PLANTS THAT MAKE YOU SNIFFLE AND SNEEZE

The author of several fine natural history books describes the pollens responsible for ``hay fever.'' It's not hay but trees, bushes, grasses, and weeds that produce the airborne pollen that causes sufferers to cough, wheeze, and exhibit cold symptoms. Softly colored, meticulous botanical drawings, in color or b&w, show the enlarged pollen grains and the leaves, flowers, and other parts of common culprits. Not as showy as Lerner titles like Cactus (1992), but the drawings are still lovely, as well as precise enough for identification. The text describes the seasonal waves of pollen, the species (both native and introduced) causing allergic reactions, and conditions that increase or decrease pollen production, and adds tips for hay fever sufferers. The index lists plants by common name, and gives scientific classifications of species. Attractive and useful. (Nonfiction. 10-14)