The Desert Edge; Flora of the Guaymas-Yaqui Region of Sonora, Mexico. Volumes I and II.
By Richard Stephen Felger, Susan Davis Carnahan and Jóse Jesús Sánchez-Escalante.
Edited by Benjamin T. Wilder
BRIT Press, 2023 Book Review by Susan Husband
Richard Felger, a native of California, became fascinated by the Sonoran desert at the young age of 19. While he built his career as a botanist, a writer, and a teacher, he continued to return to the deserts of Northern Mexico to camp out, explore, and collect plants. Susan Carnahan and Jóse Jesús Sánchez-Escalante worked alongside him on many of these expeditions. His lifetime work in floristics is captured in this new two volume work, containing detailed descriptions of more than 160 plants. Each of these plants is beautifully and expertly illustrated with Sue’s photographs. The easy to use index utilizes different fonts to designate family, genus and species.
The three authors each authored a preface for the work with Jesús Sánchez’ written in Spanish and also translated into English. A unique 25 page section titled Plant Collectors and Colleagues features descriptions of the work of the many others whose expertise helped to shape the publication.
The Guaymas area forms the southern edge of the Sonoran Desert and has not been well studied due to its remoteness and rugged terrain, which includes both inland mountain ranges and islands in the Sea of Cortez, an elevation change of almost 2,000 feet. As would be expected with these differing landforms, this region also has a great diversity of plants, including some local endemics. Many of the tropical species represented here are at the northern limit of their range while some are found only in the study area and on the Baja California peninsula or its associated islands.
Sadly, the preeminent botanist, Richard Felger, is no longer inhabiting this earth with us, but he has provided for us this amazing resource, The Desert Edge: Flora of the Guaymas-Yaqui Region of Sonora, Mexico. Alberto Burquez recalls in the introduction that Richard was pressing him to finish the book’s introduction “muy rapido”, without knowing that a fatal illness was causing this need for expediency. These two volumes bring together the knowledge and passion of Richard’s last years. Actually of his lifetime.
A unique and truly wonderful aspect of this monumental work is that it can be accessed digitally with no barriers of cost, membership or other fees. Richard felt this was very important so that this knowledge would be available to everyone equally. The books are available through BRIT press in either a digital version or as hardcover paper copies and the two volumes can be ordered individually or as a set. To enjoy and utilize the hardcover version you can visit the University of Arizona Herbarium library.
Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press, BRIT Press, 1700 University Drive Fort Worth, TX 76107-3400 (817) 332-7432
orders@brit.org The Desert Edge: Flora of Guaymas-Yaqui Region of Sonora, Mexico Volume 1: $100 Volume 2: $110