Pen and ink illustration (detail) for the article in Madrono: Carex xerophila (Cyperaceae), a new sedge from the chaparral of northern California by P.F. Zika, L.P. Janeway, and B.l. Wilson.
I love every stage of a botanical illustration. From the first meeting with the revered “type” specimen, first look at it through a microscope, choosing which angles and views and particular little specimens suit the illustration best, the pencil sketches… deep- breath-and-then-ink… but it is a great day too when the article is published!
This is a favorite corner of my full sedge illustration featuring details A through M. At far left “B”, the vine-like bit is its distinctive “ladder-fibrillose sheath” and the close-up view shows its “scabrous veins.” (And yes! that is a 1 mm scale-bar)
Zika, P. F., L. P. Janeway and B. L. Wilson. 2014. Carex xerophila (Cyperaceae), a new sedge from the chaparral of northern California. Madroño 61: 299–307.