A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina || Patrick D. McMillan, Douglas A. Rayner, David B. White, and Richard D. Porcher, Jr.

In A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina, Patrick D. McMillan, Douglas A. Rayner, David B. White, and Richard D. Porcher, Jr. have executed a profound paradigm shift. Rather than forcing the reader through an arbitrary, color-coded index or a purely linear taxonomic key, the authors demand a more sophisticated inquiry. They pose an implicit Socratic challenge: Can we truly comprehend a single organism—such as an endemic orchid or a relict trillium—if we divorce it from its geological, hydrological, and pedological (soil science) matrices? If a plant exists only as an expression of its environment, shouldn’t our literature reflect that interdependence? Affiliate Disclosure: When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network, Blackwells, and BetterWorldBooks.