I love a longleaf pine savanna, specifically of the mesic variety. The more mesic the better. Imagine a canopy of towering longleaf pines (Pinus palustris) acting as the sentry of an expansive habitat. Amid shallow pools, emerald green pitcher plants (Sarracenia flava) rise from the ground like elegant trumpets. Although small, the dwarf sundews (Drosera brevifolia) dot the ground with anthocyanin rich splotches. These carnivorous plants glisten with droplets of dew that act as sweet and deadly bait for small insects. In the midst of summer, an observer may be greeted by the striking, vibrant orange of a pine lily (Lilium catesbyi) flower or the more muted, but no less beautiful, yellow of a fringeless orchid (Platanthera integra). In this same scene, a keen observer will also notice dozens of other distinct plant species, some of which may be missing flowers, or fruits, or even leaves. So, how does one determine what they are looking at without the answer being whispered into Page 240 →their ear? A trusty field guide is an age-old classic, and for good reason. This guide is organized primarily into physiogeographic region and secondarily by a collection of plants expected in that region, ranked alphabetically by common name. Each entry has a nice description, photograph, and overview of the species’s known distribution in South Carolina. The guide does not serve as a replacement for a taxonomic key. Instead, I would encourage a user to research a site they may visit, decide its most likely physiogeographic region (a brief guide exists in the book for this task), and then spend some time studying which plant species one might expect to find at such a site.

There is always an outstanding question with these kinds of reference materials: Are they for use in the field or are they better served left at home and used as a reference later? I say leave a reference like this at home and take many pictures and notes while out in the field. Why? First, this book weighs over three pounds and beautifully describes one thousand twenty-two of the approximately three thousand vascular plant species found in South Carolina. The thousand or so species highlighted in this text are well chosen, representing the showiest (i.e., most noticeable), most abundant (i.e. most common), and most notable (i.e., most interesting) plant species the state has to offer, but it is not exhaustive and does not claim to be. Second, simply because of the format of the book, included plant species have a main entry under one physiogeographic region only, even though they may well appear in multiple habitat types. Third, and finally, phenotypic variation can be difficult to account for in guides like this. This is not a flaw in the book, just a necessity because of space limitations. The persistent trillium (Trillium persistens), for example, displays a staggering amount of variation in its petal color with age, ranging from white to pink, or even purple. To the credit of the diligent authors, this guide includes exemplars of the extreme colors and a description of the color changing process. Certainly, the photography is one of the highlights of the book. One of my favorite photographs in this work is of the beautiful large marsh rose-pink (Sabatia dodecandra) with two side-by-side flowers, one with white petals and one with pink petals. It is interesting that, although the trillium petal color is dictated by age, petal color in the marsh rose-pink is a polymorphic genetic trait with flowers ranging from pink, to purple, to blue, to white. Again, I call attention to the phenotypic diversity found within species only to highlight what a difficult job it is to create an informative guide with an appropriate amount of resolution without being impossibly long and cumbersome.

Furthermore, competent photography for a guide like this is about more than an artistic endeavor, the experience of the photographic direction Page 241 →is key. An example of this executed well would be the attention to detail given to the ladies’ tress orchid (Spiranthes laciniata). A photograph of the orchid’s flowering stalk is provided in two resolutions: one that highlights the arrangement of the flowers along the flowering spike and a second, at greater magnification, that draws attention to the very fine hairs that line the flowering spike—an important diagnostic characteristic for this particular species.

As the authors point out, “No one can expect to learn the flora of a state, or even the flora of a region, in a few sessions. Wildflower identification is a lifelong commitment.” Indeed, I echo this sentiment and encourage the use of multiple tools as you study the world around you—including this one. I have had, and used, a version of this book for the eight years I have lived in South Carolina, and I will continue to keep a copy on hand. This is certainly an excellent resource for entering the world of botany as a hobby, but even a seasoned field botanist will find the reference incredibly useful.

Jeremy D. Rentsch, Francis Marion University