Flora of the Chicago Region (FCA) - A Taxonomic and Ecological Synthesis

The first edition of the book Plants of the Chicago Region was published in 1969 by Floyd Swink. With the help of Chicago's floristic patrons and naturalists, Floyd, in 1974, was able to produce a 2nd edition that sustained the innovations of the first and added much new information on local species. Five years later, after much new information had been accumulated, Gerould Wilhelm collaborated more intimately with Floyd to produce yet a third edition. Still at the Morton Arboretum, Swink and Wilhelm nevertheless worked together to accommodate a throng of local botanists with yet another edition. In 1994, Bill N. McKnight, of the Indiana Academy of Sciences sponsored the production of the now widely acclaimed 4th edition.

Read the Plants of the Chicago Region prospectus and memoir by Gerould Wilhelm.

Today, Conservation Research Institute in conjunction with the Indiana Academy of Sciences offers a sponsorship opportunity for you to help fund the preparation of this new valuable resource. Authors Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha are blending floristic, faunistic, and geological observations in this original reference. The synthesis of other organisms, plant and animal that are interlinked with our species is heretofore unknown among floristic works of this scale.

• Download your form to support the Flora of the Chicago Region
• Download "Frequently Asked Questions" about the FCA
• Plants of the Chicago Region, A Memoir and Prospectus
• Purchase your copy of Plants of Chicago Region 4th Edition Here

FCA Partners:

Why You Should Support the FCA

• Help engage natural historians and like-minded citizens in an understanding of and an empathy with the living things around us---the stories they have to tell us
• Help accelerate the completion date (at the current rate of work, we estimate that the manuscript might not be finished until 2018--this is unacceptable to all involved, especially those awaiting its availability) The slow pace is in large-part due to the fact that the senior author's job currently only allows him to work on the book during evenings, days-off, and on weekends

The FCA will include most of the information from the 4th Edition of the Plants of the Chicago Region, PLUS the following:

• Etymology of generic and specific names
• Morphological descriptions of each family, genus, and species
• Re-evaluations of many problematic genera, including Amelanchier, Chenopodium, Crataegus, Echinochloa, Panicum, Rubus, and Salix. In most cases, a return to the original works of these genera is critical and necessary to understand them
• Addition of a whole new section of associates that account for all the insects, birds, and mammals that have intimate relationships with our vascular plants: nectaring of pollen
• extrafloral nectaries, gall formation, herbivory, seed or fruit utilization, myrmecochory, et cetera
• Where vascular plants, or their communities have characteristic associations with bryophytes and lichens, these cryptogams are mentioned
• The lists of associated vascular plant are being revised to create additional space
• Nomenclatural alignments, while still conservative, are much more ?current? than any of the PCR editions
• Fine-tuning of the coefficients of conservatism
• The abstruse but important aspects of local surface geology are integrated into plant community understandings, and the natural communities section is expanded
• Updated dot distribution maps
• Illustrations (900) of the key floral features for each genus (occasionally fruits and/or leaves)

Significant New Features of the Book

1. Illustration for each genus
2. Derivation of names
3. Animal (vertebrate and invertebrate) associates
4. Expanded natural communities sections including photos
5. Discussion on geologic features as it pertains to the vegetation
6. Revised treatments of all problematic genera (e.g., Crataegus, Panicum, Rubus, etc.)
7. Cryptogamic associates, etc.

Ecology and Culture of Water

Importance of Ecological Restoration

Realities of CO2

What is a Savanna?

Timberhill Savanna

Calibrated with INAI Quality Categories

Colorado FQA

Great Lakes FQA

Illinois FQA

Michigan FQA

Mississippi FQA

Ohio FQA

Wisconsin FQA