THE SONORAN DESERT FLORILEGIUM
Read about this unique florilegium established to document plants native to the Sonoran Desert. Browse the selection of artworks of Sonoran Desert plants.
Before the development of the graphite pencil, Renaissance artists drew with soft metals such as silver to create masterpieces. This beautiful but difficult process is still practiced today. Botanical artist Joan LaMoure used the technique in her drawing of Abutilon palmeri, Indian mallow.
ARIZONA ORIGINALS:
NATIVE PLANTS OF ARIZONA
An exhibit of works by 15 artists of the Southwest Society of Botanical Artists was recently shown at the Natural History Institute in Prescott, Arizona. Photos of the exhibit can be seen here.
Visit our online exhibit, a complete presentation of Botanical Art of the Sonoran Desert: Past & Present, a 2013 exhibit shown at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Ironwood Gallery.
Illustrations from Legumes of Arizona,
an Illustrated Flora and Reference
Twenty-eight of the plants illustrated for the Legumes of Arizona project are native to the Sonoran Desert and are included in the Sonoran Desert Florilegium. These intricate pen and ink illustrations can be viewed here, along with information about the Legumes of Arizona project.
THE DRAWINGS OF EVELYN THORNBER
The University of Arizona Herbarium's illustration collection includes 450 drawings by Evelyn Thornber, niece and illustrator for Professor John James Thornber. Here is a selection of her work.
An archive of articles about botanical art from the Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society's newsletter The Desert Breeze. Olneya tesota, desert ironwood, by Margaret Pope (right).
HISTORICAL ART
OF THE SONORAN DESERT
Read about the 19th century artists who first illustrated the landscapes and plants of the Sonoran Desert for the great survey expeditions in the American West
Read about the life and writings of Joseph Wood Krutch and the new Florilegium of the Joseph Wood Krutch Garden at the University of Arizona
Illustrations of the
Queen of the Night Cactus
The Sonoran Desert's beautiful summer nightbloomer, Peniocereus greggii, can be seen here in ten illustrations, ranging from historic scientific illustrations to evocative portraits of the flowers.
CREATING A BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION
Learn about the process of creating a scientific botanical illustration, also called a botanical plate.
Read about our projects to preserve and exhibit botanical art, both historical and contemporary.
View works from several past exhibits of botanical art of the Sonoran Desert, including Gentry’s Agaves, illustrations from Howard Scott Gentry’s landmark work on the genus Agave.
