Heliocereus elegantissimus

A watercolor of Heliocereus elegantissimus, a species of cactus native to native to Mexico. This illustration is by award-winning botanical illustrator Mary Emily Eaton (1873-1961). Born in England and formally trained in art, Eaton began illustrating natural subjects while visiting family in Jamaica. She moved to New York in 1911 where she became the principal illustrator for The New York Botanical Garden, producing hundreds of plates. The illustration shown here comes from her illustration work for The Cactaceae by Britton & Rose, a publication on cactus taxonomy that is still considered an important scientific work today. Hundreds of Eaton’s works are part of the collections of the The New York Botanical Garden, the National Geographic Society, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Plate Number: 237
Publication: The Cactaceae Vol. 2 Pl. 17, Fig. 1 Client: Britton, N.L. and Rose, J.N. - Size: 11x14
Heliocereus elegantissimus (Cactaceae) - Collection: , U.S.A., New York Botanical Garden; flowering branch.
Artist: Eaton, Mary Emily - 10 Aug 1912 - watercolor