Mary Gilardi
California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica
Eliza Jewett
Woolly Paintbrush, Castilleja foliolosa
Nancy Wheeler Klippert
Summer Lupine, Lupinus formosus
The Mt. Tamalpais Florilegium is an exhibition of paintings and drawings of the flora of Mt. Tamalpais created by members of the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists (NCalSBA).The collection has expanded over the past three years and now documents a large sampling of the native plants growing on Mt. Tamalpais, including some of its rare and special status species. This is the first exhibition of the complete Mt. Tamalpais Florilegium to date, showcasing the unique beauty of its flora in the hope that others will be inspired to learn more about the mountain and join the efforts to protect it.
About the Florilegium
This third exhibition of the Mount Tamalpais Florilegium at Marin Art and Garden Center includes 90 paintings and drawings completed to date by 50 artists. Works still in progress will continue to be added to the Florilegium as they are completed.
Digital images of the entire collection will be donated to One Tam for its use in education and outreach.
What is a florilegium?
A florilegium is a collection of botanically accurate plant portraits documenting a sampling of the flora growing in a specific area.
This Florilegium documents a large sampling of the native flora growing on Mount Tamalpais, including many of its endangered and special status species.
Participating Artists
Latifat Apatira
Mary Batchelder
Béatrice Bergemont
Ellen Blonder
Cynthia Byrne-Margetts
Sophie Chartier
Hyunjin Cho
Betsy Chovanes
Alice Condit
Ruth Cox
Kelly Darpinian
Catherine Dellor
Rosemary Dunbar
Tamira Elul
Shelly Euser
Lynne K. Finley
Maria Cecilia Freeman
Mary Gilardi
Elaine Goldstone
Mary Ellen Grimes
Mary Harden
Mary Ann Ho
Kristin Jakob
Eliza Jewett
Linda Kam
Deborah Kass
Mimi Kearns
Mary Ellen King
Victoria A. Kochergin
Heather Kostrzewa
Patricia Larenas
Helen Lewis
Andrea LoPinto
Lynne Lyle
Susan Mark-Raymond
Lucy Martin
Lee McCaffree
Dolores Morrison
Cheryl Perko
Sally Petru
Vi Strain
Amber R. Turner
Connie Van Ness
Barbara Ward
Catherine Watters
Liz Wilberg
The Mount Tamalpais Florilegium is not only an exhibition depicting beautiful flowers and plants, but also an example of what our mountain has to offer our community.
We hope that by showcasing the unique beauty of Mt. Tam’s flora, others will be impelled to learn more about these natural resources and join in our efforts to protect them.
Mt. Tam’s botanical treasures inspired NCalSBA member artists Mary Gilardi, Kristin Jakob, Laurel Kelly, and Lee McCaffree to begin a discussion in 2017 with NCalSBA to create this Florilegium.
Photo courtesy of One Tam
With the help of Monica Stafford, One Tam community ambassador, and Suzanne Whelan, Marin Municipal Water District’s volunteer coordinator, we jointly hosted several outings on the mountain for our members. Our project partners were instrumental in guiding us through the proper procedures for observing, photographing, and collecting specimens for the artworks on display in the exhibit.
Mount Tamalpais: A Global Biodiversity Hotspot
Margi Connelly
Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia
Mt. Tam is home to a remarkably diverse native plant flora, in large part due to its varied topography and geology.
Its vegetation types, or plant communities, include dense woodlands of coast redwoods, mixed forests of Douglas fir and hardwoods, oak woodlands, and various shrublands and grasslands. Moist habitats along streams and seeps or around ponds support special plants, as do outcroppings of serpentine soils, our special state rock.
In all, over 1,200 native plant species—including over 10% of the native plants found in California—may be found in the Mt. Tamalpais watershed, and the Florilegium aims to illustrate a representative selection of these from all its habitats.
