Tasmanian Plants

When it comes to plant identification guides, there are still some of the opinion that a good illustration is one of the best aids for identification. Sometimes a good illustration is even better than a photograph because photographs can have many distracting elements like shadows or noisy backgrounds etc. It is no surprise that most taxonomic publications and many old guidebooks use line drawing. The Native Trees of Tasmania authored by Jamie Kirkpatrick and illustrated by Sue Backhouse is now in it’s seventh edition, a testimonial to the endearing qualities of illustrated guides.

There’s a new book on Tasmanian wattles titled Wattles of Tasmania now out in bookshops which follows in the tradition of the illustrated field guide. The author and illustrator Marion Simmons is a well known figure among wattle enthusiasts for her illustrations and written work on Australian wattles (see Marion Simmons profile).

Wattles of Tasmania is unique in that it contains everything one needs to become a self-made expert on the wattles of Tasmania. The book is packed with detailed descriptions and illustrations of all the species of Tasmanian Acacias, including the introduced ones. The taxonomy and nomenclature is also up to date. I found out for example, that what I have known as Acacia verniciflua (Varnished Wattle) for some time now is now Acacia leprosa var. graveolens.

Definitely a valuable addition to the library any wattle connoisseur.

I finally managed to take the time out to pop down to the Morris Miller Library, UTAS, to have a good look at the Moss Mania exhibition. Unfortunately I had missed the launch of the exhibition due to sickness.

The exhibition was situated in the exhibition cases at the entrance of the Morris Miller library, with Dr Rod Seppelt’s work was featured in a row on top, and those of Lauren Black were at the bottom. Immediately apparent was the contrast in artistic styles of the two masters.

Rod’s work was done in Indian ink on polyester film, producing a bolder effect. It also included technical histological illustrations of leaf and stem sections. Lauren’s work were pencil drawings and had a more aesthetic feel, with a focus more on capsule details. Nevertheless, it is without a doubt that both are first rate artists and have achieved mastery of their craft.

In addition to displaying the botanical artwork of Dr Rod Seppelt and Lauren Black, the Moss Mania exhibition also featured an impressive number of old books and short biographies of botanists and botanical artists involved in the early years of bryology (the study of bryophytes).

An example of one priceless volume was a book published in 1798, the Theoria generationis et frutifications plantarum cryptogamicarum Lannaei: retractata et aucta by Johann Hedwig. Book titles were rather verbose at that time, it would appear.

While it might seem alien in our current times where virtually everyone spots a camera, some of the early books on bryology actually had real specimens pressed between it’s pages. I had only ever read of something like that until I saw it with my own eyes in the exhibition.

The only other logical means for those early bryologist to depict the subjects of their study would have been via illustrations, and this art it seems, was elevated to a rather sublime level by the 19th century. They even had a system of colour codes so as to accurately depict the colours of the plants they were illustrating.

Modest as the exhibition was, it is impossible to leave without an appreciation of the intricacies required in the craft of botanical artistry, and the rich historical context that has culminated in the sublime artwork of the women and men who continue this admirable art-science synthesis.

The Moss mania exhibition continues till the end of November.

Artist profiles:

Lauren Black studied at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne and has been producing botanical masterpieces since 1997. Lauren has won numerous awards for her artwork and continues her work as a freelance solo artist and teacher A more detailed profile may be found on her professional website.

Rod Seppelt joined the Australian Antarctic Division in 1978 and is a adjunct professor at the Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, USA. He has published a book, The Moss Flora of Macquarie Island, and continues to work on drawings for projects like the Flora of Australia. His profile may be seen at the Australian Antarctic Division’s webpage.

Currently at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, there is a display of baskets woven by aboriginal women, some dating from the 1840′s (See new article here).

The exhibition is called Tayenebe, which means ‘exchange’ in the language of the south eastern Nueonne people of Bruny Island, and reflects the centuries of different cross and intercultural interactions based on the making and collecting of Tasmanian Aboriginal fibre work.

While the impetus for the tayenebe project has been the desire to reconnect with the cultural craft of ancestors, it also opens a window into Tasmanian ethnobotany (the study of plants as it relates to ethnic cultures).

Basket weaving is an ubiquitous theme in ethnic cultures worldwide. Baskets, woven by fibre-plants available as part of the natural vegetation, were held in high regard by aboriginal women and served very practical uses like holding shellfish, eggs and other foodstuffs.

That is where the ethnobotany comes into the picture.

The Tasmanian aborigines used a large number of very common sedge and sedge-like plants in their basket weaving. Examples of these are usually members of the Flag irises (Diplarrena spp.), Flax lilies (Dianella spp.), Sagg (Lomandra longifolia) and sedges of the genus Lepidosperma, a large genus of plants commonly known as swordsedges.

I noted from perusing the exhibition and the publication Tayenebe: Tasmanian Aboriginal women’s fibre work accompanying the exhibition an incomplete list of the plants used by the Tasmanian aborigines for basket weaving. This I have produced below and will update as I find more references.

IRIDACEAE (Iris family)
Diplarrena moraea (White Flag-iris)
Diplarrena latifolia (Western Flag-iris)

Lomandra longifolia (Sagg)

CYPERACEAE (Sedge Family)
Gahnia grandis (Cutting Grass)
Lepidosperma concavum (Sand Swordsedge)
Lepidosperma ensiforme (Arching Swordsedge)
Lepidosperma gladiatum (Coast Swordsedge)
Schoeoplectus pungens (Sharp Clubsedge)

HEMEROCALLIDACEAE (Hemerocallis Family)
Dianella revoluta (Spreading Flaxlily)
Dianella tasmanica (Forest Flaxlily)

JUNCACEAE (Rush Family)
Juncus pallidus (Pale Rush)

LOMANDRACEAE (Lomandra Family)
Lomandra longifolia (Sagg)

Lepidosperma gladiatum (Coast Swordsedge)

MALVACEAE (Mallow Family)
Asterotrichion discolor (Tasmanian Currajong)
Gynatrix pulchella (Fragrant Hempbush)

MYRTACEAE (Eucalypt Family)
Eucalyptus obliqua (Stringybark)

THYMELAEACEAE (Riceflower Family)
Pimelea linifolia (Slender Riceflower)
Pimelea nivea (Bushmans Bootlace)

TYPHACEAE (Cumbungi or Cattail Family)
Typha domingensis (Slender Cumbungi)
Typha orientalis (Broadleaf Cumbungi)

In addition to sedges and sedge-like plants, the aborigines also utilized fibres from some flowering shrubs and trees as well. The common name of Pimelea nivea, Bushmans Bootlace, alludes to the fibrous nature of the bark of the shrub.

Some of the exhibits in the Tasmanian museum were made in modern times and were further adorned by shells and vines of other plants like Golden Dodder (Cuscuta tasmanica.

Did the aboriginal women of times past adorn their fibre work likewise?

Perhaps it doesn’t matter. I imagine that life, with each passing generation, will bring adornments and improvements to this ancient craft, as long as there are those who keep the knowledge alive.