Botanical artists need to develop competence in botany.
​This page is about books written specifically to help educate artists about botany.
Botanical art is about science - specifically botany - as well as art since it originated from a need to be able to describe a plant or flower so it could be identified.

The need to develop botanical competence

Botanical artists can no longer limit their technical expertise to artistic skills and competences relating to botanical art in terms of e.g. drawing to scale or building surface texture and depth of colour.

There is an increasing emphasis on top botanical artists having skills in botany. One of the crucial tests in assessing the quality of a botanical painting or drawing is the accuracy in the portrayal of a plant. ​To succeed in this area artists must also understand the plants they seek to portray.
In the last five years, a number of botany books tailored for artists have been written and published.

These:
  • seek to fill the gap in instruction available. 
  • enable the botanical artist to understand the structures of the plant so that they can create an illustration that is accurate, useful and convincing.​
  • help the very many students of botanical art who will find the science of botany very helpful to their studies and development of their art.
  • review how botanical information has been published in the past - via botanical wall charts
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Anatomy of a Flower - a spread from "Botany for the Artist" by Sarah Simblet, published by Dorling Kindersley

The Best Botany Books for Artists
​

In-depth Book reviews
 This page contains (below) three compendiums about botany for botanical artists and illustrators- with commentary
  • Botany for the Artist - An Inspirational Guide to Drawing Plants by Sarah Simblet
  • Understanding the Flowering Plants: A Practical Guide for Botanical Illustrators by Anne Bebington
  • ​Botany for Artists by Lizbeth Leech
Plus
  • A Botanist's Vocabulary by Susan K. Pell with illustrations for terms by Bobbi Angell
Plus 
  • Botanical Illustration: Preparation for Publication by Noel H. Holmgren and Bobbi Angell 
Plus
  • The Botanical Wall Chart by Anna Laurent

This is a developing resource. Suggestions are most welcome - please contact me.
This page has the summary book reviews.  The in-depth reviews are on a separate page.

READ THE IN-DEPTH REVIEW by clicking the button below

Buying books via this website

You'll notice two links next to most books after the suggested action of "BUY THIS BOOK". The links are to the respective titles (which are sometimes slightly different) at:
  • Amazon.com
  • Amazon.co.uk
Why buy via this website?
Two reasons:
  1. You will help offset the not insignificant cost of running this website. Think of it as a "Thank You" if you've enjoyed / appreciated the content. The links are associate links and each purchase generates a very small sum - and by buying books you help this site to continue...
  2. You will be using a very secure link. I will only ever provide a link to a site that I KNOW is totally secure. Google is making security of sites a top priority and has endorsed Amazon's security status via its Transparency report
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Some of my books helpful to those wanting to understand more about botany for artists and botanical illustration

Botanical Journals
​

This page will also include list Botanical Journals. To date it includes links to
  • Curtis's Botanical Magazine and
  • the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society (including iTunes and Android apps)
Botany for the Artist: ​An Inspirational Guide to Drawing Plants - by Sarah Simblet

​HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - This is the best rated book on the market for those who want to understand more about botany for artists. 

​Many have also described it as 'inspirational'.
About the book: The quality of the text and illustrations is absolutely first class and the whole book provides a fresh perspective on botany for the artist while losing none of the fundamental and enduring truths of what's required of botanical illustration.

The book follows a conventional structure of starting with media and materials and approaches to drawing before focusing on very specific aspects of botany and how to draw plants.

READ my detailed review 
Book Review: Botany for the Artist 
​
​OR check out the reviews of others who have bought this book
Hardback: 256 pages
Date of publication: February 2010
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley.
Size: 254 x 298mm
Also available as an ebook

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
​Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • in UK: 4.9 based on 50 customer reviews
  • in USA: 4.6 based on 75 customer reviews​

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About the author: Dr Sarah Simblet is not a botanist and nor is she a botanical artist. However she teaches drawing at the Ruskin School of Art at the University of Oxford, is an excellent draughtsman, writer and lecturer who is an expert in drawing and communicating about art and drawing and is also the author of two excellent drawing books. She has drawings in national and private collections, including the Royal Academy of Art, London and Ashmolean, Oxford.  She also illustrated The New Sylva: A Discourse of Forest and Orchard Trees for the Twenty-First Century

Characteristics of her approach in this book are:
  • she never works from photos and always works from life and her personal experience of a subject.
  • she brought a fresh and expert eye to the challenge of how to draw plants from a botanical perspective and her experience in teaching means that she uses an excellent approach to communicating the key messages. 
I've met Sarah Simblet a few times at various drawing events and lectures and she's a first-rate teacher as well as a fine artist and draughtswoman. I did a class with her while she was writing this book - and I've also written a couple of blog posts about her work and teaching. The two posts below were written after attending a workshop on drawing trees and two lectures on drawing at the National Gallery in London
You can also see her in a video talking about the differences within botanical illustration and art from different perspectives on What is Botanical Art?
Understanding the Flowering Plants: A Practical Guide for Botanical Illustrators by Anne Bebington
​

​The book is written for everyone - even those with very little botanical knowledge. 

It is now used as a reference book for the module on botany for artists taught on the SBA Diploma Course by Anne Bebbington
It covers:
  • What is a flowering plant? - reviews the major plants groups
  • The approach to a botanical study - includes choosing, collecting and looking after plant material
  • Tools and techniques - looks at methods for indicating size and the role of photography, computers and scanner
  • The flowering plant - structure and living processes - reviews the different parts of a plant and how it grows
  • Leaves - a detailed chapter on the different forms and structure of leaves and how they attach to a stem
  • Roots and stems - considers their man in forms, features and functions and how to distinguish between a root and a stem
  • Life spans and asexual reproduction - looks at indicators of reproduction
  • Flowers - analyses how to examine a flower and the different features
  • Sexual reproduction - considers the mechanics of pollination
  • Fruits, seeds and their dispersal - includes a section on popular fruits and seeds 
  • Seeds - their structure and germination - looks at the different types of seeds
  • Winter twigs
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Crowood Press
Date of Publication: (March 1, 2015). 

RECOMMENDED:
​Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • in UK: 5.0 based on 6 customer reviews
  • in USA: 5.0 based on 2 customer reviews​

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​About the author: Anne Bebington is a botanist, an ecology teacher and founder member and is also a Past President of the Institute for Analytical Plant Illustration. She currently works as a freelance natural history illustrator and tutor.
Anne Bebington assesses botanical accuracy in the Diploma Work submitted by students of the Distance Learning Diploma Course run by the Society of Botanical Artists. 
​
This is an interview with the author on the Natural History Book Service blog:
Anne Bebbington on botanical illustration and her new book, Understanding the Flowering Plants
Botany for Artists by Lizbeth Leech

About the book: This book provides botanical artists with an accessible introduction to plant science.
The aim of this book is to enable artists to achieve more informed and technical accurate plant portraits when recording plant forms and details as well as displaying competence in painting or creating an aesthetically pleasing botanical artwork.

​It includes
  • Introduction to all the different plant families and structures and identifies their characteristics - plus fungi
  • Advice and handy tips on topics relevant to botanical artists
  • Observation helpsheets
​Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: The Crowood Press Ltd 
​​Date of Publication: 21 Nov. 2011

RECOMMENDED
Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • in UK: 4.5 based on 9 customer reviews
  • in USA: 4.7 based on 7 customer reviews​

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Botany for Artists from Amazon UK
Botany for Artists from Amazon.com
About the author: Lizabeth (Liz) Leech is a trained botanist. She has
  • a BSc honours degree in Botany from the University of Exeter 
  • an MSc by research from Melbourne University.
  • a Diploma in Botanical art from the English Gardening School in 2002. 
She now describes herself as "a botanist, botanical artist and experienced tutor and teacher of botany, ecology and biology" and she regularly lectures on various aspects of botany for artists. She is also one of the founder members of and the Honorary Botanical Advisor to the Hampton Court Palace Florilegium Society. ​​
Botanical Illustration: Preparation for Publication by Noel H. Holmgren and Bobbi Angell

​This is a technical manual - an instruction and reference book - for professional botanical illustrators preparing illustrations for publication.

​It focuses on how to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way

However it was published more than 30 years ago!
I got it out of interest and found it contained much of interest to the contemporary botanical illustrator. The discussion of different tools, materials and their uses alone would make it a valuable addition to the library of a serious artist.

It covers:
  • working relationships between authors and artists
  • basic art tools and materials and their use and care
  • the size and proportion of plates
  • how to prepare figure labels and captions
  • plant illustrations - practical pointers on what to do and look for
  • maps and graphs, photographs and other half tone work
  • how to ship, store and care for your illustrations
Paperback: 74 pages
Publisher: New York Botanical Garden Pr Dept
Publication Date: February 1, 1986

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (by me!) 
Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • in UK: 5.0 based on 1 customer review
  • in USA: 5.0 based on 1 customer review

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About the authors: 
  • Bobbi Angell has been drawing plants for the botanists of the New York Botanical Garden since 1978 after graduating with a degree in botany. She's a member of the American Society of Botanical artists and New England Society of Botanical Artists. Like most professional botanical illustrators, her monochrome images are created from herbarium specimens, pickled flowers, photographs and field sketches - and are published in scientific publications.
  • Her co-author was Dr. Noel Holmgren who was associated with The New York Botanical Garden for over 50 years, first as a graduate student, then as Curator (at the time of the book), and finally Senior Curator Emeritus (retired 2005). He was also Chairman of The New York Botanical Garden Scientific Publications Committee.

Bobbi Angell's two publications on this page are unique within botanical illustration.

SEE ALSO: Botanical Illustration ​- Books by ​Bobbi Angell for more in-depth coverage of these two books (above and below) and my blog post
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Bobbi Angell in Vermont
NEW!   A Botanist's Vocabulary by Susan K. Pell and Bobbi Angell

​HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
This book explains 1300 botanical terms and illustrates these using Bobbi Angell's impeccable pen and ink botanical illustrations.
​Reviews: 
​Her co-author was Susan K. Pell, Ph.D., former Director of Science at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, is the Deputy Director and Science and Public Programs Manager at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.

​Hardcover: 228 pages
Publisher: Timber Press
Publication date: May 25, 2016

​BUY IN THE USA
Rated an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars by 20 customer reviews

​BUY IN THE UK
Rated an average of 5 out of 5 stars by 1 customer review
About the authors:

  • Susan K. Pell, Ph.D., former Director of Science at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, is the Deputy Director and Science and Public Programs Manager at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.
  • Bobbi Angell - see above
Bobbi Angell creates richly detailed pen and ink drawings for botanists at the New York Botanical Garden and other institutions, and for many years illustrated the New York Times Garden Q&A column. A gardener and printmaker as well as an illustrator, she lives in southern Vermont.
Author profile
The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms by Michael Hickey and Clive King

​RECOMMENDED: This is the #1 Best Seller in Biological Taxonomy & Systematics.
I bought my copy from the Cambridge University Press shop in Cambridge (opposite the Senate House in the centre of Cambridge)
It covers 2400 botanical terms used to describe vascular plants. These mainly relate to structures visible to the naked eye or when using a x10 lens.

The term is defined precisely and is accompanied by a line drawing. It not only provides a reference for plant terms but also provides a guide for how certain structural elements can be drawn in pen and ink (line and stipple). 

​The diagrams are good examples of how illustrations could be produced by authors and by students.
Paperback: 222 pages
(of which Illustrations use 127 large format pages)
Also available on Kindle.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication date: 12th reprint - 16 Nov. 2000 ​​
BUY IN UK
Rated an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 20 customer reviews
​BUY IN USA
Rated an average of 4.1 out of 5 stars based on 4 customer reviews​ (biased by a negative review of this book on Kindle)
​Americans might want to review the cost of buying in the UK + international shipping given the listed cost of buying in the USA
About the authors: 
  • ​Michael Hickey (1930-2005) trained in botany and horticulture and was awarded RHS Silver Gilt and Silver Lindley Medals for his pen and ink botanical drawings. Founded the Institute of Analytical Plant Illustration.  He also contributed Illustrations to two more CUP books with Clive King - "A 100 Plant Families" and "Common Families of Flowering Plants" 
  • ​Clive King spent 30+ years at Cambridge Botanic Garden as Assistant Taxonomist and Librarian
The Botanical Wall Chart by Anna Laurent
UK cover
USA cover
This is a collection of c.120 nineteenth century botanical wall charts - a synthesis of art, science and education - arranged in alphabetical order by plant family, which allows you to compare how different botanical illustrators in different countries tackled a plant family..

Each chapter is prefaced by a taxonomic summary for that family which details the characteristics of the family.

The illustrations are superb and typically full plate size. The text which accompanies each plate explains what you can see in the chart and what botanical features are illustrated.

One of the things which really irritated me is that the text is tiny. I'm not a fan of tiny text.
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Ilex Press; UK ed. edition
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published in UK: 11 Aug. 2016
Published in USA: October 24, 2016

RECOMMENDED
Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars
  • in UK: 5.0 based on 4 customer reviews
  • in USA: 5.0 based in 8 customer reviews

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About the author: Anna Laurent is a flora-focused writer and photographer.
  • Studied biological anthropology and literature at Harvard University
  • Worked in documentary filmmaking before moving to Los Angeles, where she became dedicated to exploring the botanic diversity of Southern California. She collects and photographs seed pods around the United States and abroad, partnering with botanical gardens and arboreta to expand the project.
  • She is contributing editor to Garden Design magazine, where she wrote two weekly columns: Art & Botany and Botanic Notables.
  • Since 2010 she has been a writer and producer for an ongoing documentary called The Iraqi Seed Project, about heirloom species and economic botany in the Fertile Crescent. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
NEW: Flora: Inside the Secret World of Plants
Published in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

This book uses photos - with graphical diagrams - to explain how plants work and the various functions and botany of trees, flowers and foliage plants
UK Cover
USA Cover
Hardcover: 360 pages
Publisher: DK
Publication Date: 4 Oct. 2018
Product Dimensions: 25.8 x 3.2 x 30.7 cm

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On Other Page: More Books with a specialist focus
​

These are listed according to the page they can be found on - the link to the page is in the BLUE title.

You may also find the complementary publications about different aspects of botany and plants useful.
Plant Morphology and Anatomy - two books:
  • Plant Form: An Illustrated Guide to Flowering Plant Morphology
  • Handbook of Plant Forms for Botanical Artists
Plant evolution and taxonomy - two books:
  • ​The Art of Plant Evolution 
Plants and Plant Life
  • RHS Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers
Recording a Plant - two books
  • Botanical Sketchbook (an SBA recommended publication)
  • The Herbarium Handbook - published by Kew
​​Plant Names and Botanical Latin - three books
  • The Kew Plant Glossary - an illustrated guide to plant terms; 
  • RHS Latin for Gardeners and
  • Botanical Latin: History, Grammar, Syntax, Terminology and Vocabulary
Botanical Dictionaries
  • The Kew Plant Glossary
  • Plus a number of online resources

Botanical Journals
​

This is a list of Botanical Journals (source: wikipedia)
Curtis's Botanical Magazine 
published for the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew by Blackwell Publishing

In continuous production for over 220 years, the ‘bot mag’ has introduced countless plants to botanists, horticulturalists and artists alike.  It's also the longest running botanical periodical featuring colour illustrations of plants. Each four-part volume contains 24 plant portraits reproduced from watercolour originals by leading international botanical artists.

Detailed but accessible articles combine horticultural and botanical information, history, conservation and economic uses of the plants described.  
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The Botanical Magazine (Volume 1) by William Curtis. Printed by Couchman & Fry at Throgmorton Street for W. Curtis at his Botanic Garden at Lambeth Marsh
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Curtis Botanical Magazine exhibiting at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2015
Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society

This is very botanical and is not oriented towards artists. However you can also access online every journal and the proceedings of previous years
The Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society publishes original papers of relevance to, and reviews of, the taxonomy of all plant groups and fungi, including anatomy, biosystematics, cytology, ecology, ethnobotany, electron microscopy, morphogenesis, palaeobotany, palynology and phytochemistry.
Source: Wikipedia
You can also get an app for the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society on the iTunes app store. Those who currently to Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society can “pair” their device with their personal or institutional subscription to enjoy full access in this iPad edition.  Otherwise you can subscribe to the Journal within the app.


You can also subscribe to the Journal via Google Play and an Android app
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Display of how the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society displays on the iTunes app.