Familiar Patterns of Early Origin 

Jessica Lazner, 2026
Watercolour and colour pencil

Illustrated using watercolour and pencil, this artwork features four representatives of an early-diverging land plant lineage: the leafy liverworts (Jungermanniidae) from ~320 MA. Tiny and unsuspecting to the naked eye, these plants hold an incredible diversity in their morphological patterning, represented here by the unique shapes and arrangement of their leaves which are often finely lobed or toothed. DNA sequences containing familiar motifs (TATA-box, start and stop codons) intersect with lines and patterns swirling around the plants to highlight the fluid nature of genetic evolution and gene expression.

This artwork was co-inspired by research in my PhD lab investigating the genetics underlying growth and development of bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) and project work I completed for the National Herbarium of Victoria illustrating microscopic leafy liverworts as a tool for species identification.