Excerpts from Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide

Everwonder what kind of tree that is, the one growing from a crack in the asphalt parking lot at work?Or what that tangled vine engulfing the slope by the subway station might be?Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide, written by long-time Arnold Arboretum researcher Peter Del Tredici, may have your answer.Del Tredici's goal with this book is "to help the general reader identify plants growing spontaneously in the urban environment and to develop an appreciation of the role they play in making our cities more livable."Many of the 222 plants featured in the book could be called weeds, and some are notoriously invasive.The author eschews these labels, however, pointing out that in many urban/suburban areas the environment has been so radically altered (think non-native fill soils, soil compaction and contamination, impermeable pavement, and pollution) that the presence of any plants has benefits.This handy guide is organized by plant families and includes both woody and herbaceous plants.Numerous color photographs and extensive information is provided for each species, including place of origin, descriptions of vegetative, flower, and fruit characteristics, and habitat preference.Some fascinating details emerge from the "Cultural Significance" subsections -for example: "During World War II, the silky seed hairs [of common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca] were used as a substitute for kapok to fill "Mae West" life vests.Between 1943 and 1945, a million such flotation devices were filled with the floss from some 24 million pounds (11 million kilograms) of milkweed pods."Following are half a dozen plant species featured in the book.