Although public interest in wetlands has grown considerably in recent years, the associated issues of legislation and environmental policy are often confused by the need to correctly define a wetland area. Much of the difficulty comes from an inability to identify wetland indicator species and to determine whether a given area contains a significant proportion of such plants. The 182 species treated in this work represent the fast majority of genera commonly encountered in freshwater wetlands throughout the Northeast, consequently, this will prove an invaluable book for those concerned with how a correct definition of wetland areas affects decisions about land use, development, and/or conservation.

Following a brief introduction that discusses the functional values of wetlands and describes their various types, the manual is organized into two major components, the first consisting of keys that are based on life form and arrangement of plant parts, the second consisting of a description of each species. Such factors as range, habitat, general characteristics, stem, leaves, inflorescence, fruit, and similar species are covered in the descriptions.

Dennis Magee is a vice president (ret.) at Normandeau Associates Environmental Consultants, in Bedford, New Hampshire. He is author of Freshwater Wetlands: A Guide to Common Indicator Plants of the Northeast (University of Massachusetts Press, 1981) and principal author of Flora of the Northeast (University of Massachusetts Press, 1999; 2nd edition with CD-ROM, 2007).Abigail Rorer has illustrated Vincent Dethier's The World of the Tent-Makers and several other books.

"[This book is useful to] civil servants serving town conservation commissions, professors and graduate students in environmental management, ecology and botany, park and nature center naturalists, increasing in numbers, and some amateur naturalists. Excellent."—John W. Brainerd, Biology Department, Springfield College

"A beautifully illustrated book of the more common wetlands plants found in the northeastern US. It is the first such northeast regional guide. . . . Each of the 182 species is shown by excellent line drawings, range and distinguishing characteristics are given. A workable set of keys, photographs of major wetland habitats, and a brief introduction to wetlands are included. This will be useful at all levels for those interested in identifying plants of freshwater wetlands."—Choice

"Wetlands are on of the most fragile and fast disappearing ecological unites in the Untied States. They act as natural flood control basins and reservoirs, and they are the home of many unique plants and animals. . . For readers interested in protecting the few remaining wetlands in this country, this book will help them identify such areas. On a more practical level, these same plants can help readers identify a piece of land that may be too wet for at least part of the year and therefore possibly unsuitable for house construction."—American Horticulturalist

"This is a very useful publication, and should find general applicability in the northeastern United States."— , American Reference Books Annual