STORY BEHIND THE ART OF ANN S. HOFFENBERG

Weird, Wild, & Wonderful

Second New York Botanical Garden Triennial Exhibition

2014 - 2016

Capparidastrum seed capsules 

Capparidastrum sola 

In answer to the question of why I chose this specific subject to portray, all I can think of is……destiny. 

I observed this seed capsule while travelling in Peru in 2004. A group of four friends and I were in the Tambopata National Reserve rainforest of Peru, one of the most species-rich natural areas in the world. While wandering around and photographing many of the fascinating features of the lowland Amazonian rainforest, I came across this unique and intriguing seed pod which was suspended in the midst of the forest, dangling from a long stem. I was absolutely awestruck by its unique color and form. It was the only one there as far as I could see and I felt lucky to have noticed it as I easily could have walked right past it without seeing it. I photographed it many times and from many angles with no idea what it was. After returning from my trip, I was told by a botanist that it was in the caper family and I was happy to have a clue to its identity. The memory of it stuck with me over the years and when the Weird, Wild and Wonderful theme was announced for this exhibition, this pod immediately came to mind and it was clear to me this was my opportunity to paint it and share it with others who might be similarly amazed by it.

I set out to do some research on it which was a challenge because this is not, apparently, a commonly known species. Thanks to the internet, and the generosity and curiosity of professional botanists, I was eventually led to one of the experts on this group of plants, Xavier Cornejo. I supplied him a couple of my photos and he immediately knew exactly what it was! I was thrilled and pleased that I had a scientific name for this pod that I had mused about repeatedly over the years. With his identification I was able to do some research in order to prepare for my painting and found out many fascinating aspects of this plant. Much of the following information was received through personal communication with him, and for that I am very grateful. 

Cornejo is from Ecuador and is a taxonomist of the Capparaceae (Caper family). He has described 60 species of vascular plants as new to science in various families in the American tropics, about half of which are from Ecuador. He worked as a Curatorial Assistant at NYBG for 5 years (Jan 2007- Jan 2012) and currently is an associate curator at the Herbarium GUAY, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guayaquil, Ecuador. 

Capparidastrum sola exists mainly in primary tropical wet and moist forests. At the time of its original description in 1935, there was only one specimen known. Nowadays, C. sola has been collected many times in the Amazonian forests by indigenous people and plant collectors, but remains virtually unknown to city dwellers and tourists. It has a wide distribution, occurring in Amazonian lowlands from Colombia and Venezuela to Bolivia. I learned that it is found in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, which has been shown through extensive scientific analyses to be among the most biodiverse places on earth, and consequently has been a protected area. Unfortunately, it contains Ecuador's second largest untapped oil reserves, a situation which has ignited an ongoing controversy between conservationists and the encroaching oil industry, which threatens much of the Park and the indigenous people who live there in voluntary isolation. A unique and innovative initiative was established in 2010 to raise enough money to compensate Ecuador for loss of oil revenues so that this area could be spared. In 2013, when actual funds did not match pledges, the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, reversed his decision and the agreement collapsed. Conservationists and contributors are heartbroken over this tragedy. C. sola has been recorded in the area where the oil pipe is being built, so local populations will likely be affected. There are undoubtedly many other plant species as well, some with yet-to-be discovered uses, both medicinal and otherwise, that will be affected.  

Indigenous people use this plant for many medicinal purposes. The bark contains alkaloids that have curare-like actions. Use of these ingredients for poisons and painkillers by the indigenous people of Ecuador and Peru has been reported. The roots can be macerated and decocted to create a juice that treats pain. Certain combinations of plant parts, including leaves, are used as an anti-rheumatic or applied as a hot compress to reduce swelling. It is also used as a tonic!

This is mostly an understory shrub that often is not easy to see in the field due to the exuberance of Amazonian vegetation. The elongate racemes that exceed the foliage indicate that the species is deliberately exhibiting the flowers to potential pollinators (still unknown), as well as the fruits for animal dispersal. What is striking in herbarium material is the usual copper color of the underside of the leaves, surely generated by some phytochemical compounds. The seed pod of C. sola turns red-purple to dark-purple at maturity. The purple color indicates that the fruit is getting ripe. The fruits of C. sola are known to be eaten by quite a few mammals, including monkeys, peccaries, agouties, acouchies, pacas and deer.

The multiple vernacular names of C. sola in several indigenous languages indicate that this is an important and useful species for the Amazonian people. Here are some local names: 

Ecuador. Guarmi caspi (Quichua), llayna caspi (Quichua), leinia (Quichua/Spanish); lena (Quichua), negro caspi (Quichua), rayu caspi (Quichua, meaning “lightning wood or tree”), reo caspi (Quichua), puskurnumi (Achuar Jivaro). 

Peru. Aeskarti (Mayna Jivaro), chirikasip (Achuar Jivaro), espintanilla (unknown language), fire tree, ka hoe u (unknown language), kawaikasip (Mayna Jivaro), nina caspi (Quichua), tunchim (Mayna Jivaro), tukuunu (Achuar Jivaro).

In my composition, I decided to show this pod from different angles and at different stages of ripeness in order to show how it splits open and exposes its seeds. The main challenge was the bright white fuzzy/fluffy covering on the inside of the pod and on the surface of the seeds. I wanted to add enough shading to indicate texture and form but not so much that it might not "read" as white. 

Like other botanical artists, I enjoy observing plants of all sorts and examining their varied forms, colors and structures. When I saw this seed pod it was like nothing else I had ever seen previously. I think the pods speak for themselves – they are weird, wild and wonderful. This subject relates to my body of work because of its uniqueness. I rarely paint the same type of plant more than once. Fascinated by the diversity of plants, and all living things for that matter, I'm always looking for something that is unusual or somewhat obscure. I am, in fact, particularly drawn to weird and wild subjects but don't often paint them because I expect that most people enjoy seeing more familiar subjects. This exhibition gave me opportunity and license to portray something truly bizarre and outlandish, but also beautiful in its own way.

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