Cochlospermum gillvraei Benth., 8×8″, watercolor, 2016

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/624696
These seed pods grow on a tree, Bixaceae Cochlospermum gillivaei, a yellow flowered species common in Brasil, hailing from Australia. I haven’t determined its common name yet. Not being a botanist myself, I’ll offer the caveat that the above information might be wrong.

When I see a plant that interest me I take a photo. Then I paint it. Afterwards, I look through the three botany books I bought when I got to Brasil. If I can’t find a photo that matches my painting, I head for Google and search with words, then search the ‘Images’ that result. I scroll through pics, sometimes hundreds, til a visual match shows up. I then follow links that give me the name and characteristics of the object I painted.

So… there’s plenty of room for error in my research methods. However, I have a limited amount of time to spend ferreting out info, especially when it absorbs time I might otherwise spend painting. I have a curious, not scientific, mind. My botanical paintings deal in generalities, neglecting minutia.
I’m okay with that.

Ref: http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-44529