Wild Orchids of the East-Central United States. A Field and Study Guide. 2021. 12 original paintings. 91 line drawings. 416 color photographs. XIV, 362 p. gr8vo. Hardcover. (ISBN 978-3-946583-26-4)

Foreword:

Paul Martin Brown has been a friend and mentor for almost two decades, and I was honored to be asked to write this Foreword. In my opininion his passion for native orchids is unsurpassed - I know of no other person who has seen or written more about North American orchid species than he has. He wrote the Introduction to my first native orchid book and guided me through the lengthy process of having that book published, to which I am still grateful.

Paul tells me that this is his last field guide on the subject of native orchids, but somehow I doubt it and sincerely hope he is wrong. His other volumes occupy a special section on my bookshelf, and I frequent them regularly.
The subject of this book, Wild Orchids of the East-Central United States, is one that many of us who live in the region have been waiting for, because the region comprises those species which overlap in the North/South distribution of the East Coast's native orchid species. Although I reside in South Carolina, I spend a good amount of time botanizing native orchids in North Carolina and Tennessee. For that reason, this field guide is a welcome addition to my reference library.

In this publication, Paul not only discusses the common orchid species we are all familiar with, but also the less frequently encountered and recently described species and natural hybrids. In addition, his field identification keys are precise and easy to navigate. Identification keys are an especially important addition to any field guide, and he has mastered their construction - no easy feat for one, like me, who has struggled to construct even the simpler keys.

His clear writing appeals to both the academic as well as the amateur naturalist, and it is a testament to his years of intensive study in the field. As with his other books, Paul has included the wonderfully artistic renderings by Stan Folsom. These drawings and paintings add an additional layer of beauty and visual description to accompany his research, and they are inspired by Stan's use of the actual plants and flowers as subjects. For any person who is visually stimulated, these renderings play an important part in the power of this field guide, especially as included in the keys.
.
Jim Fowler, Greenville, South Carolina
Orchid photographer
Author: Wild Orchids of South Carolina (2005),
Orchids, Carnivorous Plants, and other Wildflowes of the Green Swamp, North Carolina (2015)
Wild Orchids of the East-Central United States -


This book covers 91 species, including 7 varieties, 90 color and growth forms, 26 hybrids from Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, from the eastern prairies through the central Appalachians to the Atlantic seaboard.

Contents
Dedication vi
Foreword vii
Preface and Acknowledgements vii
List of Abbreviations and Symbols xiv

Part 1. Orchids and the East-Central United States
The East-Central United States
Orchids and the East-Central United States
An Introduction to Orchids
Which Orchid Is It?
Using the Key
Key to the Genera
Some Important Notes About...

Part 2. Wild Orchids of the East-Central United States
Aplectrum
Arethusa
Calopogon
Cleistesiopsis
Corallorhiza
Cypripedium
Dactylorhiza subgenus Coeloglossum
Epidendrum
Epipactis
Galearis
Goodyera
Gymnadeniopsis
Habenaria
Hexalectris
Isotria
Liparis
Malaxis
Neottia subgenus Listera
Orthochilus
Platanthera
Pogonia
Ponthieva
Spiranthes
Tipularia
Triphora
Bordering Species

Part 3. References and Resources
Checklist of the Wild Orchids of the East-Central United States
State Checklists
Some Regional Orchid Statistics
Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species
Using Luer
Recent Literature References for New Taxa, Combinations, and Additions
Synonyms and Misapplied Names
Cryptic Species, Species Pairs, Varietal Pairs, and Complexes

Part 4. Orchid Hunting
1. The Eastern Prairies
2. The Central Appalachians
3. The Cumberland Plateau
4. The Atlantic Coastal Plain
5. The Green Swamp
At the Limit
1. North
2. West
3. South
What’s Next?

Part 5. Appendices
Appendix 1. Distribution Chart
Appendix 2. Flowering Time Chart
Appendix 3. Glossary
Appendix 4. Bibliography
Appendix 5. New Taxa and Combinations
Photo Credits
Index