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April 2022 Vol. 59 No. 8


Comstock Pub. Assoc./Cornell U.P.


The following review appeared in the April 2022 issue of CHOICE. The review is for your internal use only. Please review our Permission and Reprints Guidelines or email permissions@ala-choice.org.

Science & Technology
Biology - Botany

59-2268
SB611
CIP
Cardina, John. The lives of weeds: opportunism, resistance, folly. Comstock Publishing Associates, 2021. 296p bibl index ISBN 9781501758980 pbk, $24.95; ISBN 9781501759000 ebook, contact publisher for price.

Cardina (Ohio State Univ.) weaves together autobiographical and historical anecdotes, precise explanations of plant biology, and speculative but startlingly plausible evolutionary scenarios involving human agency and facilitation for eight common plant species currently considered weeds, or "plants of disrepute." The result is a series of highly readable vignettes about agricultural weeds and their interaction with human culture. A professor of horticulture and crop science, Cardina brings perspective from years of consulting as the "weed guy" on the conditions that have led to rampancy. While other books on weeds and invasive species have appeared in recent years, including Tao Orion's Beyond the War on Invasive Species (CH, Dec'15, 53-1776), Cardina's approach is unique in focusing on each plant's adaptation: "Humans unintentionally provided selection pressures for the evolution and survival of traits for botanical rudeness" (p.7). These unique stories will help readers gain insight into the ecological context of what makes a plant a weed, while pointing out opportunities to cultivate balance in relating to such plants. Students and researchers in agriculture and ecology will likely enjoy reading Cardina's witty natural history of weedy plants and should consider his suggestions for how and why to treat them with greater respect.

--M. Auerbach, Oregon State University

Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.