Kay Sullivan
Eustrephus latifolius
wombat berry
2019, scraperboard, watercolour
37.5 x 27.5 cm
Collected 1770: Botany Bay, Bustard Bay
Collected 2018: Allora
The artist has inscribed the plant form on black scraperboard, effectively expressing the strong twining stems with parallel veined leaves. Watercolour accents have been added to feature the delicate pale pink flowers with fringed petals and the fruits, which turn bright orange before splitting to reveal numerous back seeds and white flesh.
The fruits are edible, as are the numerous and fleshier tubers which develop on the roots and can be eaten raw or baked.
Mallotus philippensis
kamala tree
2019, scraperboard, watercolour
43 x 27 cm
Collected 1770: Endeavour River
Observed 2018: The Gap
The artist has used the medium of scraperboard to feature the alternate leaves which are characteristically three-veined from the base and prominently patterned. Female flowers and fruit are also on display and given gentle accents of colour. The engraving technique on the black ground set fine details clearly.
Kamala powder, the red mealy powder coating the fruit capsules, is widely used in Asia as a dye for silk and wool, and also as a medicine for treating worms and parasitic skin diseases.
The plant also provides a useful timber, oil and tannins. It is grown as an ornamental, and valued especially for its red fruits.
© 2020 Botanical Artists’ Society Queensland