Can anyone recommend a good book for identifying plants? I love foraging but feel like I'm forever posting on here to ask what plants are, and often just don't bother picking things at all if I'm not sure. I'd love to have a book I can take with me to help me identify some of the more obvious plants.
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Any books on plant identification?
- Thread starter katie88
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A small book you can slip in your pocket to get started is the Collins series.
It'll just get you used to what's out there.
I think my next easy, cheap book to keep at home, was "A field guide in colour to wild flowers" with about 1,200 illustrations. It's layed out by the colour of the flowers & where they tend to grow. Nice to browse through, & start to notice which parts of the plants are used in identification, & their names. Also the latin names used, as well as the colloquial names. It's a good stepping stone if you get fascinated.
Neither of these books is by any means complete, but will keep you clear of seriously poisonous plants & you can take it as far as you wish.
If you get bitten by the bug - well my second hand "botany book" isn't complete either, & nearly 100 years old :shock: By that stage we're expected to know which family a plant belongs to eg. it's some sort of nettle. Then the precise one is identified by the description of the parts. (No nice piccies!:lol
You don't have to be a botanist to forage safely. My school friends & I were doing it from the age of 7 for our buns. I still stick to only about a dozen plants I use as forage.
It'll just get you used to what's out there.
I think my next easy, cheap book to keep at home, was "A field guide in colour to wild flowers" with about 1,200 illustrations. It's layed out by the colour of the flowers & where they tend to grow. Nice to browse through, & start to notice which parts of the plants are used in identification, & their names. Also the latin names used, as well as the colloquial names. It's a good stepping stone if you get fascinated.
Neither of these books is by any means complete, but will keep you clear of seriously poisonous plants & you can take it as far as you wish.
If you get bitten by the bug - well my second hand "botany book" isn't complete either, & nearly 100 years old :shock: By that stage we're expected to know which family a plant belongs to eg. it's some sort of nettle. Then the precise one is identified by the description of the parts. (No nice piccies!:lol
You don't have to be a botanist to forage safely. My school friends & I were doing it from the age of 7 for our buns. I still stick to only about a dozen plants I use as forage.
I was really hoping you would reply thumps - thank you! I will have a look for both of the first 2 you mentioned to begin with. I have quite a nice collins tree and hedge book which is still helpful sometimes bit could really do with one more for forage and weeds.
Thank you
My pleasure. I don't know whether the 2nd one will still be in print, but you caan get cheap out of print 2nd hand books on the net.
Mackers
Wise Old Thumper
I got one from Amazon last year. Think it's a little 'Collins' pocket book called 'Food for Free'.
ETA - mine's got a different picture on the front because I bought it second hand but it's this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Free-Collins-Gem-ebook/dp/B006I1J47U/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369050813&sr=1-6&keywords=food+for+free+richard+mabey
ETA - mine's got a different picture on the front because I bought it second hand but it's this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Free-Collins-Gem-ebook/dp/B006I1J47U/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369050813&sr=1-6&keywords=food+for+free+richard+mabey
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