Plate 5 Selliera radicans

This creeping herb, which grows on damp sand flats, coastal muds and in rocky places within the reach of salt spray, was painted by Parkinson in Queen Charlotte Sound. The painting was finished by F. P. Nodder in 1782. The leaves are fleshy and the lop-sided (zygomorphic) flowers have white petals with light blue or pink stripes. Selliera radicans occurs in the North and South Islands and on Stewart Island, as well as in Tasmania, southeast Australia and Chile. It is a member of the predominantly Australian family Goodeniaceae.

Courtesy of the Director, National Museum, Wellington

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Plate 6 Geranium microphyllum

This engraving was made from a watercolour Sydney Parkinson painted at Tolaga Bay in October 1779. Geranium microphyllum is found in lowland to montane grassland throughout the North and South Islands, Stewart Island, and the Auckland and Campbell Islands. A description of this species was not published until 1844, after J.D. Hooker had visited the Auckland Islands. Geranium is a large cosmopolitan genus of about 400 species, five of which occur naturally in New Zealand. Geranium microphyllum is a small plant with straggling stems. The illustration shows flower buds, flowers and immature fruits. The petals are white, as in this specimen, or pinkish.

Courtesy of the Director, National Museum, Wellington

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