First Fleet artwork collection

Flowering shrub or bush, with details of a flowering branch, insect and ovary drawn at natural size, against a plain background. The whole plant is depicted on the lower half of the sheet, including a thick branching root system, short brown trunk, and foliage represented by individual green pointed leaves and pink flowers. A detail of a flowering branch occupies the top half of the sheet. It has long and narrow leaves which are dark green on the upper surface and paler underneath, overlaid with grey dots and central vein. The flowers have five separated pointed pink petals and a bulbous, pink and white striped ovary. Across the centre of the sheet there is a drawing of a flying insect, possibly a bee, and a detail of the flower's ovary. The drawing is annotated in brown ink.

• Port Jackson Painter]
• The drawing is inscribed in blue pencil at top right with the number "392", which refers to the pre-1984 numbering system for the Watling collection.
• The drawing is annotated in brown ink at upper right "Natural size", at centre beneath the insect "Natural size and beneath a detail of the calyx "Natural size", and at bottom "This Plant grows to the heigth of 5 or 6 foot and generally found = rocky ground - February", with "=amongst" added above the word "found", possibly in a different hand.
• The drawing is unsigned and undated.
• The author of this catalogue record is Suzanne Stenning
• By permission of the trustees of the Natural History Museum (London)
• Two sets of transparencies held in the Natural History Museum (London) Zoology Library and Picture Library: Picture Library reference number 12457
• James Lee of Kensington : purchased ; 1902
• Data sheet available