James Marion Shull

James Marion Shull (1872–1948) was an American botanist, botanical illustrator, and horticultural writer. He worked for the U.S. government as an illustrator and botanist, including many years with the Department of Agriculture, and became especially known for his work with irises and daylilies.

Alongside his scientific career, he also published writing, including The Washington Peace Carillon, and his name appears in older library and public-domain catalogs as an author. His life’s work blended careful observation with a gift for presentation, whether he was painting plants, developing cultivars, or writing for readers.

Shull is remembered today less as a conventional literary figure than as a creative naturalist whose art, research, and writing all grew from the same deep interest in the plant world.