Many years ago as a young forestry student a comprehensive key with descriptive illustrations would have helped ease me through rigorous taxonomy and dendrology classes.  A regional key that relied on leaf, twig and stem characteristics would have accompanied me to every class.  Elray S. Nixon and Bruce Lyndon Cunningham’s book, Trees, Shrubs & Woody Vines of East Texas might not appeal to hikers and casual naturalists but anyone studying trees of Texas and Louisiana will find this useful and exciting. It's also accurate. 

Hikers won’t appreciate this. It’s not a book for the back pocket and at 8 ½ x 11 inches with slightly more than 250 pages it’s a bulky book to tote around. Students and professionals, however, will transport this on the seat of their cars or trucks and refer to it when attempting identifications.  This is a book for personal libraries and classroom use. It’s expensive when compared to other tree guides but the content is unique and the quality of the illustrations is beyond comparison.

In my opinion, a quality tree guide has a detailed dichotomous key that offers a lot of either/or choices. The genus key is followed by a key to the species.  Each species is accompanied by black and white illustrations, rather than photographs, of the leaf, twigs, fruit and flower, as well as bark or form when useful. The text descriptions for the species are simple but include helpful tips for field identification and detail not shown in the illustrations. Trees, Shrubs & Woody Vines of East Texas is a quality tree guide.  

The illustrations not only confirm identification, they are each a work of art. Illustrator Bruce Lyndon Cunningham’s attention to detail is amazing.  Beginning with the Introduction, readers will be impressed by the drawings which attempt to overwhelm the book. The all too important introduction explains how to use a key; it also shows representative views of East Texas/West Louisiana habitats such as Mesic Creek Bottom Communities, Pitcher Plant Bog & Seepage Communities and Swamp Communities.  Cunningham visually compares thorns, spines and prickles as well as piths. Following the introduction is the Key to Groups and Genera.

A dichotomous key relies upon couplets that offer either/or choices which “walk” readers to another set of couplets and either/or choices until you reach a final description and plant identification. It starts out simple and becomes increasingly more detailed and specific until you reach the species. The Genera Key works to the Family and Species Key. It is within this second section that you find illustrations and descriptions of the species. The 37-paged illustrated glossary near the end clearly explains the definitions of terms such as tendrils and thorns or corolla and corky winged. It covers terms used throughout the book.  The plant selections cover native trees, shrubs and woody vines found in East Texas; it also includes some naturalized species.  The range includes the geographic region of East Texas and extends south to northern Harris County, east to the Louisiana state line, and north to the Red River.  When compared to the state’s size this is a small region, but as a forester, this is a diverse and extremely tree-rich portion of the state.

Because this touches state lines with Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, the book will be valuable to tree professionals and students in these neighboring states. My only complaints are the price and the font. It’s an expensive paperback that ranges from $60 to $80, depending on where you shop. I find the font (probably Times Roman) difficult to read, especially since it’s in boldface throughout most of the book. (That’s a personal preference.) Anyone wanting to carry this in the field will be discouraged unless they’re truly dedicated and not carrying much else.

My suggestion is to note the tree’s characteristics, collect a representative leaf, twig, and seed/fruit, and possibly your own sketch. Return to your vehicle or take the samples home to complete your identification.  The use of twigs, leaves, fruit and flowers for identification make this valuable for three (in most cases) or four (in the case of evergreen plants) seasons.  

If you can’t identify your East Texas woody plant using this key, it’s probably an introduced specimen intended for landscape material.  For beginning naturalists and tree watchers I suggest some introductory books. This is a second edition but I've heard rumors there will be a third edition in the near future. I recommend it for serious dendrology, taxonomy, and tree students and professionals as a must-have resource for your reference libraries and field work.


Recommended: Yes