Whilst recently researching the wildflower families, I fell down a fruit-shaped rabbit hole.  And it is because of the amount of variety shown in the fruit of the Rosaceae, or rose family.

Japanese rose Rosa rugosa

For more on what makes a plant a member of the Rosaceae, check out my recent blog Wildflower families: Rosaceae.

Where to start?  There’s a lot of variety, and taking a look at my Fruit variety and terminology blog might help.

Rosaceae Fruit: Aggregate Fruit

Rosaceae fruit are one to two seeded, and often form together into aggregates, or aggregate fruit.  Think of a blackberry or a raspberry.  Each of those little lumps (or drupelets) houses a seed.  They clump together to form what we see as one fruit, although it is an aggregate of many.  Think how many seeds you find when eating one blackberry!

Jersey Post copyright 2027 Jersey bramble Rubus caesarius

If you have time to spare, have a look at my step by step blog on painting a blackberry.

Rosaceae Fruits: Drupes

Some other Rosaceae grow drupes.  A drupe is a fleshy fruit which has a thin skin and grows around a central hard stone.  Inside the stone (or pip, or kernel) is the seed.

Plum Prunus prunus fruit

Plums and cherries are drupes.  In the states, the term “stone fruit” is used.  This refers to any soft fruit with a woody stone, such as apricots and peaches.

Peach Prunus persica with stone (and seed) removed

Rosaceae fruits: Aggregates of Achenes

Some have aggregates of single-seeded achenes.  Some of these have spines which catch onto fur for seed dispersal.  These are actually called awns, and are formed from the persistent remains of the style.

Piri Piri bur Acaena novae-zelandiae seedhead and individual achene with awns

Other examples include Herb bennet, Geum, and Mountain avens.

Water avens Geum rivale showing flower and seed head with awned achenes

Others, like Meadowsweet, twist their achenes together into a spiral.

Potentilla seed heads look a lot like those of the Ranunculaceae family, an assembly of achenes borne in a globe-like arrangement.

Rosaceae Fruit: The Pseudo-fruit (Rosehip)

Rosehips are not made from the carpels of a flower.  The seeds within are formed from carpels, with their thin coats.  But the red or orange fleshy part of a rosehip is called a hypanthium.  It is just a fleshy shell, housing the real fruit, the achenes (formed from carpels), each bearing one seed.  The hypanthium is formed from swollen receptacle flesh.

Japanese Rose Rosa rugosa rosehip cross section

The receptacle is the part of the plant where the flowering parts are attached, not the female flower parts themselves.  Receptacles lie below the flowering structure, and explains why we see that distinctive brown bit at the “bottom” of a rosehip.  They are the remnants of the calyx and other flowering structures, and if you look closely you can sometimes see old stamens.  Which makes that the “top” of the pseudo fruit, I suppose.

Rosehip anatomy diagram

Rosaceae Fruit: The Pome

One of the most commercially important Rosaceae, the apple, carries its’ seeds in a Pome.  A pome is a swelling of the receptacle, not the carpel.  It is built of several hypanthium (enlarged receptacle) which have grown together.

At the centre of this we find the pericarp which contains five to thirteen seeds (it’s commonly known as the apple core), depending on how successful pollination was.

Diagram showing the structure of the Pome (apple)

So next time you eat an apple or a pear, remember that the distinctive brown bit at the “bottom” is the residual flowering parts, specifically the calyx.

Pear sprig with blossom and fruit Pyrus communis

For more on pomes, check out this blog from Where the spruce eats.  To be sure you can tell your pome from your drupe, take a look at this blog from Toronto botanical garden.

Rosaceae Fruit: The Strawberry

The strawberry bears its’ seeds on the outside, and in fact every yellow seed is a strawberry fruit.  The fleshy part (which we eat so cheerily) is made from swollen receptacle tissue, rather like the apple (a pome).

Wild strawberry Fragaria vesca with external fruits and seeds on a swollen receptacle

However, the big difference is that the seeds of the strawberry are on the outside not the inside, and it is the only fruit which does this.  It is therefore not only delicious but also remarkable.

Conclusion

This blog is far from exhaustive, and I have no doubt I could find enough to write an entire blog about the core of an apple.  I hope this serves as an introduction to the variety and fascinating structures of the fruit of the  Rosaceae.

Sketchbook study of the Dog rose Rosa canina

The post Rosaceae Fruit appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

This series talks about some common wildflower families.  For basic terminology, look at my  the basics of botany blog, and another on different fruit types.  For more on scientific names, how they work, and why they matter,  look at What’s in a name 1 and part 2.  Take a look at  the other families I’ve looked at so far, the  Ranunulaceae (Buttercups), Caryophyllaceae (Campions), and Brassicaceae (Cabbages)  I hope to add more families over the coming months.

Rock cinquefoil Potentilla rupestris

I know a little about wildflowers,  but I am an amateur, and not a trained botanist.  So although I’ll try and get stuff right, if you see a mistake, please let me know.

Wildflower families: Rosaceae

The Rose family has 107 genera and over 3100 species globally.  Flowers have five or ten petals, and often have an epicalyx (see below).   Leaves have stipules, and tend to be alternate.  There’s a vast array of fruits in this family, from plums and apples to strawberries, Mountain avens with its dry achenes in one head, to Lady’s mantle with a lone seed in a receptacle.  As well as Roses, other Rosaceae garden flowers include Cotoneasters, Pyrocanthus, and Geums.  Our most common fruit crops are Rosaceae, and lots of highly varied wild flowers are in this family, including Cinquefoil, Meadowsweet, and Agrimony.

Entire leaved Cotoneaster Cotoneaster‌ integrifolius and other Cotoneaster species

(For more on telling Cotoneaster species apart, not a fun occupation, please check out my blog).

Rosaceae overview

Plants in this family have alternate leaves with stipules at their base.  A stipule is like a tiny leaf that grows in pairs at the base of a leaf stalk, next to the stem. Flowers have five or ten petals, lots of stamens, and can be solitary or in racemes. The name Rosaceae comes from the Latin for rose, Rosa.  There’s a suggestion that the name is far more ancient than that, possibly dated back to ancient Persia where ornamental roses were first grown.

Copyright Jersey Post: Roses Nostalgia Rosa Nostalgia

Some members of this family reproduce asexually, without seeds.  Strawberries do this with runners, while Raspberries, Blackberries, and some roses put up suckers at some distance from the parent plant.

Barren strawberry Potentilla sterilis showing a runner

Rosaceae Leaves

Rosaceae leaves are often lobed, with toothed or deeply notched margins.  (For more on leaf margins, look at my blog).  Some may be very deeply lobed, like Tormentil.

Tormentil Potentilla erecta

Some Rosaceae have compound leaves made of an array of smaller leaflets rather than simple ones  (For more on simple versus compound leaves check out my blog).  You can tell if a Rosaceae leaf is compound or simple by looking for a stipule.  You’ll only stipules at the base of a leaf, so if you look at a Rosaceae “leaf” and see no stipules, it could well be a leaflet.  Examine a rose leaf (compound, of many leaflets) or a Blackberry (likewise) and use the stipule position to decide where the stalk of the entire leaf (not that of a leaflet) attaches to the plant.  The shape of leaves, if not the size, is pretty consistent across the whole plant.

Agrimony Agrimonia eupatoria clearly showing basal stipules

Stipules can be tiny to really large, smooth to toothed.  Often the stipules can prove confusing as they resemble part of the main leaf.

Rosaceae Flowers

Rosaceae flowers are regular, with radial symmetry.  They have five petals, which tend to overlap, and five to ten sepals which also overlap but mostly do not fuse.

Blossom of Pear Pyrus communis

Some Rosaceae have an epicalyx, a whorl of bracts just below the calyx.  You can see this in the Cinquefoils and the Strawberry.  If you look closely at the green “top” of a strawberry, you can see the sepals, the epicalyx in a circle below them, and you may also see some residual stamens, clinging to the inner edges of the calyx array.  There’s a good blog on this, by The botanist in the kitchen.

Wild strawberry Fragaria vesca showing calyx and epicaylx

Flowers grow in compound clusters at the ends of the stem, known as cymes or racemes.  However, they can also be solitary.

They are bisexual with lots of stamens surrounding one or many free carpels.  The stamens, should you care to examine them, grow in whorls of 5 or more, but this can be really hard to see.  They bend inwards towards the flower.

Individual Hawthorn blossom Craetegus monogyna showing incurved stamens

Carpels (the female reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of a style, an ovary, and a stigma) tend to be superior, growing above the flowering structure.  In some species, they are Perigynous, meaning the flowering parts grow around the edge of the receptacle where the pistil (the tube down to the seed, through which pollen has to travel to fertilize the ovule and form a seed) is housed.  Cherries and roses are perigynous. For more on ovary positions look at my blog on the ovary.

Cherry Prunus avium

Rosaceae Fruit: Aggregates, Drupes and Achenes

There is an extraordinary amount of variety in the fruits of the Rosaceae, and I’ve ended up putting my research here into a separate blog which I’ll publish in a week or two.  Below is a summary.

Rosacea produce one to two seeded fruit, but that’s where the similarities end.

Consider the variation.  Like the Ranunculaceae, some species have assemblies of achenes. Some achenes have spikes to help dispersal, such as the Geum and Avens species.  Or have achenes twisted together so they look like a “mister whippy” ice-cream, a beautiful effect shown by Measdowsweet.

Assembled carpels of the Mountain avens Dryas octopetala

Some familiar soft fruit, like the blackberry and raspberry, are made of lots of individual fruits.  Each a little “blob” is called a drupelet, and contains one or two seeds.  These are known as aggregate fruit.  From the position of the calyx, you can tell these have developed from superior ovaries.

Copyright Jersey post 2017 Blackberry Rubus fruticosa

Drupes are formed when ovary tissue swells to become fleshy, enclosed in a thin skin.  At the centre of this you have a hard stone, a woody coat for the seed within.  Peaches, plums, cherries and apricots are drupes.

Plum Prunus prunus

Apples and pears are pomes.  A pome is formed from the receptacle, the area below the flowering structure.  This swells and within it you find the apple core with five to ten pips.

Somerset redstreak apple Malus domestica

Strawberries attach their fruit to the outside of a swollen receptacle.  The fleshy red bit isn’t a fruit at all.  The fruit is each of the tiny yellow seeds embedded in the red flesh.

Strawberries Fragaria × ananassa

Rosaceae: Other species

As well as the fruit discussed, Rosaceae contains the Lady’s mantle, Silverweed, Cinquefoil, Piri-piri bur, Rowan, Sorbus species, Cotoneasters, and (of course) roses.

Piri Piri bur Acaena novae-zelandiae

Conclusion

I hope this blog on the Rosaceae wildflower family was of some interest.  What a varied family!  I hope to do more of these blogs over the coming weeks and months.  References include my FSC botany course, the Common Families of Flowering Plants by Michael Hickey & Clive King, and information from Naturespot.

Rowan Sorbus aucuparia sprig with berries and blossom

The post Wildflower families: Rosaceae, the Rose family appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

Paintbrushes

As with all of these posts, it’s vital to stress that what equipment one uses is a very personal choice, and we often finesse our techniques according to the equipment and brands we use and like most.  I’d love people to add their own favourites in the “Comments” section at the end of this blog, then the post would serve as a much more balanced resource for artists starting out, or for established practitioners looking for new ideas.

There’s also a section where I test several synthetic sable brushes, looking for an alternative to real sable ones.  There’s a film of these trials on Youtube.

Since writing this I’ve done a second comparison blog which you can find here, and associated film here.

Illustrating Rowan Sorbus aucuparia

Paintbrushes

I absolutely love, and have always used, Winsor and Newton series 7 sable paintbrushes.  They’re expensive, yes, but I’m yet to find another brush that comes close to their quality.  They hold plenty of paint.  Their points stay true and tiny.  They rarely shed, and when they do it’s a discrete one hair at a time.  The paint on the handle doesn’t peel or crack off and fall onto whatever you’re doing.  The metal part (the ferrule) never rusts.

Series 7 brushes with another vital tool of the trade, a hand lens

You can get them in “Miniature Painting” and “Round”; I’ve tried both and tend to go for the round ones, simply because that’s what I’m used to.

Size of paintbrush

Size-wise, I do almost all my illustrating with a number 1.  I have a stash of about 10 ready to go at any given time, and work through something like one every 6 weeks.  As I say, they don’t shed much, but inevitably they do suffer from the wear and tear of daily hard use.  There’s no need to dispose of these worn brushes, just use them for more detailed work.  After all, in effect they’ve turned into a smaller size 0!

Comparison of two Number 1 paintbrushes; above is a new one, below is one I’ve been using for 4 weeks

I use the larger number 2 size for looser washes, and have a number 4 and a number 6 for when I do big washy backgrounds (in my landscapes).  These bigger brushes still have good points, and can hold loads of paint, so doing a big area of sky, forest, grass, or fields is possible.

Using a number 4 brush for background washes

As well as my worn and thinned number 1 brushes, I also use the tiny 000 and 00 sizes for painting in almost invisible hairs, and details within flowers.  The tips of these are the ones that make people think you’re almost mad to use them, but they’re vital when getting the minutae down.  I used 00 brushes a lot when illustrating a series of mosses.

A 00 size brush alongside a pencil for scale, and illustration of Woolly fringe moss Racomitrium lanuginosum

Other brands

I know there are other brush brands out there, some of which I’ve tried and some which I haven’t.  A lot of other botanical illustrators really like Rosemary brushes – they didn’t work brilliantly for me, but they’re probably worth trying.  They certainly are good quality, and are significantly cheaper than  Series 7.

I once had a comment questioning the ethics of using sable brushes, and it is true that these brushes are made of sable hair, a species similar to a pine marten.  As a vegetarian committed to all sorts of ecological and environmental causes, I would certainly appreciate having a top-quality, animal-free alternative brush, so if anyone knows of one, please leave a comment.

Completed sketchbook study of hawthorn berries Craetegus monogyna, completed with a well-worn Series 7 no. 1 brush

Synthetic alternatives to Sable

Having written this blog, and following very useful feedback from other illustrators, I decided to try out a handful of high quality synthetic sable brushes.  Not only are these more ethical for a vegetarian such as myself, but they’re also a darned site cheaper!  I filmed these trials, here’s a link.

All the brushes were round number 1 size.

Comparing the points of the three new synthetic watercolour brushes.

The three brands I compared were Winsor & Newton synthetic sable, Rosemary and Co. Spotter Red Dot, and Princeton Aqua elite.  None were appalling, and one came close to equalling my beloved Series 7 brushes.

Synthetics: Winsor & Newton synthetic sable

I was surprised that this brush looked scruffy on removal from its’ tubing.  Working with it, although it did have a point and did hold paint, the brush was too long.  This meant I couldn’t achieve the tight control I require.  The stray hairs didn’t help sell the brush to me.  The handle was comfortable.  Price wise, I found them selling at £5.80 each, or on sale for £4.06.

Close up of the Winsor & Newton synthetic sable brush, with the leaves I painted using it

The very tip of the brush also had a noticeable “hook” which made it hard to get that sharp point.  With the Series 7 brushes, if I roll them into a tip in the wet paint, the point is exquisite.  With this dowdier cousin, I couldn’t get the frighteningly crisp point I look for.

Synthetics: Rosemary and Co. Spotter Red Dot

This brush was definitely my favourite of the synthetics I trialled.  The brush shape didn’t appeal at first – the point of the brush looks short and dumpy.  However, the point was very sharp, and it worked well in wet and dry paint.  it was only when using the brush with extremely wet and pale washes that the point held less well.

Close up of the Rosemary and Co Red Dot synthetic sable brush, with the leaves I painted using it

I was really impressed by this brush, and at a price point of £3.40 each they would be excellent alternatives to a Series 7 brush for those on a budget.

Were I to commit to getting sable out of my life, this is certainly a contender for a replacement.

Synthetics: Princeton Aqua elite

The Princeton Aqua elite had a decent point.  Again, it was absolutely serviceable.  However, the brush felt like it had lateral compression.  It felt flattened, with the associated slight splaying of the point that a flattening brings.   I almost felt that the nib was too long.

Close up of the Princeton Aqua elite synthetic sable brush, with the leaves I painted using it

This feeling of the brush being too long also made me feel uncomfortable using it.  I had to focus and concentrate to ensure I got the crisp lines I was after.  I felt slightly less control that I wanted.

However, as with all things, this could be because I’m used to a shorter-shaped brush.  These things are so very personal.

The price for this brush is £5.80; exactly the same as the Winsor & Newton synthetic sable.

Synthetics: Conclusion

Having tried all three brushes, I attempted finishing the test illustration with them.  It shows how very set in my ways I am that within half an hour I had reverted to the Series 7 brush.

Completed illustration (initially used as a synthetics brush comparison test piece)

These synthetic alternatives are all good.  the Rosemary & Co. brush is excellent.  If I were to commit to sable-free illustration, I’d certainly be investing in some of these Red dot brushes.

Comparison of synthetics and Series 7

Price wise, for anyone on a budget I will heartily reccommend these brushes.  One of my Series 7 brushes costs up to three times the price of one of these – a cool £17.10 cost price (2021 prices).  They can be got on sale for £11, but even at discount that’s a much bigger outlay than for the £3.80 Rosemary one.

For much more detail on this comparison, do check out my Youtube film.

Zen Art Fineline Minature brushes: Trying out a freebie

I was recently sent a set of  ZenART fineline minature paintbrushes to try and review by the manafacturers.   Obviously, the company sent them to me for free, looking for a good review, and some decent social media feedback. I’m a little cynical, so I tried them without a great deal of conviction. It’s important to have full disclosure about these things, I think…

They came in a cardboard box, and inside is a lovely canvas carrying thingy, all bound in red ribbon. There’s a great assortment; riggers, filberts, and angled brush, and several round ones. I only use round ones, so those are the ones I can speak for.

I’m surprised to say they were really good, and potentially a welcome alternative to my beloved Winsor & Newton series 7 brushes. They held their points, didn’t splay, had decent wells to hold paint, and produced consistent tiny lines. The number 2 was good for pale top washes, holding lots of paint and having the required sharp point. Accuracy was good with the number 1 and the 5/0.

They are also synthetic, which is an excellent thing in terms of my feelings about using animal hair to make brushes.

However, by the third of fourth day of use, the tips had become slightly blunted and weren’t holding the crisp point I require.  In every other respect they remained really good; they didn’t shed any hairs, rust, nor discolour.  The paint on the handle remained in place and didn’t peel or crack.  For me, the loss of tip is a deal breaker.  I would suggest folks who don’t need such a precision-perfect tip could do a lot worse than go for these (very reasonably priced) brushes, but if you need a very crisp point then for me, they haven’t made the cut.  But definitely worth a try.#

Synthetic brushes: A hint to help fix hooked tips

This tip has come in from Rebecca, who left this suggestion in the comments section.  Many thanks for sharing it with us.  “Hooks that develop on synthetic bristles can often be remedied by dipping the bristles about half way into a cup of water taken off the boil. Take care not to get the ferrule or upper bristles wet with water this hot or it may affect the glue. The timing varies from 10-30 seconds based on the brand and size. Gently reshape the tip on your thumbnail after heating. While I don’t expect that is an annoyance one would want to deal with during a long painting session, it will at least restore the brush to a usable condition for lighter tasks.”

Conclusion

So there you are.  The easiest of all these equipment blogs.  What paintbrush do I use?  A Winsor and Newton Series 7, size 1.  And no, they don’t pay me or give me free brushes to say this (however, if someone working for the company is out there and has a whole load of brushes they want to get rid of….?)

Mulberry Morus nigra with paintbox and Series 7 brush

Other alternatives are the Rosemary brushes (which some people adore) and the Zen art minature fineliner brushes reviewed above, both of which are a lot cheaper that W&N.  But thus far I’m still to find a real potential replacement for my Series 7s.

You can order these brushes direct from Winsor and Newton, or from your local art shop.  If that’s not possible, look for good online art suppliers like Jackson’s, Cass Art, London Graphics Centre, or Ken Bromley.  In the US I believe Dick Blick  to be a good art store.

The post Equipment: Paintbrushes appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna is one of the commonest trees in the British countryside, ranging from the far south to all but the most northern areas.  Although there are tons of mature hawthorn trees, both in woodland, fields, and uplands;  you also see it in hedges and scrub-land.

This tree provides one of my favourite sights in mid-winter.  A branch of hawthorn, still heavy with crimson berries, festooned with the pale ashy greys and greens of lichen is a thing of real beauty.

The trees can live for hundreds of years, often all that’s left of a long-vanished hedgerow.  Sometimes growing in harsh climates, their twisted and gnarled shapes make individual trees into landmarks.

Identification: Tree shape

Hawthorn trees are a modest 2 to 10 metres tall.  They have a straggly habit, often with emergent branches.  They often appear alone, perhaps on a limestone outcrop, or in the middle of a field of grazing sheep.

Having been used for centuries as a hedging plant, they frequently appear along field margins; both within hedges, and as remnants of hedgerows which have long since been neglected.

They’re easily identified by their spiny branches.

In winter, these can be confused with the branches of the Blackthorn Prunus spinosa which also bear spikes, although Blackthorn branches tend to look darker and more condensed than the hawthorn.  Also, the buds of Blackthorn grown on the spines themselves, whilst those of hawthorn emerge from the same point as the spines.

In summer and autumn, it’s hard to mistake a hawthorn for any other species.  The distinctive leaves, white flowers, and crimson berries make it a simple tree to identify.

Identification: Leaves

Hawthorn leaves start out as a vivid, pale, spring green.  They become tougher with age, ending up a dusty dark green colour.  Undersides of the leaves are paler.  The leaves are deeply divided, and toothed.

They’re about 6cm long and are often asymmetrical from the main rib.  Leaf shape is highly variable, even between the leaves on one branch.  Leaves turn yellow in autumn, before falling, leaving the berries behind.

Identification: Flowers

Flowers are white or pink, with five petals.  Anthers are a pinkish colour, turning to purplish or brown.  These flowers appear in May (hence the hawthorn’s other name) and form frothy masses in the hedgerows.  They grow in flat-topped inflorescences.

Their smell is sickly sweet, and flies love it.  Lots of people think it smells a bit unpleasant, and reminiscent of death.  This is no surprise, the chemical trimethylamine appear both in corpses and in hawthorn blossom.  In fact, people used to say that the flowers smelt very similar to the stench of bubonic plague.  This probably accounts for the custom of never bringing hawthorn inside the house.

Identification: Fruit

The berries of hawthorn are crimson, with yellow-orange flesh.  They’re referred to as “haws”.   Each one has one big pip in its centre.

The haw skin is shiny, and can be anything from vivid scarlet to an almost purplish deep crimson in older berries.  The fruits are a great source of vitamin C, and can be made into jelly.  More importantly, they provide vital nutrients for birds such as Redwing and Fieldfare, especially in the depths of winter.

Identification: Bark

Hawthorn bark is grey brown, with lots of small scales.  As hawthorn is so prevalent, you may well see it in hedges and waysides where the plant may not be large enough to have a proper identifiable tree-trunk.

Similar species

The Midland hawthorn Craetegus oxyacanthoides can easily be confused with the common hawthorn.  Differences are that the Common hawthorn has flowers with only one stigma, whereas the Midland hawthorn bears two.  And (logically), the Common hawthorn has only one seed per fruit, whereas the Midland hawthorn has two.  Berries of the latter are a brighter red, and more rounded.  Midland hawthorn leaves are rounder, and less deeply cut.

Habitats vary too.  Midland hawthorn is more of a tree than a hedge species, and is more tolerant of shade.  It likes chalky soils and is often found deep within shaded woodland.

Most garden cultivars are Midland, rather than Common hawthorn.

History: Folklore

Hawthorn is thick with foklore and superstition.

I have a friend from Ireland who was furious when I put a hawthorn log on the fire, and opined that the “wee folk” would come and get me.  He was dead serious, and from the look on his face that was NOT something one wanted to happen, so I took the log off again.

There are many tales of Fairy queens and supernatural beings living in hawthorn.  To damage any part of the tree, especially of a lone tree, could bring down their fury with disastrous and fatal results.

As mentioned above, the smell of hawthorn is similar to that of a corpse, so it was not brought into the house.  To do so would be to invite illness and death in.  There’s a possibility that this referred especially to the Midland hawthorn, which was more prevalent in the 16th – 18th centuries and has a stronger smell than the common species.

However, boughs of May (hawthorn) would be put outside houses, and decorated with wild flowers.  Having the flowers outside was clearly not seen as a bad thing.

Before the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1752, the month of May arrived a little later than it does now.  The timing of the hawthorn blossoming probably dove-tailed more accurately with the start of the month, and with May day.  The old adage, “cas’t ne’er a clout [vest] til May be out” refers to the blossom, not the end of the month.

History: Religion

There are many associations with pre-Christian religions.  Westminster Abbey is built on a site called “Thorney island”, after a sacred grove of hawthorn that grew there.

It’s the sixth tree of the Celtic Ogham religion, associated with love, protection, and the heart.

The flowers, coming as they do in the full burst of spring, have long been associated with fertility.  The Hawthorn tree was the precursor of the maypole.  Blossoming occurred around the time of the Celtic festival of Beltane.  Weddings often occurred at the same time, and there are records of boughs of Hawthorn being put on the beds of newlyweds to bring love and fertility.  How this tallies with the fear of inviting illness and death is unclear.

On May day, the May queen and the Green man would unite and bless the land with fertility for the coming year.  Hawthorn blossom played an important part in the ceremony.

Interestingly, the link between faith and the hawthorn did not stop with the onset of Christianity.  The crown of thorns and Moses’s burning bush are said to be hawthorn.

There’s also the legend of the Holy thorn of Glastonbury, planted by Joseph of Aramathea, who owned Jesus’s tomb.  He was also Mary’s uncle, and happened to be travelling with a chalice of Jesus’s sweat, and one of Jesus’s blood.  As you do.  Stopping, he thrust his staff into the ground where it grew into the Glastonbury hawthorn.  This plant (not, of course, the original tree) still grows on Glastonbury tor, and flowers twice a year; once in May and once at Christmas.  What Joseph used to replace his lost staff is lost in the mists of time.

History: Food & Medicine

Hawthorn leaves were eaten, referred to as “bread and cheese”, and haws were used for jellies and wines.

Medicinally, it was used in tincture to aid a whole slew of complaints: heart-trouble, anxiety, and loss of appetite.  In traditional Chinese medicine, it’s used to lower blood pressure.

Uses

Hawthorn has been used since the 16th century, when land enclosure first took off, as a hedging plant.  It forms spiky, impenetrable barriers.

It’s wood is hard and pale, and is used for wood-turning, veneers, and tool handles.  It burns at high temperatures, so is good for fire-wood and charcoal.  As long as you’re not worried by the folklore and superstitions, that is…

Young leaves are edible, as are the berries.  Berries are best made into jams and ketchups as they may cause mild stomach upsets in some.  Buds are delicious in salads.

It is a wonderful plant for both birds and insects. Not only can birds feed off the berries in winter, but the growth habit and thickets makes a perfect space for building nests.

Long-tailed tits Aegithalos caudatus in amongst Blackberry and Hawthorn blossom

Over 300 species of insect rely on the Hawthorn.  Moths relying on it range from the Lappet moth Gastropacha quercifolia, which resembles dead oak leaves as an adult, to the Light Emerald Campaea margaritata.  The latter turns up in my house on late summer evenings, and is a beautiful animal.

Bees, flies, and wasps pollinate the flowers and rely on the nectar.

Small mammals such as the Dormouse also eat the berries, which are packed full of anti-oxidants.

Hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius with berries, (but not Hawthorn berries)

Hawthorn is a popular and wise choice for those wanting to encourage wildlife to their gardens.

Threats

Increasingly, hedgerows are being grubbed up to allow access to more efficient farm machinery.  Old hedges, which need a lot of maintenance, ore often replaces with barbed wire.

Hawthorn can be affected by fire blight, gall mites, and aphids.  However, there’s no suggestion that the hawthorn is about to disappear from out landscape, which is a big relief.

Conclusion

Hawthorn is common, and easy to recognise.  It’s flowers and berries make it a well loved tree and shrub, and it’s usefulness in hedging can’t be underestimated.  Providing a haven for wildlife, a wealth of history and folklore, and bearing edible leaves and berries; there’s a whole lot to recommend this tree.  It’s also very beautiful.

Sources for this blog include websites of The Woodland Trust, Trees for life, the Green Parent, and Naturespot.

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Table of autumn leaves collected from the Botanic gardens

Pencil drawings of leaves

We looked at colour as well as shape, veins, margins, and how the light falls on the surfaces of the leaf blades.  The students did some wonderful pencil tonal studies.

Pencil illustration of two leaves looking at shape and shade

Student drawing of an autumn leaf

Colour theory

We did some work on colour theory too, and I got the students to experiment with watercolours by filling in a colour wheel.  It’s interesting to note that no matter how hard you try, mixing paint from a paint box never makes the clean colours suggested by a colour wheel.  In fact, one of the students lent me a fascinating book discussing this, “Blue and Yellow don’t make green” by Michael Wilcox which explains why this might be, and gives an alternative approach to mixing colours.

The colour wheel gave the students a chance to learn how to darken a hue and to lighten it (by using water to dilute it, not by adding white paint) so they were ready to experiment with painting by the afternoon.

Loose watercolour illustration of fruit and leaves by a student, with working notes on colour mixes

Step by step autumn berries

The second day we looked at fruits and berries, and I’d prepared a couple of handouts which broke down the process of painting hawthorn and blackberries into step by step processes.

Handout of the step by step process involved in painting a hawthorn berry

For more of these handouts please visit my Pinterest board, and for a detailed blog on painting a blackberry click here; for the hawthorn explanation click on this link.

Handout of the step by step process involved in painting a blackberry

I’d gathered in lots of blackberries and hawthorn, and we had a wonderful time gleaning fruits and berries in the garden, coming back with armfuls of inspiring specimens to draw and paint.  Some of the students followed the blackberry handout with really encouraging results:

Student painting of a blackberry, referring to the steps in the handout

Others worked on hawthorn, again referring to the handout for a bit of guidance:

Student painting of a hawthorn berry, referring to the steps laid out in the handout

Other autumn subjects painted

Many painted entirely different subjects; from conkers to dogwood berries.

Conker watercolour botanical illustration

One student took on a squash.  This is a tricky subject thanks to the pale oranges and internal stringy area that clings onto the seeds.  She tackled this well.  Wee used some of the colour theory we’d talked about earlier to sort out how to deal with shadows.

Watercolour of a squach by a beginner student

Another student brought in a bunch of grapes from home.  Although she’d not had a great deal of prior experience she did a brilliant job of getting the shine and the colours right.

Student study of grapes and shine

It was a brilliant chance to spend two days painting and drawing.  I often maintain most of what I do when I teach is enable people to stop doing day to day stuff, and to prioritise making space and time to look and draw for a while.  Inevitably, their work exceeds their expectations, which is lovely.  It’s a priviledge to be on hand with the odd pointer or tip.  But in truth most of what they do is just allow themselves to look and enjoy the creative processes.

I’ve got a few more courses coming up in 2018 at the University of Cambridge.  One focuses on drawing in winter, and the others are looking at illustrating pollinators and the plants they visit.  Courses are suitable for all abilities, for more details and to book please follow the link here.

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The fruits and berries that needed illustrating were the Dewberry Rubus caesius, the Elderberry Sambucus nigra, the Wild strawberry Fragaria vesca, the Jersey bramble Rubus caesarius, Sloes Prunus spinosa, and Black bryony Dioscorea communis.

All the botanical illustrations in this blog are copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017, and must not be reproduced without their express permission.

Sloes artwork for one of the stamps                                copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

This commission gave me the chance to wander the countryside around Hay-on-Wye, gathering specimens to paint; luckily the job came in during the autumn months!

Desk whilst illustrating the Dewberry stamp artwork

I also illustrated a First Day cover (an illustration for the corner of the First Day Cover envelope); this was a sprig of Hawthorn berries Crataegus monogyna.

Hawthorn berries; botanical illustration for the First Day Cover of Jersey Post’s stamp issue-copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

Here’s a detail of some of the wonderfully prolific and vibrant red berries this sprig of Hawthorn carried.

Detail of Hawthorn berries                                              copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

Illustrating Black Bryony

One of the plants I painted was the Black bryony.  You often see the startling orange berries of this plant in hedgerows.  It was important to show the variation in berry colour; green through yellow to an orange red.  I also had a lot of fun with the tendrils that this plant grows.  I love using these to help when composing an illustration.

As always, painting the leaves began with a layer of tiny paint marks, building up and marking the areas of dark.

Painting the first layer of green on a Black bryony leaf copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

Next, I put a yellower and more dilute mix of green over the entire leaf.  I use Winsor and Newton paints, and a Winsor and Newton series 7 paintbrush.

Brighter green wet wash applied to the leaf.  Copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

The angled stems and tendrils get plotted in next.  As always I leave the fun berries to the end.

Painting in stems and tendrils of Black bryony                   copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

The berries needed to look bright and smooth, so I spent a long time building up the colour with endless tiny brush strokes in orange and red, following the shape of the fruit.

Final illustration of Black bryony                                      copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

Illustrating the Elderberry

Another lovely plant was the Elderberry. I love the crimson of the stems of this plant, especially in contrast to the shiny black berries.  Getting the shine right on each berry was a challenge.

Paining each Elderberry                                                  copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

It was a tricky plant to arrange in the format of a postage stamp, and required the positioning of the leaflets behind the berries, always a difficult task.

Elderberry artwork                                                         copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

Presenting the illustrations in context

Another part of the commission is to illustrate the Presentation pack, the shiny decorated sleeve in which newly issued postage stamps can be delivered.  This features Rowan berries Sorbus aucuparia, Sloe Prunus spinosa, Bramble Rubus fruticosus, and Goji berries Lycium barbarum; all of which grow wild in Jersey.

Presentation pack with Rowan, Goji, Sloe and Bramble      copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

One of the things I like to do mid way through a job such as this, is create a mock up of the stamps to ensure they look alright as a series, and to be certain the text and images work well together.  Here is the rough of the stamp layout, an aid to the commissioners when they look at these detailed roughs and decide what feedback is required.

Layout of stamps at Colour rough stage                           Copyright Jersey Post (www.Jerseystamps.com) 2017

The published stamps, first day cover, and presentation pack arrived in the post just this week.  To say I am delighted with how they look once the designers have produced the issue is an understatemant, they’ve done a fabulous job with my paintings!

This job was a joy, I really love working with Jersey Post, they give interesting subjects, long lead times, and treat their artists really well – what more could an illustrator ask for?

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The success of “The Hedgerow Handbook” and “The Garden Forager” means Adele Nozedar (the author) and I (the illustrator) have been invited to do several of these events.   They’re always great fun, and we were honoured and delighted to be able to present 2016’s Barnes Lecture.

Although initially scary, demonstrating is always a good idea.

Hedgerow handbook Garden Forager by Adele Nozedar illustrated by Lizzie Harper

I arrived, and with the help of my other half (the cabinet maker Andy Dix) we set up a stall.  We were selling greetings cards, original watercolours, and copies of the book. I also had my sketchbooks and portfolio for people to flick through.

Stall of books, original paintings and greetings cards, manned by Andy

Getting hawthorn specimen to draw

Earlier in the day I went out into the fields and hedgerows to see what was not only growing, but looking good.  It was a no-brainer to settle on Hawthorn Craetegus montana.   This year the berries are a glorious dark crimson, and are ridiculously prolific.

Hawthorn in its autumn glory in a field in Hay-on-Wye

Drawing Hawthorn live

I chose a few sprigs, and then settled down.  Perched on the edge of the stage, I was ready to do a sketchbook style illustration of this plant.

Sketchbook study of Hawthorn

Working with a visualiser

I was asked to draw live into a “visualiser”.  This projects my drawings, in real time, onto a screen behind me.  Adele talked about some of the plants featured in the books.

Visualiser, drawing and painting equipment, and plants ready to go.

Drawing and performing

Adele was brilliant. Regaling the audience with tales of foraging and folklore and suggesting all sorts of exciting alcoholic infusions.  She referenced memories of traditional names, and uses of plants we often overlook as weeds. We even joined her in trying to summon a hummingbird god.  (With, if I remember rightly, Love-lies-bleeding or Amaranth).

I love listening to her as I draw.  Despite being on a stage, and in effect “performing”;  it feels very much like I’m in my studio at home, listening to the radio and happily illustrating.

Drawing hawthorn live

I had minor troubles because although there was a light shining directly onto the paper, it didn’t illuminate the hawthorn smoothly.  So when I got to putting paint on the drawing it was a challenge to record the tones correctly.

Lizzie Harper illustrating and Adele Nozedar talking at the RWT Barnes lecture

In theory, my finished sketch would have looked a little like the study from my sketchbook.  However time was tight, so I got less detail down than I might have liked.

Over the years I have also completed finished botanical illustrations of hawthorn for clients.

Hawthorn Craetegus montana

After a break where I got to chat to some of the folks that had come along, we sold a few copies of the book and some greetings cards; then it was back to work.  I did a sketchbook study of a geranium (again, not as fully worked as the study below) as Adele talked about lilac, nettles and ground elder, and took lots of questions.

Botanical sketchbook illustration of geranium (from “The Garden Forager”)

It was a really good evening; the audience were friendly and engaged, and RWT sold about 70 tickets, which means the fundraising event was a success.  For me, it’s always a treat to be on stage with Adele; she’s the perfect mix of wise, charming, and funny.  Guaranteed to relax me as I draw live in front of an audience.

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Cover of “The Hedgerow Handbook” by Adele Nozedar (illustrated by me)

A beautiful sunny autumn afternon saw a large group of kids and parents meet at Hay Primary School. We had foraged Himalayan Honeysuckle berries before leaving the playground!

Himalayan Honesysuckle Leycesteria formosa – from “The Garden Forager” by Adele Nozedar

Group of foragers setting off across the fields.

Keen children, under the guidance of Adele, showed us adults how to eat raw nettles; and we tried rosehips and elderberries.

Foraging with Adele: Nettles and elderberries

Adele telling us about elderberries, and warning the children not to eat too many at once (it can give you tummy ache).

Here’s the page from The Hedgerow Handbook on Elderflower and elderberry Sambucus nigra.

Sorrel and

In a nearby field we found sorrel which proved a big hit with adults and children alike.

Sketchbook page of Sorrel Rumex acetosa (which appears in The Hedgerow Handbook)

I think all of us will be having sorrel salads and soup for some time to come.  It being autumn, there were blackberries and hawthorn in abundance.

Blackberry Rubus fruticosus

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna

I was very pleased when Adele found some chickweed (also called Greater stitchwort).

Adele with Chickweed Stellaria holostea

I know it’s edible, but had never actually eaten it before and am converted; it’s a bit like a cross between pak-choi and watercress and will be lovely and fresh in salads.

Adele is a mine of information; we learnt that yarrow leaves have psychotrophic effects, and that the leaves of the ribwort plantain are far better for soothing insect bites than dock.

Ribwort Plantain Plantago lanceolata

Adele is a mine of information; we learnt that yarrow leaves have psychotrophic effects, and that the leaves of the ribwort plantain are far better for soothing insect bites than dock.

Adele with a puffball

We reached the far end of the field and realised we’d been foraging for over an hour and Adele had to go.  We all trailed happily home, stuffing our faces with elderberries and sorrel, sloes and rosehips.

It’s been a long time coming but I can say in all truth that foraging with Adele was well worth the wait; what a brilliant way to spend an afternoon!

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First, choose a decent sprig of hawthorn to work from, with several berries on.  These become darker and more crimson as winter progresses, but if you keep an eye out you’ll still be able to find some which are worth painting.

I got the leaves of my hawthorn sprig painted up first, so I could focus all my attention on the berries.  I use a Pentel P205 mechanical pencil (H lead), a soft rubber, winsor and newton watercolours, a trusty series 7 sable winsor and newton brush (number 1) and worked onto an RK Fatpad sketchbook (available from lots of art material suppliers), this one has the old Fabriano classico paper in.

Step 1:

Draw up the berries in pencil line.  Be sure to only make one clear line, furry lines aren’t very helpful when it comes to using watercolour.

Be sure to draw the shape of each individual berry as accurately as possible and don’t be afraid to look really closely at the residual remains at the tip of each berry, these help the berries look real.

Here’s a close up view.

Step 2:

Mix up a nice dark hue.  For this Hawthorn I mixed purple with Alizarin crimson, Vandyke brown and a touch of a dark blue.  Experiment with your mixing until you’re satisfied it looks right.  You can even test the paint by applying a tiny bit to the berry itself, and you should always pop a bit on some watercolour paper to ensure it looks as good on the page as it does in the palette.

Paint in the shapes of the darkest parts of the shadow on each berry, leave any areas which are shiny as white paper.  Be brave about where the edges of these dark areas are, we’ll soften these in the next step.

The paint needs to be mobile but not too wishy washy; it sounds unpleasant, but it should be more or less the consistency of blood.  Let the paint dry fully before moving onto the next step.

Here’s a close up of the berries with this dark layer dry and ready for the next step.

Step 3:

Mix up a brighter red.  I used Alizarin crimson and Cadmium orange dark with a touch of yellow.  Leaving out the blue and brown and purple pigments explains why the hue is brighter than before.  Use water to make this mix a little paler (to make what’s known as a “tint” of the colour), then paint this over the top of the dark areas, and around the edges of your highlighted area.

Use clean water to soften the edges of this colour where it touches the white, and even blot slightly with a tissue to soften it further.  Make sure you still leave plenty of white paper to show where the shine is!

Here’s a close up so you can see the concentric lines of paint; dark shadows, reddish hue, watered down tint (with blotting apparent in some places), white paper.  Let the paint dry fully before moving onto the next step.

Step 4:

Mix up a paler orange colour.  This one was made by mixing Cadmium orange dark with cadmium orage light.
As before, make a tint of the colour by diluting it with water.  Paint this over the berries and into the edges of the remaining areas of highlight.  Try not to cover the white areas completely.  Allow this colour to cover the less shiny highlights, they’ll still read as shiny, but less shiny than the brightest areas.

Be sure to leave some of the white paper still showing – don’t cover it all with colour!  Let the paint dry fully.

In this close up you can see how the layer of orange red has added to the depth of colour of the berries.

Here’s a photo of my sketchbook and the sprig in progress, you can see the colour notes at the bottom of the page where I’ve tested out my mixes.

Step 5:

Paint the details of the berry tips – this is mostly browns and yellow ochre with a touch of red.A pale wash of a pink light Crimson lake can be put over the berries (but not the brightest highlights), knocking back the highlights on the under part of each berry.

Leave your highlights white.

Mix a dark hue, I used Winsor blue with Vandyke brown and Purple, and apply this carefully to show the darkest shadows on the berries.  Less is more at this point, don’t take the whole berry to a really dark colour.  You can see where this dark mix has been used as a drop shadow beween the top and lower berry, and near the stalk.

Finished berries!

One of the wonderful things about working up close and large is that once you’ve finished and get a little distance from your illustration it always looks so much better than it did in progress!  You can see in this photo the very dark hue I mixed up for the shadows (in the paintbox middle pan) and the brightest of the orange reds I used (in the bottom pan).

If you’d like a condensed version of this as a printable image to work from, have a look at my Pinterest board where I’m trying to post some of these as one-page handouts for folks to work from (please only use these for your personal learning, thanks).

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I picked up two illustrations from my excellent framing workshop Fitting Frames  this week.  I also had a jigsaw of the Waterbugs and Dragonflies illustration made up.  The painting is destined for a house with small children in, so I’ve included that in the photo too.

Paintings that have been sold

I  sold a framed illustration of mixed wildflowers; which included hawthorn, sloe, and pyramidal orchid.

Another two of my illustrations, a salmon and a trout, raised a very decent amount at our local school Christmas fair (Hay on Wye Primary School), which was gratifying.

Ash Die-back

I decided a useful project would be to research and paint an illustration of diagnostic symptoms, to help people identify ash die-back.  According to the Woodland Trust, ash die back has been identified at more than 257 sites across the UK, and a local friend has just found the first case in Herefordshire.  What surprised me was how many different traces the disease leaves. Cankers appear, and there’s damage to the stems.  The crown withers.  Sprigs and leaves curl up and die (with a tell-tale black midrib along each leaf).   White fruiting bodies appear on leaf stipes and on blackened twigs in leaf litter. In all cases the fungus responsible is Hymenoscyphus pseudialbidus.  Internal damage to the wood leaves it greyish brown and mouldy.  I only have the thinning of the crown and a dying sapling left to paint, then the piece will be completed.

It’s a fascinating project, but also enormously upsetting; I’m very fond of ash trees with their hopeful upturned branches and beautiful black buds.  Along with many other people, I will be deeply saddened as the effect of this disease becomes more apparent across the British landscape.

I’ve also updated business contacts and done some more promotional work.   I hope to send out my Christmas mail-shot next week.

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