and Timothy Block

In 2006, the University of Pennsylvania Press, who had first published the book in 2000, informed us that only a one month supply of the book remained. In summer 2007, we are pleased to announce that a second edition of the book is slated for release.

In 1932, when the Arboretum was founded as a University institution, Arboretum plant experts began documenting the rich plant life in our state and collected plant specimens to dry, mount and preserve. Today, the Flora of Pennsylvania database includes 400,000 records derived from herbarium specimens. This tremendous body of information provided the foundation of scientific data on which The Plants of Pennsylvania was based. No other institution holds the combination of experience, technical expertise and access to the field data necessary to produce a manual of this significance.

The new volume includes the addition of 40 species, 39 of which, interestingly enough, are not considered native to Pennsylvania. Most notably, this edition lists the plants in evolutionary order versus the previous edition's alphabetical order. This allows for plants that are related to each other to be placed adjacent to each other in the book. Drs. Block and Rhoads worked on the revisions for more than three months, including rewriting the index. As with the previous edition, the manual includes keys to families, genera, and species; about 2,500 illustrations by botanical artist Anna Anisko; scientific and common names; data on distribution ranges, frequency, rare and endangered species, blooming and fruiting periods, taxonomic notes, and an illustrated glossary.

The book has proven to be the definitive resource regarding the rich plant life of Pennsylvania for plant lovers, taxonomists, conservationists, ecologists, foresters, land planners, teachers, students, and anyone with an interest in the plants of our state. The new guide provides ready access to Pennsylvania's flora, and helps residents to appreciate the amazing diversity of our state, which encompasses northern and southern plants, as well as those brought here by people over many centuries.

We congratulate Drs. Block and Rhoads on the continued success of The Plants of Pennsylvania. Look for the second edition in the Arboretum Gift Shop or your local bookstore this summer.