Wild Relatives Of Maize -- North American Wild Relatives of Grain Crops -- Wildrice (Zizania L.) in North America: Genetic resources, conservation and use -- Wild beans (Phaseolus L.) of North America -- Wild Lactuca Species in North America -- Pumpkins, squashes, and gourds (Cucurbita L.) of North America -- Wild Chile Pepper (Capsicum L.) of North America -- Crop Wild Relatives of Root Vegetables in North America -- North American crop wild relatives of temperate berries (Fragaria L., Ribes L., Rubus L., and Vaccinium L.) -- Crop Wild Relatives of Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) throughout North America -- Temperate Tree Fruits of North America: Malus Mill., Prunus L., Diospyros L., and Asimina Adans. -- Crop Wild Relatives of Avocado, Mamey Sapote and Cherimoya -- Temperate nut crops - chestnut, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio, and walnut -- Crop Wild Relatives of Sunflower in North America -- Wild Genetic Resources of Minor Oil and Rubber Crops -- Fiber crops: Cotton and Hesperaloe -- Native Grass Species for Forage and Turf -- Herbaceous Ornamentals -- Species for medicinal and social use with an emphasis on Theobroma cacao L. (cacao), Nicotiana tabacum L. (tobacco), Actaea racemosa L. (black cohosh), Humulus lupulus L. (Hops) -- Conservation and Use of the North American Plant Cornucopia: The Way Forward -- Appendix.

The plant species that humans rely upon have an extended family of wild counterparts that are an important source of genetic diversity used to breed productive crops. These wild and weedy cousins are valuable as a resource for adapting our food, forage, industrial and other crops to climate change. Many wild plant species are also directly used, especially for revegetation, and as medicinal and ornamental plants. North America is rich in these wild plant genetic resources. This book is a valuable reference that describes the important crop wild relatives and wild utilized species found in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The book highlights efforts taken by these countries to conserve and use wild resources and provides essential information on best practices for collecting and conserving them. Numerous maps using up-to-date information and methods illustrate the distribution of important species, and supplement detailed description on the potential value these resources have to agriculture, as well as their conservation statuses and needs. There is broad recognition of the urgent need to conserve plant diversity; however, a small fraction of wild species is distinguished by their potential to support agricultural production. Many of these species are common, even weedy, and are easily overshadowed by rare or endangered plants. Nevertheless, because of their genetic proximity to agriculturally important crops or direct use, they deserve to be recognized, celebrated, conserved, and made available to support food and agricultural security. This comprehensive two-volume reference will be valuable for students and scientists interested in economic botany, and for practitioners at all levels tasked with conserving plant biodiversity.