Book Recommendations for Budding Botanists
The list below is intended for someone eager to learn the plants of region (especially for a job where identification is required). They are listed by type and in order of recommendation.
In most cases more than one taxonomic key can greatly ease identification and minimize frustration. Different keys emphasize different characteristics. The smaller the focus of the key (region, habitat type, plant type) the more specific the description and generally the easier to key a plant.
The above said, the on-line version of the Michigan Flora is an excellent resource once you become familiar with using it.
General Flora (for Michigan)
Field Manual of Michigan Flora -2012
by Edward G. Voss and Anton A. Reznicek
MUST BUY, taxonomic key also available on-line (updated and with pictures)! Technical flora of all of Michigan, uses indentation so you can go backwards, there are no images of plants; but the on-line version provides both photographs and quasi-descriptions of every plant.
Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual: ... -1998
by Holmgren, Holmgren & Gleason
Should Buy (if you can find it –out of print), line drawing book, the names are old, but it includes all the plant species in Northeastern North America. It allows you to quickly look at all the members of a taxon when you are pretty sure of the genus or family.
Gleason's Plants of Michigan: A Field Guide -2007
by Richard K. Rabeler
Nice addition, non-technical taxonomic key that uses couplets very different from other keys. No pictures and no indentation, but it is small (easy to carry) and inexpensive.
Woody Plants
Trees of Michigan: Including Tall Shrubs -2006
by Linda J. Kershaw
MUST BUY (if you can find it at a reasonable prince –out of print), photo book with excellent descriptions and some simplified yet effective keys, it is the best tree book for Michigan.
Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest: … -2012
by Weeks & Weeks
MUST BUY, photo book and thorough descriptions of differences with similar species. While the focus is Indiana, it includes distribution maps of the entire Midwest including Michigan.
Michigan Shrubs & Vines: A Guide… -2016
by Barnes, Dick & Gunn
Should Buy, taxonomic key with drawings of all the shrubs of Michigan which includes a list of Key Characters and descriptive differences between similar species.
Michigan Trees, Revised and Updated: … -2004
by Barnes & Wagner
Taxonomic key with drawings of all trees (winter and summer). Nice to have multiple sources.
Graminoids
Grasses
Grasses of Wisconsin: … -1997
by Norman C. Fassett
Taxonomic key with drawings and easy explanation of most common grasses, given we are close to Wisconsin it makes for an easy introduction to grasses.
Manual of Grasses for North America -2007
by Barkworth, Anderton, Capels, Long & Piep
Taxonomic key with drawings, while daunting because of the large geographic range, the description and labeled line drawing of every species are excellent.
Field Guide to Wisconsin Grasses -2014
by Judziewicz, Freckmann, Clark & Black
Taxonomic key and photo book of all the grasses, but it is focused exclusively on Wisconsin.
Sedges
Sedges of Indiana and the Adjacent States: The Non-Carex… -2009
by Paul E Rothrock
Taxonomic key and photo book of all the non-carex sedges. Distribution maps include Michigan.
Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges: … Carex … -2008
by Andrew L. Hipp
Taxonomic key with drawings of all carex species in Wisconsin.
Wetland Plants
Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern North America, Volume I: Dicots… -2006
by Crow & Hellquist
If you are focusing on wetlands, then it is a MUST BUY. Excellent taxonomic key focused on non-flower characters and most couplets refer to a well labeled figure (also get Chadde's Wetland plants of Michigan).
Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern North America, Volume II: Monocots… -2006
by Crow & Hellquist
Second half of the book (two volume set)
Wetland Plants of …
by Steve W Chadde
Taxonomic key, focused primarily on flora characters, it includes a drawing, description and geographic range of all species in Michigan. It is an excellent companion key but difficult to use for plants without a flower. There are several editions, they are equally useful.
Submergents
Aquatic Plants of the Upper Midwest: A photographic field guide … -2011
by Paul M. Skawinski
Excellent photo book of most submergents in Michigan. Helpful descriptions and up-close photographs help narrow down or confirm the species. Buy it through the University of Wisconsin Extension.
Through the Looking Glass: A Field Guide to Aquatic Plants -1997
by Borman, Korth, & Temte
Line drawing book, very good key characteristics and comparisons of most common submerged plants. Buy it through the University of Wisconsin Extension.
How to Know the Aquatic Plants -multiple old additions
by G.W. Prescott
Unusual book because it includes some common aquatic mosses and macro-algae, thus it can be a useful addition. Prescott's How to Know the Freshwater Algae overlaps with a section on macro-algae.
A vegetative key to the genera of submersed and floating aquatic vascular plants of Michigan -1967
by Edward G. Voss
Short key available On-line through The Great Lakes Botanist (formerly The Michigan Botanist).
Ferns
Michigan Ferns and Lycophytes: A Guide to Species of the Great Lakes Region -2018
by Daniel D. Palmer
MUST BUY, taxonomic key with drawings and photos of ferns. Keys are based primarily on plant material (not ecology) and includes excellent descriptions.
Ferns of the Midwest: … -2013
by Steve W Chadde
Taxonomic key with drawings and photos of ferns. The drawings are better than Palmer, but the keys are focused on ecology and sometimes vague.
Ferns & Allies of the North Woods: A Handy Field Reference ... 2016
by Joe Walewski
Nice photo book fun to browse through with nice arrows and clear descriptions of diagnostic characteristics.
Other Useful
Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary -2001
by Harris & Harris
MUST BUY, dictionary with drawings and written explanation of all the many plant terms.
Wild Berries & Fruits Field Guide of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan -2009
by Teresa Marrone
MUST BUY, photo book of all berry producing plants (really good photos and descriptions), easy to quickly identify any plant with berries.
The Sunflower family in the upper Midwest -2001
by Antonio & Masi
Photo book with brief descriptions, keys and distribution maps of all Asteraceace. Strongly recommended if you can find a copy at a reasonable price (out of print).
The Sunflower Family: A Guide to the Family Asteraceae in the Contiguous United States -2019
by Richard Spellenberg
Photo book with excellent descriptions of all species in the contiguous United States organized by tribe. Given the range it is a bit daunting, but a good reference to confirm proper identification.
Weeds of the Northeast -1997
by Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal, and Joseph M. Ditomaso
Excellent photo book with explanations of most of the common weeds.
Weeds of North America -2014
by Dickson & Royer
Nice photo book organized by family.
Common Backyard Weeds of the Upper Midwest –2017
by Teresa Marrone
Photo book of the common weeds organized by type. The prior two suggestions are more extensive, but sometimes it is nice to have a short book with all the extremely common species only.
Weeds & Wildflowers in Winter -2012
by Lauren Brown
Line drawing book of plants remaining after all the plants go dormant in the fall. It is not technical and does not include a key, but with it you can recognize a lot during the off season.