STORY BEHIND THE ART OF ROSE MARIE JAMES

17th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at The Horticultural Society of New York

Balloon Cotton Bush

Gomphocarpus physocarpus

Gomphocarpus physocarpus or Balloon Cotton Bush has African origins and is related to our common milkweed here in America. I first saw it at the New York Botanical Garden during my wanderings and was immediately intrigued by its appearance. The entire bush stands about six feet tall with gently cascading branches. My painting illustrates one such branch showing the stages of development from flower to seed. The flower clusters are attached to each branch along with the thin elongated leaves. These clusters then develop into large pale green seed pods with sparse spike-like hairs growing all over the surface. As the pods age they break open to reveal a very compact cluster of seeds with silky hairy appendages. These individually peel off to be caught by the wind so that seed dispersal is achieved.

Without a doubt, I had to paint this plant! It was such a curiosity. Initially the pods looked hard and ominous but with further investigation I found the spikes to be soft and the pod itself to be delicate and paper-thin. Not unlike our native milkweed, this plant is a food source and home for the chrysalis of the monarch butterfly. It seemed only natural that the caterpillar and the monarch be included in the painting.

The most challenging aspect of creating this work was getting the flower clusters accurate. The sepals are pretty straightforward but the corona has a very convoluted structure that was deceiving at first. Each flower required many drawings in order to fully understand how it is formed.

I thoroughly enjoyed painting this lovely plant and hope people will enjoy viewing its curiosity as well.

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Read more about this artist's work: 15th Annual International