Mary Vaux Walcott (1860–1940) was an American artist and naturalist celebrated for her detailed watercolor paintings of North American wildflowers. Born in Philadelphia, she developed a passion for art and the natural sciences, spending numerous summers exploring and documenting plant species in the Canadian Rockies. Her dedication led to the publication of the five-volume series North American Wild Flowers in 1925, earning her recognition as the "Audubon of Botany."
One of her notable works is the 1938 watercolor Psilostrophe sparsiflora, commonly known as the green-stem paperflower. This painting, is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection. The artwork captures the delicate yellow blooms of the plant, which is native to the southwestern United States, including Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. Walcott's meticulous attention to detail highlights the plant's unique characteristics, contributing to both artistic and botanical fields.
