Del Tredici (Arnold Arboretum, Harvard U.) instills an appreciation of the ecological and cultural significance of wild plants ("weeds") in the urban environment. A-Z descriptions help identify plants which commonly grow spontaneously in Northeast cities from Boston to Quebec. The book includes a foreword by an ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, color photographs, lists of covered plants included in De Materia Medica and other early sources, the shade-tolerance ratings of covered trees, species suitable for an urban meadow, key characteristics of major plant families, and a glossary. Comstock is an imprint of Cornell U. Press. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)