The composition of this painting, with the tree front-and-center against a far distant horizon, echoes the 15th-century Italian Renaissance paintings that Joseph Stella looked to for inspiration. In 1896, Stella, then 19 years old, emigrated from Italy to the United States, and he balanced the artistic traditions of his two homelands throughout his career. In 1922, he returned to Italy for a visit to Naples, near his birthplace, and traveled to the nearby island of Capri, which may have inspired the botanical subject of this painting. For Stella, plants and flowers embodied joy, peace, and spirituality. His use of vivid color adds to the drama and mystery of the work.