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San Diego County Native Plants. By James Lightner. Third edition, February 2011. 428 pages with extensive index. San Diego: San Diego Flora. $34.95, paper.

The third edition of San Diego County Native Plants describes more than 1,400 taxa of native and naturalized plants, including plants of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Most guides treat the desert separately, but in San Diego County so many species grow on both sides of the mountains that is is difficult to separate them by geographic zones.

San Diego County is the most botanically diverse region in the United States, with more than 2,200 native and naturalized taxa. San Diego County Native Plants Third Edition provides a comprehensive photographic guide to the flora of the region.

To allow non-botanists to distinguish plants by size rather than just scientific classification, the book is divided in two parts - Part 1: Trees & Shrubs and Part 2: Herbaceous Plants. Within these categories, the book is ordered taxonomically by plant families.

The book is designed to be helpful to scientists and professionals who work in the natural outdoor environment as well as hikers and amateur plant-enthusiasts. The third edition includes the latest taxonomy from the 2011 edition of The Jepson Manual, as well as a focus on rare and sensitive plants, listed by wildlife agencies.

The author, James Lightner, is a native of San Diego.

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