Paper pub. date
June 2025
ISBN 9781962645263 (paperback)
6 x 9, 496 pages. Color photographs. Illustrations. Maps. References. Glossary. Index.
Available June 2025

Field Guide to the Grasses of Oregon and Washington

Second Edition
Cindy Talbott Roché, Richard E. Brainerd, Barbara L. Wilson, Nick Otting, and Robert C. Korfhage
Summary

As the comprehensive reference for 394 species, subspecies, and varieties of grasses, Field Guide to the Grasses of Oregon and Washington has become the definitive identification resource for amateurs and professionals alike throughout the region. With 18 additional species, updated names, new keys, and improved photos and maps, the second edition provides an in-depth and refreshed treatment of both native and introduced grasses that grow wild in Oregon and Washington and their neighboring states and provinces.

This guide covers the entire spectrum of grasses, from weedy invaders to rare native species. It shows how grasses are valued for habitat restoration in numerous environments—from wetlands to deserts, and from sea level to alpine. Field Guide to the Grasses of Oregon and Washington provides identification keys, species descriptions, photographs of each species (both in the field and through a microscope), habitats, and range maps. Users will especially appreciate the labeled macrophotographs that illustrate hard-to-see diagnostic features.

Biologists, land managers, botanists, and consultants, as well as plant professionals, home gardeners, and amateur plant enthusiasts, will find this guide an indispensable reference for identifying all the grasses encountered in the diverse habitats of Oregon and Washington.


About the author

Cindy Talbott Roché illustrated grasses for the Flora of North America and has taught grass workshops; her experience with grasses spans both states over four decades.


Read more about this author

Richard E. Brainerd has been a botanical consultant in the Pacific Northwest for over 25 years specializing in rare plants, weeds, wetlands, and difficult to identify plant groups such as grasses and sedges.


Read more about this author

Barbara L. Wilson holds a PhD from Oregon State University. A founding member of the Carex Working Group, she has taught sedge and grass identification workshops for many years.


Read more about this author

Nick Otting has a passion for discovering grasses in new locations; he ranges throughout the Northwest, but particularly loves the flora of the shrub-steppe and the mountains east of the Cascades.


Read more about this author

Robert C. Korfhage received his MS from Washington State University in range and wildlife ecology. He captured many of the images and edited all of the photos for the field guide.


Read more about this author

Sign Up for Our Newsletter