Reconstructing the Botanical Past: Art and Paleobotany

Paleoart is an important tool for paleobotanists when reconstructing fossil plants and ancient ecosystems, and communicating with diverse audiences. Plants are fundamental components of terrestrial ecosystems. Thus, accurately depicting ancient plants in art is crucial for communicating comprehensive knowledge about ancient life. Here, we briefly review the history of paleobotanical art, discuss the challenges when accurately depicting plants in paleoreconstructions, and highlight recent works that reconcile isolated plant organs into scientifically accurate wholeplant and landscape-level reconstructions. Historically, paleoart has included plants as background elements in art featuring charismatic vertebrates, resulting in poorly depicted plants and ecosystems. Plant blindness—the phenomenon in which humans are more inclined to detect and appreciate fauna than flora—is a persistent problem for science communicators, botanists, and paleobotanists. Although plant blindness is rampant in 20th-century paleoart, modern paleoart that accurately incorporates and focuses on ancient plants can increase plant visibility in portrayals of the geologic past.