Alpine Plants of North America is a comprehensive pictorial look at the American mountain flora from the southernmost Rocky Mountains to the Brooks Range of Alaska. Approximately 650 species in 54 genera are discussed, with many subspecies, varieties, and hybrids also described. Intended to be as useful for the gardener as the traveler, each entry concludes with a discussion of propagation and cultivation information, as well as warnings about pertinent pests and diseases. The 495 color photographs are not only lovely but they also give the reader an idea of the range of alpine plants growing in North America.Graham Nicholls spent five years traveling, researching, writing, and photographing while preparing this book. The information he provides is based primarily on his own experience as a plant hunter, alpines grower, and nurseryman, but he also consulted extensively with specialists throughout the United States and Canada. Nicholls supplemented his own magnificent photos with others from nearly two dozen of the most talented photographers of alpine habitats. His collaborator Rick Lupp, of Mt.

Tahoma Nursery in Washington, provides an extensive overview of western alpine habitats in his introduction. He also contributed to the book as consulting editor.Nicholls documents alpine plants in the broadest sense, thereby encompassing many species with alpinelike characteristics that grow below treeline. Other plants that live in harsh areas that mimic alpine habitats are included as well. The subject is kept manageable by excluding plants from eastern mountain ranges that are largely considered extensions of the tundra habitat and bulbous plants recently documented in detail in the related volume Bulbs of North America. Alpine Plants of North America provides a wealth of information for the alpine enthusiast at home and in the field. The book concludes with general cultivation advice, listings of relevant societies and plant sources, as well as helpful listings by state of all plants discussed.