Limited Edition Ferdinand Bauer Australian flora, Dracophyllum secundum

by Bauer, Ferdinand

Rare Limited Edition of Ferdinand Bauer Dracophyllum secundum watercoloured drawing of Australian native Heath for "The Australian Painting of Ferdinand Bauer", a selection reproduced from Bauer's 'Illustrations Florae Novae Hollandiae' (Illustrations of the Flora of Australia originally published in London circa 1815.

Between 1801 and 1805 Bauer accompanied Matthew Flinders on the first circumnavigation of Australia. Unfortunately Brown could not find financial support for publication on his return to England, so Bauer left England and returned to Vienna where he finished his series of plants and animals of Australia. The high quality of Ferdinand Bauer's botanical illustrations combined exceptional scientific observation with subtle artistry.

Belonging to the order Epacridaceae (Heaths), the Dracophyllum plant has crowded, stiff narrow leaves and small tubular flowers in a one-sided raceme. Found by Robert Brown in June 1802 on shady and damp rocks by the river near Parramatta, it was introduced into British gardens for glasshouse cultivation in 1827.

The botanical plate paper size is 50 x 33cm (19.6 x 13 inches). For presentation at the time of publication, each of these pages was lightly attached at the vertical edges to a dark green sheet of thick paper which has slightly shrunk.