Mellichamp authors ‘Native Plants of the Southeast’

Larry Mellichamp, director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, has written “Native Plants of the Southeast,” which was published by Timber Press.

Billed as a comprehensive guide to the best 460 species for the garden, “Native Plants of the Southeast” features the most beautiful native plants that adapt well to garden cultivation, have multi-season appeal and attract native butterflies, birds and other beneficial wildlife, according to the publisher.

The work includes profiles on hundreds of trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers, grasses, aquatics and ferns, and it covers the entire southeast region of the United States, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Doug Tallamy, author of “Bringing Nature Home,” noted, “This book is for anyone wishing to move beyond the cookie-cutter landscape and reconnect with our vanishing natural world by using beautiful plants from the Southeast.”

Mellichamp joined UNC Charlotte in 1976 as a faculty member in Biological Sciences Department. He completed a bachelor’s degree in biology from UNC Charlotte; his doctorate in botany is from the University of Michigan. He has written a number of technical and popular articles on plants and gardening and has co-authored four books, including “Bizarre Botanicals: Weird and Wonderful Plants You Can Grow.”