The Plantae et Papiliones Rariores (‘Rare Plants and Butterflies’) is an odd, hybrid work. It is neither a fully scientific botanical book nor a purely decorative publication. It was a personal venture, drawn, etched and published by Ehret himself. It illustrated plants that would have been unfamiliar to a general audience at the time. This plate is a pseudo-scientific table showing the various parts of dissected flowers. But it is presented in a trompe-l'oeil style, as if overlaid by botanical prints or drawings. Ehret was one of the most gifted botanical illustrators of the 18th century. Many of his illustrations are in the V&A collections.