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Overview
Nancy Adams was one of New Zealand’s most prolific botanists, and a talented artist. She painted an incredible number of botanical illustrations, using them to produce important books about New Zealand flora, seaweeds, mosses and trees. One of these books is Wild Flowers in New Zealand, Nancy Adams’ homage to the flowers often overlooked—dismissed as weeds, or too commonplace to be investigated with curiosity.
In her introduction to Wild Flowers in New Zealand Adams outlines her philosophy towards this kind of flora:
We are rightly concerned with the preservation of our native vegetation in all its forms, yet strangely blind to a most diverse and interesting flora made up of naturalised and native plants that is now found in all but the more remote areas of mountain, bush and swamp.
The fifteen full-colour watercolour plates are skilfully painted by Adams, accompanied by charming descriptive text. She includes rich descriptions of the flowers’ colours, the places they tend to pop up, and oftentimes their reputation among gardeners. Much like Adams’ botanical illustrations, Wild Flowers in New Zealand is a book that blends the whimsy and the precision of her approach to botanical illustration.
This watercolour is included in Wild Flowers in New Zealand as 'Plate 8'.
In order of top left, top right, then bottom centre, here are Adams' descriptions of the flowers:
"Geraniums have for many years been widely planted and now are naturalised particularly in warm seaside localities. Although commonly known as geraniums, both the round - and ivy-leaved kinds correctly belong in the genus Pelargonium. All the bushy and climbing garden hybrids of geranium and pelargonium strike easily from discarded trimmings to provide a vivid summer display of magenta, scarlet and pink.
Botanical name: Pelargonium hybrid, South Africa. Family: Geraniaceae."
"The flame vine is a high climber of bush edges in certain cool, moist areas, particularly coastal Southland, Stewart Island and some Canterbury forests. It is a fast-growing perennial climber with blue-black succulent fruits.
Botanical name: Tropaeolum speciosum, Chile. Family: Tropaeolaceae."
"Garden nasturtiums are well established in all but the frostier districts. In mild areas they flower for many months in both sunny and shady places with flowers of cream, yellow and orange on long trailing stems.
Botanical name: Tropaeolum majus, South America. Family: Tropaeolaceae."