NEW ZEALAND (2021)-Sarah Fenton Botanical Art Souvenir Sheet

$1.40 Puawānanga - Edward Featon’s text equally captures the natural beauty of the white clematis Clematis paniculata: ‘On account of its climbing habit, it is at times impossible to obtain its floral treasures, which, pendant from the highest branches of the stately forest trees, defy all attempts, at the hands of the covetous ones below, to possess them.’

$2.70 Karaka - The Art Album classified New Zealand’s flora scientifically, but also offered descriptions of how plants were used in everyday life by both Pākehā and Māori. Edward describes how Māori cultivated Corynocarpus laevigatus as a food, eating the fruits after a lengthy and complex process to remove their toxicity.

$3.50 Kōwhai-ngutu-kākā - Sarah’s stunning depiction of the the kākā beak Clianthus puniceus with its elegant hanging flowers would no doubt have helped inspire a love of New Zealand’s flora. Sadly, this eye-catching shrub remains threatened in the wild.

$4.00 Campbell Island daisy - Sarah Featon painted plants from all over New Zealand, including specimens from the Subantarctic Islands. Pleurophyllum speciosum is known only from the Auckland and Campbell Islands where it grows profusely with other mega-herbs, forming a riot of colour in December and January.