North American Landscape Trees

From The Critics

Jacobson, a self-taught tree expert, has compiled a descriptive guide to ornamental trees. The author notes that about 10 percent of the trees in nurseries, books, arboretums, and other sources are incorrectly identified. He discusses the intricacies of tree naming and provides lists of tree sources. Appendixes include statistics, lists of genera by families, a glossary, abbreviations and symbols, suggested reading, and an index of common names AZ tree listings make up the bulk of the book; 72 families and 3,540 cultivars are described. Family entries note place of origin, date introduced into cultivation, history and meaning of scientific and common names, how common the tree is or was, trends in the tree's popularity, description of its appearance (including reported maximum size), and any remarkable facts. Cultivar entries provide as many common names as can be located. The combination of obscure fact and strong personal opinion make this a reference book with character. A maple variety is described as "rare, and deservedly so." Sweetgum is named for the gum it exudes, "which has been used for wounds, in medicine, as incense, and for chewing." The weeping mulberry is a "swell little tree for children to hide under and eat the fruit." There are 600 line drawings of leaves and seeds and 250 color photographs of trees, each about one by two inches, but the strength of this book is the text Michael A. Dirr's "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation, and Uses" (Stipes, 1990) is a standard reference of comparable scope. It offers a useful introduction to plant morphology, larger print, helpful drawings, and less historical material. Students doing reports and patrons looking for a guide to trees will want to use "The Random House Book of Trees of North America and Europe: A Photographic Guide to More Than 500 Trees" by Roger Phillips (1978). The photos are excellent, and a leaf-index arrangement makes identification easy. Distinctive landscape trees that are readily grown are the focus of "Plants That Merit Attention, v.1: Trees" (Garden Clubs of America, 1994). This overview of 140 trees would be more helpful for home gardeners trying to make a selection. A discussion of culture and assessment of landscape value is accompanied by photos of trees and their flowers, fruit, and other distinguishing characteristics "North American Landscape Trees" is an identification guide for specialists and a collection of lore that will delight tree enthusiasts. Its descriptive and historical detail is unmatched. For large and specialized gardening collections.