Reddit reviews Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada
We found 4 Reddit comments about Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
Many flowers with typically white petals will have pinkish variation, and vice versa. For instance if you've identifying a flower using a dichotomous key, like Gleason and Cronquist, one of last steps in the key will often say petals: white or pink.
https://www.amazon.com/Manual-Vascular-Plants-Northeastern-Adjacent/dp/0893273651/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526956589&sr=1-2&keywords=Manual+Vascular+Plants+Northeastern+United+States+Adjacent+Canada
This one should cover that area pretty well, however it does require a certain level of understanding of botanical terminology. It has no pictures but is very usable once you get used to it and it is compact enough to be carried in the field, barely.
I would also recommend looking in new and used book stores for older more local guides. Don't forget a good hand lens too.
I think your best bet in that part of the country, and with your level of experience is to start with a basic field guide. Look for a field guide for wildflowers of the Eastern USA. Your local nature center, etc, may have recommendations or a wide selection for sale. A good field guide will cover upland and wetland plants.
If you google "flora of new jersey" it looks like there's a group that is organized trying to create a flora for that state, as well as a native plant society. Both of these would be good groups to get involved with. If you tell the native plant society that you're a high school student interested in botany, I'm almost certain they would waive the membership fees for you.
Once you get more advanced with your identification skills and terminology, Gleason and Cronquist's flora of the Eastern US is a great resource. http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Vascular-Plants-Northeastern-Adjacent/dp/0893273651 It goes out of print often, but a used copy is just as good and will save you some money. Unfortunately, it's not a text for beginners and you're better off working with a simpler book with photos or drawings first.
They can be fairly specific depending on how unique your environment is. This would probably be the book you would want. I want it and I'm nowhere near that area.
Edit: Latin would be great, but you could get away with just a Latin roots and combining forms book.