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Vascular Plants of Minnesota
A Checklist and Atlas
Gerald B. Ownbey and Thomas Morley
University of Minnesota Press, 1993

Vascular Plants of Minnesota was first published in 1991. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.

A definitive reference to the 2,010 vascular plant species (ferns, conifers, and flowering plants) currently found in Minnesota. The maps of he Atlas section show the geographic distribution of each plant, allowing the reader to visualize—for the first time—exactly where a species occurs in the state. Historical plant collections as well as records from detailed surveys conducted in the 1970s and 1980s by the Minnesota DNR, The Nature Conservancy, and individual researchers are included in this volume.

The flora of Minnesota is of special interest because it represents the western limits of the vast eastern deciduous forest flora, the northern and eastern boundaries of the flora of the prairies and great plains, and the southwestern limits of the northern coniferous forest. These three contrasting continental floras meet more sharply in Minnesota than in other regions.

The Checklist section provides both an authoritative summary of the nomenclature of Minnesota plants and extensive references to taxonomic literature. As such, it is the most complete list ever prepared for the entire state. Arranged alphabetically, group within group, the Checklist provides both Latin and common names for all species, subspecies, and varieties.

Gerald B. Ownbey is an emeritus professor in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. As the curator of the University Herbarium for more than thirty years, he developed its collection of almost 750,000 specimens to make it the largest in the Midwest. Professor Ownbey is the author of Common Wild Flowers of Minnesota (University of Minnesota Press, 1971).

Thomas Morley is also an emeritus professor in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. In addition to introducing hundreds of students to Minnesota flora in his popular course "Minnesota Plant Life," he is widely recognized for his pioneering efforts to protect remnants of Minnesota's native habitats. Professor Morley is the author of Spring Flora in Minnesota (University of Minnesota Press, 1966).

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front cover of A Voice but No Power
A Voice but No Power
Organizing for Social Justice in Minneapolis
David Forrest
University of Minnesota Press, 2022

Examining the work of social justice groups in Minneapolis following the 2008 recession

Since the Great Recession, even as protest and rebellion have occurred with growing frequency, many social justice organizers continue to displace as much as empower popular struggles for egalitarian and emancipatory change. In A Voice but No Power, David Forrest explains why this is the case and explores how these organizers might better reach their potential as advocates for the abolition of exploitation, discrimination, and other unjust conditions.

Through an in-depth study of post-2008 Minneapolis—a center of progressive activism—Forrest argues that social justice organizers so often fall short of their potential largely because of challenges they face in building what he calls “contentious identities,” the public identities they use to represent their constituents and counteract stigmatizing images such as the “welfare queen” or “the underclass.” In the process of assembling, publicizing, and legitimating contentious identities, he shows, these organizers encounter a series of political hazards, each of which pushes them to make choices that weaken movements for equality and freedom. Forrest demonstrates that organizers can achieve better outcomes, however, by steadily working to remake their hazardous political terrain.

The book’s conclusion reflects on the 2020 uprising that followed the police killing of George Floyd, assessing what it means for the future of social justice activism. Ultimately, Forrest’s detailed analysis contributes to leading theories about organizing and social movements and charts possibilities for further emboldening grassroots struggles for a fairer society.

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