The Gymnosperm Bookstore

Excellent illustrations and fine nature writing. This and the next book are well worth owning.

Stephen F. Arno and Jane Gyer (Illustrator). 1986. Discovering Sierra Trees.

James Balog. 2004. Tree: A New Vision of the American Forest.

Buy it! (Paperback, smaller format).

This is basically a BIG picture book with some entertaining text about people obsessed with trees. The pictures are in many ways unique and memorable; in particular, Balog has done a better job than any other professional photographer of capturing Sequoia sempervirens on camera. When I want to show people why canopy research is so cool, this is the book I show them.

Barbour, Lydon, Borchert, Popper, Whitworth and Evarts. 2001. Coast Redwood: A Natural and Cultural History.

Chris Beatty and John Ledges. 1999. The Ecopress Complete Guide to Native Conifers of the Pacific Northwest.

Charles C. Beck and Charles B. Beck (Editor). 1988. Origin and Evolution of Gymnosperms. Columbia Univ Press.

Dale N. Bever. 1981. Northwest Conifers : A Photographic Key.

Exceptionally good for its photographs.

Richard Bird. 1995. Identifying Ornamental Conifers: The New Compact Study Guide and Identifier.

Charles Bowden and Jack W. Dykinga. 1993. The Secret Forest. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

This book doesn't have a lot of information on conifers (although there are some great Taxodium mucronatum photos), but is otherwise a great introduction to the dry seasonal forest of the Barranca del Cobre region in Mexico, and I recommend it to anyone contemplating travel to that conifer-rich area.

David Alan Charlet and Bridget Keimel (Illustrator). 1996. Atlas of Nevada Conifers: A Phytogeographic Reference.

I do enjoy this book. The substance is simply a detailed list of herbarium records and accompanying species range maps, but the interspersed woodcuts of cones and foliage are both lovely and very accurate, and the book is full of little detailed notes that will be appreciated by those who are lucky enough to go tree-hunting in the desolation of Nevada.

Cohen, Michael P. 1998. A Garden of Bristlecones: Tales of Change in the Great Basin. University of Nevada Press.

Click HERE for a review.

Edward A. Cope and Bente S. King (Illustrator). 1993. Native and Cultivated Conifers of Northeastern North America: A Guide.

Davis et al. 1996. Eastern Old-Growth Forests: Prospects For Rediscovery And Recovery. Island Press.

Z. Debreczy and I. Racz. 2006. Conifers around the world. Dendropress Ltd. 2 vols.

Buy it! (Hardcover) - from Dendropress.com.

The most recently published comprehensive compilation of conifers, covering 500 temperate-hardy species.

Lawrence S. Earley. 2004. Looking For Longleaf. Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press. 322pp.

Highly recommended for its insights to the ecology and ethnobotany of the species, and its historical information, but also because it's an interesting story very well written--a good read, regardless of whether you care about Pinus palustris.

Francis H. Elmore and Jeanne R. Janish. 1976. Shrubs and trees of the Southwest uplands. Tucson: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.

Buy it! (Paperback)
Highly recommended as a field guide for botanical neophytes in the American southwest.

Neal J. Enright and Robert S. Hill (Editors). 1996. Ecology of the Southern Conifers

"Southern" as in the Southern hemisphere. If you are interested in the ecology of the Podocarps, Araucarias and esoteric southern Cupressaceae, then there is simply no alternative to this book; it is unique in the field.

Aljos Farjon. 2008. A Natural History of Conifers. Timber Press.

Informative, well-written, insightful, attractive, and affordable. If you only have one book about conifers, this should be it. If you have a hundred, this one should occupy a prominent spot on the shelf.

Aljos Farjon. 2005. World Checklist and Bibliography of Conifers. Second edition. Kew Books.

Buy it! (Paperback) - from Kewbooks.com

This is my only conifer book that is never on the shelf. I refer to it constantly because it has a pretty authoritative list of all the taxa and all the relevant nomenclature.

Aljos Farjon. 2005. Pines : Drawings and Descriptions of the Genus Pinus. Second ed. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 9004139168.

Aljos Farjon. 1991. Pinaceae : Drawings and Descriptions of the Genera : Abies, Cedrus, Pseudolarix, Keteleeria, Nothotsuga, Tsuga, Cathaya, Pseudotsuga, Larix and Picea. Lubrecht & Cramer Ltd.

A great book, with great pictures, but $245.00!

Aljos Farjon. 2005. A Monograph of Cupressaceae & Sciadopitys. ISBN 1842460000

Buy it! (Hardcover) - from Kewbooks.com
Another splendid book by the world's ranking conifer taxonomist. It is thick (648 pages), heavy (3.25 kg), and expensive (about $270), but incomparable.

Aljos Farjon and B.T. Styles. 1997. Pinus (Pinaceae). Flora Neotropica Monograph 75. New York, NY: The New York Botanical Garden.

Buy it! (Hardcover)
The current state of the art for pines of Mexico and Central America. It is a particularly welcome volume because the taxonomy of these pines has been deeply puzzling to botanists for over a century; this work clears up many old mysteries. Excellent supplementary material on anatomy, pollen morphology, ethnobotany, etc. Outstanding line drawings by Rosemary Wise. If Amazon wants too much money, shop around; it should be available for $75 or less.

Wendell Flint. 2002. To Find the Biggest Tree.

Buy it! (Hardcover)
Buy it! (Paperback).

Flora of Australia Volume 48: Ferns, Gymnosperms and Allied Groups. 1998. CSIRO Publishing.

Jerry F. Franklin and C.T. Dyrness. 1988. Natural vegetation of Oregon and Washington. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press.

William B. Gittlen (Illustrator). 1999. Discovered Alive; The Story of the Chinese Redwood. Pierside Publishing.

Gwen J. Harden (ed.). 1990. Flora of New South Wales. Kensington, NSW, Australia: New South Wales University Press.

Hal Hartzell Jr. 1991. The yew tree: a thousand whispers. Eugene, Oregon: Hulogosi L.L.C.

Harvey, H.T. 2003. The sequoias of Yosemite National Park.

James C. Hickman (ed.). 1993. The Jepson Manual. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Edmund C. Jaeger. 1969. Desert wild flowers. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Peter Johnstone and Peter E. Palmquist. 2000. Giants in the Earth: The California Redwoods.

David L. Jones. 1993, rev. 1998. Cycads of the World (second edition). Australia: Reed Natural History.

Kershner, Tufts, Matthews and Nelson. 2007. National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America.

This is currently my top recommendation if you want a portable field guide that covers the native trees of the entire continental U.S. and Canada.

Gerd Krussman, et al. 1985. Manual of Cultivated Conifers.

One of the most authoritative sources for the horticultural enthusiast, Krussman is generally very accurate, with good descriptions and some of the best line drawings to be found in print. The taxonomy, however, is rather dated, and there is very little ecological information presented.

Ronald M. Lanner. 1981. The Piñon Pine : A Natural and Cultural History. Univ of Nevada Press.

"A well-written and often witty survey of the natural history of piñon pines, spiced with observations on their importance to the native Indians and subsequent European settlers....The engaging text and copious pictures make it difficult to put the book down, and the appendix of recipes for pine-nut dishes is an added bonus." (Library Journal)

Ronald M. Lanner. 2007. The Bristlecone Book: A Natural History of the World's Oldest Trees. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press. 128 pp. ISBN 978-0-87842-538-9.

"In this extraordinary journey into the world of bristlecone [and foxtail] pines, author Ronald Lanner exposes the trees inner workings, taking apart a pine to examine bark, buds, needles, cones, roots, and wood. He follows a tree s lifespan from seedling to great old age, presenting a new interpretation of stages of growth. He explains the unusual colors and forms that make bristlecones so picturesque, describes how the forces of nature influence the trees unique shapes, and reveals their secrets of long life. Readers will discover where to go to see these trees and how to identify them. A stunning pageant of color photos shows off bristlecones and their remarkable growth patterns, and a map shows locations of groves."

Ronald M. Lanner. 1999. Conifers of California. Cachuma Press.

Technically accurate yet very readable descriptions of each of California's 50-odd conifer species are accompanied by beautiful full-page watercolor illustrations of cone and leaf detail, and superb color photos, many by well-known artists. Identification aids include keys, and the book is compact enough to carry around as you explore California's huge and accessible conifer flora. Revised 2nd edition (3rd printing, 2007; this is probably only available in paperback) contains updates on several species, including the new Cupressus nomenclature.

Ronald M. Lanner. 1996. Made for Each Other : A Symbiosis of Birds and Pines. Oxford University Press.

This is one of the few "specialist" books that I frequently find myself recommending to people who are just looking for a good read. Although written with proper academic rigor, this exploration of corvid-pine symbiosis is filled with interesting tidbits that you will find yourself regurgitating at need. For instance, did you know that a nutcracker may bury over 25,000 seeds over the course of a season - and then, come winter, remember where it put every one of them?

Elbert L. Little, Jr., Sonja Bullaty (Photographer) and Angelo Lomeo (Photographer). 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees : Eastern Region. Knopf.

Frankly this book and the one just below are outdated. In 1980 it was the best thing in its class, but natural history books these days are generally better written and easier to use. I recommend Kershner for a portable text, and Mitchell for its superior illustrations.

Elbert L. Little, Jr. and Angelo Lomeo (Photographer). 1980. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees : Western Region. Knopf.

Paul S. Martin, David Yetman and Mark Fishbein (Editors). 1998. Gentry's Rio Mayo Plants : The Tropical Deciduous Forest & Environs of Northwest Mexico (Southwest Center Series). University of Arizona Press.

Buy it! (Hardcover).
Revised edition, originally published 1942 by Howard Scott Gentry.

Rogers McVaugh. 1992. Flora Nova-Galiciana Vol. 17: Gymnosperms and Pteridophytes. Univ of Michigan Herbarium. 467 pages, 92 figures, 1 map. ISBN 0962073326

Edwin A. Menninger. 1995. Fantastic Trees. Timber Press.

Alan Mitchell and David More. 2003. Trees of North America. Thunder Bay Press.

Moore, David M. 1983. Flora of Tierra del Fuego. U.S.A.: Missouri Botanical Garden.

Nancy R. Morin (Editor). 1993. Flora of North America North of Mexico : Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms. Oxford Univ Press.

John Muir. 1981. Sierra Big Trees. Vistabooks.

John Muir. 1997. The Mountains of California (originally published 1894).

Muir's chapter on forest trees of the Sierra Nevada is a classic of the botanical literature, accurate enough to be useful today (apart from numerous changes in taxonomic nomenclature) and yet wonderfully poetic and evocative. I would call this one of the ten best natural history studies ever written, a fitting companion to books (regretfully, almost devoid of gymnosperm natural history) such as "Voyage of the Beagle" and "A Sand County Almanac."

Alexandra L. Murphy, Robert Petty (Illustrator) and Kathleen Ort (Editor). 1994. Graced by Pines: The Ponderosa Pine in the American West. Mountain Press.

Hubertus Nimsch. 1995. A Reference Guide to the Gymnosperms of the World. Balogh Scientific Books.

Knut J. Norstog and Trevor J. Nicholls. 1997. The biology of the cycads. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

An outstanding and current reference source. Chapters treat: General features, genera and relationships; Anatomy of the stems, leaves and roots; Reproduction and embryo development; Physiology and growth; Population biology and pollination dynamics; The fossil cycadophytes; Old world genera and species; and New world genera and species. The 134 color illustrations provide an added treat.

Reed F. Noss (ed.). 1999. The Redwood Forest: History, Ecology, and Conservation of the Coastal Redwoods. Island Press. 366pp.

"The Redwood Forest provides scientific guidance for saving the redwood forest by bringing together in a single volume the latest insights from conservation biology along with new information from data-gathering techniques such as GIS and remote sensing. It presents the most current findings on the geologic and cultural history, natural history, ecology, management, and conservation of the flora and fauna of the redwood ecosystem. Leading experts-including Todd Dawson, Bill Libby, John Sawyer, Steve Sillett, Dale Thornburgh, Hartwell Welch, and many others-offer a comprehensive account of the redwoods ecosystem."

I will just add that currently, this is without doubt the best book on redwood ecology.

Roberta Parish, Ray Coupé and Dennis Lloyd. 1996. Plants of southern interior British Columbia. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine. 463p.

Donald Culross Peattie, Donald Wyman, and Paul Landacre (Illustrator). 1991. A Natural History of Western Trees. Houghton Mifflin Co. [originally published 1950].

Donald Culross Peattie, Donald Wyman, and Paul Landacre (Illustrator). 1991. A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Co.

Jesse P. Perry. 1991. The Pines of Mexico and Central America. Timber Press.

If you want to travel in Mexico and have any hope of distinguishing the 47 different species of native pines (not counting significant varieties and subspecies), then you need to carry two books: this one and Farjon & Styles, listed above. Farjon & Styles is better on science and taxonomy, but Perry tells better stories.

E.C. Pielou. 1988. The World of Northern Evergreens.

Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon (eds.). 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest coast. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine.

The outstanding field guide for the area.

Graham R. Powell. 2009. Lives of Conifers: A comparative account of the coniferous trees indigenous to Northeastern North America. Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

Richard Preston. 2006. The Wild Trees. New York: Random House.

This book has generated a lot of attention for climbing trees in general. For the most part I don't hold with climbing exceptional trees, because climbing, even when done in the most careful way possible, has a high potential of irreparably damaging the trees. However, climbing for science is another matter, and Preston provides an eminently readable account of the extraordinary new discoveries being made by scientists working in the forest canopy. This book particularly focuses on recent work with Sequoia sempervirens.

Richardson, D.M. (ed.). 1998. Ecology and Biogeography of Pinus. Cambridge University Press.

An outstanding volume, representing the work of 40 recognized experts, with 22 chapters addressing subjects as diverse as systematics, late Quaternary population dynamics, regional surveys, the role of fire, the evolution of life histories, genetic variation, seed dispersal, ecophysiology, mycorrhiza and soils, diseases and insect interactions, cultivation, and pines as invaders in the southern hemisphere.

Richard Evans Schultes and Robert F. Raffauf. 1990. The healing forest: medicinal and toxic plants of the northwest Amazonia. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press.

William K. Smith and Thomas M. Hinckley (Editors). 1994. Ecophysiology of Coniferous Forests.

I admit it, I've long had a fondness for physiological ecology, and I particularly recommend this book because I have studied (at least briefly) under both authors. If you are interested in the nuts and bolts of how trees actually work, this and the book below provide the best introduction available.

William K. Smith and Thomas M. Hinckley (Editors). 1994. Resource Physiology of Conifers: Acquisition, Allocation, and Utilization. Academic Press.

Tom Spies and Sally Duncan (Editors). 2008. Old Growth in a New World: A Pacific Northwest Icon Reexamined. Island Press.

Dennis Wm. Stevenson. 1990. The Biology, Structure, and Systematics of the Cycadales : Proceedings of the Symposium Cycad 87, Beaulieu-Sur-Mer, France, April 17-22, 1987). New York Botanical Garden.

Diana F. Tomback, Stephen F. Arno and Robert E. Keane (eds). 2000. Whitebark Pine Communities: Ecology and Restoration.

Hardcover (Two volume set).

D. M. Van Gelderen et al. 1996. Conifers : The Illustrated Encyclopedia.

Van Gelderen is a horticulturalist, and this pair of volumes makes a very strong attempt to illustrate, with glossy color photographs, every taxon and cultivar of conifer. This is its prime value; the text is of much less consequence.

Robert Van Pelt. 1996. Champion Trees of Washington State. University of Washington Press.

Robert Van Pelt. 2001. Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast. University of Washington Press.

This book is essential if you are interested in the largest trees of the world, most of which grow in western North America. It presents the five largest known trees of each of the largest 20 species in this region. It is also essential if you are interested in botanical illustration, as the author presents many of what are unquestionably the best line drawings ever produced of really large trees.

Robert Van Pelt. 2007. Identifying Mature and Old Forests In Western Washington. Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

Free PDF download.

Highly recommended for its clear exposition of the distinctive structure of these forests and for the many fine line drawings showing the range of morphological variation in dominant trees of these forests.

Robert Van Pelt. 2008. Identifying Old Trees and Forests In Eastern Washington. Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

Free PDF download.

Even better than the 2007 volume!

L. A. Viereck and E. L. Little, Jr. 1972. Alaska trees and shrubs. U.S.D.A. Agricultural Handbook 410. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Humphrey James Welch. 1991. The Conifer Manual (Forestry Sciences, Vol 34).

Loren Whitelock. 2002. The Cycads.

Claire G. Williams (ed.). 2006. Landscapes, Genomics and Transgenic Conifers (Managing Forest Ecosystems). The Netherlands: Springer.

Claire G. Williams (ed.). 2009 Conifer Reproductive Biology. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Buy it! (Paperback) [this title available May 2009 but can be preordered from Amazon].

Dwight Willard. 2000. A Guide to the Sequoia Groves of California. Yosemite Natural History Assn.