Wildly Exquisite: Florida's Native Plants

WILDLY EXQUISITE Florida’s Native Plants January 18th to April 30th, 2021 Exhibition Brochure

American Society of Botanical Artists & Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach

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WELCOME Thank you for coming to view the Wildly Exquisite: Florida’s Native Plants exhibition.

Within this brochure you will find basic information about all the artworks in the exhibition. For a more comprehensive look at the artworks please consider purchasing the exhibition catalog.

All proceeds benefit the American Society of Botanical Artists and the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.

This exhibition is generously underwritten by:

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Introduction Wildly Exquisite: Florida’s Native Plants is the American Society of Botanical Artist first juried show in Palm Beach. The subject matter of native plants complements the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach’s dedication to preserving the architectural, botanical, and cultural heritage of Palm Beach. Many of the plants featured in the exhibition can be found in Pan’s Garden. Florida’s first all-native botanical garden created by the Preservation Foundation in 1994. The private garden, open daily to the public, features nearly 300 plant species from 105 families, and is home to many species of butterflies and birds.

The juried exhibition includes thirty-six works from artists from around the US, and the UK. Wildly Exquisite features some widely grown Florida natives such as three different Magnolia species, Hibiscus, and Passionflower, along with some lesser known beauties, such as Soapwort Gentian and Sarracenia. By examining native plants through the lens of botanical art, it allows viewers to witness the wild beauty of plants so vital to Florida’s ecosystem.

The American Society of Botanical Artists is a not-for-profit organization with a membership of around 1,900 from the US and thirty-four other countries, whose mission is to provide a thriving, interactive community dedicated to perpetuating the tradition and contemporary practice of botanical art. The Preservation Foundation is honored to collaborate with the ASBA to bring this exhibition to Palm Beach.

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Artworks 1. Carrie Di Costanzo: Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora Acrylic on paper; 25 x 20 inches; $3,000 Magnolia grandiflora is native to areas in the southeastern United States from Virginia to central Florida and Eastern Texas. Native Americans made tools from the trees’ heavy wood and the beautifully scented flowers provided oil with lemony fragrance. This magnolia is found in gardens around the world and is sought out for its attractive flowers, but also its thick, glossy leaves, both beautifully depicted in this acrylic painting.

2. Catherine Watters: Soapwort Gentian, Gentiana saponaria Watercolor on vellum; 11-1/2 x 9-1/2 inches; $3,250 Gentiana saponaria is native to eastern North America south of the Great Lakes, from Wisconsin to New York, and south to Texas and the Florida Panhandle. It is pollinated by bumblebees. Found in undisturbed sandy soils, it is rare throughout its extensive range.

Like several others in the exhibition, this painting is on natural vellum, a type of leather that can be found in illuminated manuscripts dating back a thousand years.

3. Carol Woodin: Maypop, Passiflora incarnata Watercolor on vellum; 8-3/4 x 18 inches; $3,600 Passiflora incarnata, one of the hardiest (and most aggressive) species of passionflower, is found from the southeastern United States (including most counties in Florida) into the central states. This and other passionflowers are larval host plants for many butterfly species, including Florida’s state butterfly, the zebra longwing. The Cherokee had many medicinal and food uses for the maypop.

4. Angela Mirro: Florida Butterfly Orchid, Encyclia tampensis Watercolor on paper; 25 x 20 inches; $4,500 Encyclia tampensis has a range that includes the Bahamas, Cuba, and the central and southern counties of Florida.The orchid was described in The Botanical Register in 1847, and its species epithet, tampensis, refers to Tampa Bay, its first recorded location of discovery. It is now classed as “commercially exploited”. All endangered, threatened, and commercially exploited native orchids are protected by state law, and must be acquired only from a licensed, certified nursery with a permit to sell native plants on the Regulated Plant Index.

Plants found in Pan’s Garden at the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach 4

5. Catherine Watters: American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana Watercolor on vellum; 13-1/2 x 11 inches; $3,750 Diospyros virginiana ranges from southern Connecticut to Florida, and west to Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa. It grows wild but has historically been cultivated for its fruit and wood by Native Americans. A male and female tree are needed for fruit production, but the fruit can be prolific, eaten when it is overripe. These trees are usually available in native nurseries.

6. Gillian Rice: Indian Blanket, Gaillardia pulchella Watercolor on paper; 10-1/2 x 14-1/2 inches; $2,000 Gaillardia pulchella is a short-lived perennial or annual with a native range widespread across the US and Canada. It is difficult to know its accurate native range in Florida as it has been widely planted on roadsides across much of the state at least since the 1700s.

The Kiowa people believed the flowers brought good luck.

7. Lynne Railsback: Necklace Pod, Sophora tomentosa Watercolor on paper; 9 x 12-1/2 inches; $900 Sophora tomentosa naturally occurs in coastal counties in the central and southern part of Florida, and related varieties occur in Texas and the Caribbean. The flowers attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and other small birds. The seeds are toxic if eaten.

8. Lynne Railsback: Ball Moss, Tillandsia recurvata Watercolor on paper; 10-1/2 x 13-1/2 inches; $900 Tillandsia recurvata is indigenous to the warmer regions of the Americas ranging from the southern United States to northern Argentina and Chile. Not a moss at all, this flowering epiphytic plant is in the Bromeliad family. It uses its host plant only for support, not nutrition, and is not parasitic. It is used in ethnomedicine in several countries and has shown pharmacological potential in treating cancer.

9. Barbara Oozeerally: Seedheads of Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora Watercolor on paper; 6-1/2 x 7-1/2 inches; $850 Magnolia grandiflora is native to areas in the southeastern United States from Virginia to central Florida and Eastern Texas. The large white blooms give way to ovoid seedheads comprised of dozens of bright red, fragrant seeds. Squirrels and other wildlife relish the tasty red fruits. This painting is from the book Magnolias in Art & Cultivation, which Oozeerally illustrated with over 150 paintings.

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10. Ann Hoffenberg: American Strawberry Bush, Euonymus americanus Watercolor on paper; 7 x 9 inches; $1,350 Euonymus americanus is native to the eastern United States, as far west as Texas and as far south as central Florida. Its common name refers to the color and appearance of the inedible fruit. All parts of this plant, especially the fruit, seeds and bark, are poisonous if consumed by humans, but are safe for wildlife. Many species of Euonymus found in gardens are non-native and invasive; the two native Euonymus in the exhibition are much better alternatives.

11. Betsy Rogers-Knox: Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia psitticina Watercolor on paper; 16 x 12 inches; $1,800 Sarracenia psittacina is found in the wetter parts of boggy areas in the coastal plain from southern Georgia and northern Florida to southern Mississippi. It is unlike most pitcherplants in its shape and the way it traps insects. Characterized as a “lobster pot” trap, most pitcherplants have a “pitfall” trap. The shape of the flower resenbles the head of a parrot, hence the psittacina epithet.

12. Pauline Goldsmith: Florida Buttonwood Tree, Conocarpus erectus Watercolor on paper; 17 x 15 inches; $1,000 Conocarpus erectus, sometimes considered to be the fourth mangrove, grows along shorelines in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including coastal Florida.

It is a host plant for several butterflies and moths. The strong wood of the buttonwood has been used for firewood, cabinetwork, and charcoal.

13. Seongweon Ahn: Silver Maple, Acer saccharinum Colored pencil on paper; 11-1/2 x 16-1/2 inches; $2,500 Acer saccharinum has a natural range from Southern Canada to Florida’s Panhandle. As its botanical name implies, it has sweet sap, but not as sweet as the sugar maple. Its buds are an important food source for squirrels and it is the larval host of the cecropia silkmoth.

14. Esther Klahne: Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum Watercolor on vellum; 14-1/2 x 11 inches; $3,400 Arisema triphyllum is native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to southern Florida and Texas. Native Americans gathered the fleshy corms as a vegetable and either dried them or cooked them to dissolve the plants’ poisonous calcium oxalate crystals. They tend to favor moist soils and after the unusual spathe pictured in the painting is finished flowering, a cluster of bright red berries forms.

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15. Mitsuko Schultz: Sweetgum, Liquidamber styraciflua ‘Burgundy’ Watercolor on paper; 11 x 14 inches; $2,200 Liquidamber styraciflua is native to temperate areas of eastern North America and tropical montane regions of Mexico and Central America. It is found in northern and central Florida. Liquidambar was named by Linneaus in 1753 for its fragrant gum exudate; styraciflua means “flowing with storax”—a plant resin. Sweetgum has medicinal uses dating back to the ancient Aztecs. The cultivar ‘Burgundy’ has dark red to purple fall colors.

16. Karen Kluglein: Rose Mallow, Hibiscus moscheutos Watercolor on vellum; 11-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches; $3,600 Hibiscus moscheutos is found in wetlands from Texas to the Atlantic states, southward to northern Florida and northward to southern Ontario. It is the larval host plant for several butterflies and moths. This is one of the most beautiful native plants for the garden. It prefers moist soil, and has a lengthy blooming season producing many large flowers each day.

17. Margaret Farr: Winterberry, Ilex verticillata Watercolor on paper, 19-1/2 x 12-1/2 inches, $950 Native populations of Ilex verticillata stretch from Nova Scotia, south to the Florida Panhandle and west to Missouri. This widespread deciduous shrub provides winter food for a wide variety of birds. The bright red berries provide a welcome splash of color once leaves have fallen.

18. Jean Emmons: White-topped Pitcherplant, Sarracenia leucophylla Watercolor on vellum; 17 x 11 inches; $2,600 Sarracenia leucophylla grows along the Gulf Coast area in fewer than 300 known sites in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. One of the distinguishing characteristics of this endangered plant is the distinctly frilly lid margin. In this contemporary composition one can see why Sarracenias are gaining in popularity to add visual appeal to the bog garden.

19. Karen Coleman: Mutual Attraction, Lonicera sempervirens, Archilochus colubris Colored pencil on film; 13 x 17 inches, $1,000 Lonicera sempervirens and Archilochus colubris are indeed a perfect pair. This honeysuckle is native to the eastern United States and is evergreen from zone 8 southward; it loses its leaves in colder climates. The nectar-rich tubular flowers are ideal for the hummingbird’s extended bill and long tongue. The bird is common throughout breeding season in north Florida and is seen during migration in south Florida.

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20. Claudia Lane: Spider Lily Plant, Hymenocallis latifolia Watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper; 24 x 16 inches; $950 Hymenocallis latifolia is native to southern Florida and the West Indies. Its natural habitats include shell mounds, maritime hammocks, coastal strands, beach dunes, mangrove swamp edges, and brackish swamps. The fragrant flowers are pollinated by sphinx moths.

21. JUROR ARTWORK Page Lee Hufty: The Irresistible Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora Watercolor on paper; 10 x 15 inches 22. JUROR ARTWORK Francesca Anderson: Spanish Moss on Live Oak, Tillandsia usneoides on Quercus virginiana; Ink on paper; 29 x 23 inches 23. Derek Norman: Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora Watercolor and graphite on paper; 22 x 30 inches; $3,000 Magnolia grandiflora is native to areas in the southeastern United States from Virginia to central Florida and Eastern Texas. The blossoms are edible, but with an intense flavor similar to their smell. They can be eaten raw or pickled. Norman chose to depict the different aspects of this Magnolia on a study page.

24. Derek Norman: Pineland Hibiscus, Hibiscus aculeatus Watercolor and graphite on paper; 22 x 30 inches; $3,000 Hibiscus aculeatus is a wetland plant native to the southeastern United States from Texas to South Carolina, including north Florida. Another common name, comfortroot, refers to the soothing qualities of its mucilage- containing roots. The botanical name, aculeatus, means ‘prickly’ and refers to the sandpaper-like feel of the stems and leaves. It is a larval host of several butterflies and moths, and flowers for several months in season.

25. Sharon Strang: Evolution of the Goldenrod Gall, Solidago altissima Colored pencil on paper; 18 x 24 inches; $1,250 Solidago canadensis var. scabra a.k.a. Solidago altissima, is found in the northern counties of Florida and throughout much of the United States and Canada. The solidago eurosta gall occurs when the female Eurosta solidaginis gallfly oviposits her egg in a bud on the goldenrod. After hatching, the larva feeds on the interior of the gall, and it remains inside the gall through winter, surving temperatures as low as -40. If all goes well, an adult gallfly will emerge the following spring.

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26. Elisa Baldwin: Cabbage Palm, Sabal palmetto Colored pencil on paper; 10 x 14-1/2 inches; $5,000 Florida’s state tree, Sabal palmetto, is native to the coastal plain of the U.S. lower East Coast from North Carolina to Florida and Texas as well as Cuba, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas. The northernmost New World palm, it produces dense clusters of white flowers, which are followed by glossy black fruits. It is the larval host of the monk skipper butterfly, and is used by birds for nesting.

27. Robin Jess: Sweet Bay Magnolia, Magnolia virginiana Watercolor on paper; 11-1/2 x 10 inches; $2,000 Magnolia virginiana is native to the lowlands and swamps of the Atlantic coastal plain of the eastern United States, from the Florida peninsula to Long Island, New York. The root and stem bark were used by Native Americans as bitter tonics for autumnal fever and rheumatism. Its stems and leaves have a spicy aroma and its flowers are very fragrant.

While a very large tree in the south, it tends to be more compact in the northern end of its range.

28. Robin Jess: Prickly Pear, Opuntia humifusa Watercolor on paper; 12 x 12 inches; $2,000 Opuntia humifusa can be found from New Mexico and Montana east to Florida and Massachusetts. The long spines and glochids will easily penetrate skin and can be very painful to remove. Its fruit and young pads are edible to humans once they have been carefully de-bristled. Ripe fruits can be eaten raw or used to make juice, jam, or syrup. The artist painted this prickly pear in her home state of New Jersey, where it is quite common in the sandy habitats and rocky glades it favors.

29. Charlotte A. Ricker: Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora Colored pencil and watercolor on paper; 25 x 19-1/2 inches; $1,750 Magnolia grandiflora is native to areas in the southeastern United States from Virginia to central Florida and Eastern Texas. This is one of the oldest living species in North America, dating back 100 million years. Beetles, one of nature’s earliest pollinators, are the primary pollinators of magnolia flowers. Ricker includes the progression of the flower from bud to ripened fruit in a semi-circular arrangement.

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30. Judith Scillia: Seagrape, Coccoloba uvifera Colored pencil on paper; 7-1/2 x 8 inches; $950 Coccoloba uvifera is native to coastal beaches throughout tropical America and the Caribbean, including southern Florida, the Bahamas, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, and Bermuda. Coccoloba comes from “cocolobis”, a type of Spanish grape; uvifera means “bearing grapes” or “like grapes.” It is dioecious, with male and female flowers borne on separate plants. The tasty fruit can be eaten or made into jelly or wine.

31. Margaret Farr: Eastern Wahoo, Spring and Fall, Euonymous atropurpureus Watercolor on paper; 15-1/2 x 11 inches; $725 Euonymus atropurpureus is primarily found in the Midwestern United States, but its range extends from southern Ontario south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. All parts of the plant are considered poisonous to humans, but the fruit is popular with birds. The plant was used in various ways as a medicinal herb by Native Americans. In the painting, its lovely dark spring flowers are shown, along with the unusual pink and red fruits that appear later in the season.

32. Cynthia Rice: Marlberry, Ardisia escallonioides Watercolor on paper, 15 x 11 inches, $1,100 Ardisia escallonioides is native to central and south Florida and the Caribbean region.

Marlberry’s sweet-scented flowers yield to abundant fruit that is enjoyed by birds and small animals. Native Americans also consumed the fruit, but only when tastier food was scarce. Marlberry has two highly invasive non-native cousins, coral ardisia and shoebutton ardisia.

33. Susan Benjamin: Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana Watercolor on paper; 18 x 12 inches; $1,800 The native range of Callicarpa americana extends from Maryland to Florida, west to Texas and Arkansas, and Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Its berries are edible and are used to make jam. Chemicals in the leaves are reported to be effective as insect repellent. The brilliant magenta-purple berries add color to an otherwise muted winter garden, especially at the northern end of its range.

Plants found in Pan’s Garden at the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach 10

34. Wendy Hollender: Elderberry, Sambucus canadensis Watercolor and colored pencil on paper; 14 x 20 inches; $2,800 Sambucus canadensis is a species of elderberry native to a large area of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, south to Bolivia, and all of Florida except the Keys. Enjoyed as a food source for syrup, wine, dried fruits, tea, kombucha, and pie, elderberry is also considered one of the best bird attracting plants in North America. If you want some berries for yourself, you have to be quick to pick them when they first ripen.

35. Ingrid Finnan: Oakleaf Hydrangea Panicle, Hydrangea quercifolia Oil on paper; 8-1/2 x 10-1/2 inches; $900 Hydrangea quercifolia is native in the Southeastern US, from North Carolina west to Tennessee and south to the Florida Panhandle and Louisiana. It was named by William Bartram, and can be cultivated as far north as zone 5. Native bees, including bumblebees, are attracted to the small fertile flowers—the large flowers are sterile. Shown here dramatically placed on a black background, the oakleaf hydrangea is a favorite of gardeners everywhere. It holds its flowering panicles after they’ve dried through winter, and its autumn foliage is strikingly colored.

36. Monika Devries Gohlke: Ashe’s Magnolia, Magnolia ashei Aquatint etching, hand-colored, chine collé; 19-1/2 x 25 inches; $1,600 Magnolia macrophylla var. ashei is listed as endangered by the State of Florida, and is endemic to a few steep-sided ravines and bluffs in the Florida panhandle. Landscape plants must be acquired only from nurseries that have the appropriate permits for propagating and selling this species. The artist found her specimen at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and used a variety of etching techniques to create this bold rendition.

Jurors: Francesca Anderson Page Lee Hufty Susan Lerner Hilary Parker Curators: Katie Jacob, Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach Carol Woodin, American Society of Botanical Artists

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The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach is dedicated to preserving the architectural and cultural heritage and the unique scenic quality of the Town of Palm Beach. Through advocacy initiatives, educational programs, architectural resources, and cultural events, the Foundation’s goal is to encourage the community to learn about and protect the places that make Palm Beach special.

Over the past 40 years, the Preservation Foundation has undertaken numerous projects throughout the island that protect the heritage and enhance the beauty of Palm Beach. Millions of dollars of have been raised to restore historic resources like Sea Gull Cottage, Town Hall, and Bradley Park. Projects such as Pan’s Garden have fostered a deeper appreciation for the island’s botanical heritage. Along with special exhibitions and publications that advance scholarship in the history of Palm Beach, the Preservation Foundation offers educational programs that serve 6,000 students annually.

561.832.0731 | www.palmbeachpreservation.org 12