Mattias Lanas

Major: Earth Systems
Year: Coterminal Senior

Mattias Lanas is an Earth Systems major with interests in nature illustration and detail-oriented fine art. This botanical series is part of a project to document some of the common flora found at Stanford Sierra Camp, where Mattias spent this past summer working as the art instructor. He hopes to one day launch his passions for natural science and fine art into a career.

Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata)
This genus is known for its hemiparasiticism: it often taps into the roots of grasses. The red parts are actually not petals, but sepals (modified leaves). The true flower is yellow and tube-like, protruding out of some of the sepal clusters.

Crimson Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
A perennial native to the Western United States, it has a history of multiple uses by Native Americans as medicine, decoration, and food. Aquilegia comes from the Latin aquil, meaning eagle, and formosa means beautiful.

Sierra Bog Orchid (Platanthera dilatata)
As its name suggests, this orchid grows in boggy meadows and generally moist areas in the Sierras. The small white flowers on its stalk produce a fragrant, sweet perfume that can be smelled from a fair distanceaway. The plant’s range extends north all the way to Alaska, and it is especially common in the mountainous regions of the Pacific Northwest.