First Fleet artwork collection

A Grass tree against a plain background, with two additional details of the flower spikes. The main drawing depicts a plant with a thick brown trunk overlaid with black cross hatched lines and small yellow patches. There is a line of green wash indicating ground level, and the base of the trunk and roots are shown beneath this level as pale brown. The leaves are pale green, long and narrow, and form a grass-like tuft which droops downwards covering the top half of the trunk, apart from a small tuft in the centre which is darker green and more upright. One long, slender green stem with a flower spike at the top arises from the centre of this tuft. The flower spike is composed of a pale yellow wash overlaid with grey star-shaped flowers. A detail to the left shows the flower spike at an earlier stage of development as an olive green column overlaid with brown dots, and to the right there is a detail of a later stage, with a pale brown column overlaid with brown and black spikes. The drawing is annotated in brown ink.

• Port Jackson Painter]
• The drawing is inscribed in blue pencil at top right with the number "380", which refers to the pre-1984 numbering system for the Watling Collection.
• The drawing is annotated in brown ink at top "Three stages of the Grass Tree or Yellow Gum Plant", across the centre by the flower spikes "1st", "2d" and "3d", and at bottom right, against a dotted line leading to yellow patches on the trunk, "The yellow Gum".
• 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 12445
• James Lee of Kensington : purchased ; 1902
• Data sheet available