^qf '] Fuller, Some South African Scenes and Flowers. 57 



SOME SOUTH AFRICAN SCENES AND FLOWERS. 



By (Miss) Amy V. Fuller. 



{Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 14th June, 191 5.) 



To attempt to interest a company so much more learned than 

 myself seems great presumption on my part, for I know but 

 little of the science of botany. It was only my love of flowers 

 that prompted me to find a way to preserve the memory of the 

 thousands of native flowers that came under my notice whilst 

 I was living in Cape Town with my relatives. 



For the first few weeks I tried to press all the different 

 varieties I came across, but this was not at all satisfactory, 

 as so many of them were succulent, such as the Mesembry- 

 anthemums, Lachenalias, Rocheas, water-lilies, &c, and others 

 were too solid, such as the Proteas. Leucospermums, Leuca- 

 dendrons, &c, so that I determined to try and paint them. 

 I had had a few drawing lessons at school, which now stood 

 me in good stead. Of course, I began by attempting only the 

 easiest flowers, but became so enthusiastic that before long 

 I tried anything and everything. Some are, of course, not as 

 successful as others, but I will show them to you, just as I 

 sketched them originally. 



I have painted about 325 South African specimens, which 

 the late Prof. MacOwen named for me, also 165 Western Aus- 

 tralian flowers, which were named by the late Dr. Morrison, 

 and have recently started on some Victorian and New South 

 Wales varieties, which my friends at the Melbourne Botanic 

 Gardens and Mr. J. H. Maiden, of Sydney, respectively, have 

 kindly identified for me. 



During a recent visit to London, the authorities at the Royal 

 Gardens at Kew wished to purchase part of my collection for 

 their herbarium, choosing the flowers that were most un- 

 common, and of which they had no representations other than 

 pressed specimens, and it was with a heavy heart that I parted 

 with the 102 sheets which they selected, as my flowers have 

 always been very dear to me. Among those that I still retain 

 you will probably find only a few that are not more or less 

 familiar in a cultivated state, for naturally those purchased 

 by Kew were the most rare — chiefly Rhodesian, together with 

 some of my Western Australian specimens. 



What struck me so much in South Africa was that there 

 was scarcely any time of the year when I could find no flowers 

 to paint, so to-night I purpose showing the flowers according 

 to their flowering month, instead of arranging them in their 

 orders and species. I dated most of my specimens at the time 

 of putting them on paper, so will start with January, as being 

 the first month in the year, and show you what I have to 



