PALMS Smith: Leafletbv Leaflet Volume 45(3) 2001 Leaflet by Lucv T. Svrrn Leaflet Collegeof Music, Visual Arts and Theatre PO Box 25 Painting the lames Cook University Townsville,Q\d,4811, Palmsof North Queensland

1.Oraniopsis appendiculota growing on the mossybank of a crystal-clearcreek at high altitude.on Mount Lewis. ln 1997, Lucy Smith embarked on a two-year Master of Creative Arts degree in illustration, designed to research and portray in detail the palm flora of North Queensland. The resulting collection of paintings captures eighteen of these palms in their natural habitats and forms, highlighting the diversity and beauty of both the palms and the environments in which they grow.

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Images of palms in Australian art history The palms of Australia were painted and drawn for many purposesin the last two centuries.They appear in drawings for the description of new species,as elements in the painted landscape,and are also mentioned in the accounts of European exploration and settlement of the country. The palms that were most often mentioned and illustratedby early Europeanexplorers and settlers in Australia, from the 18th century onwards, were from the genera , Archontophoenix and .Beginning with Joseph Banks' first observations of the Australian vegetation in 1 788 (in fact the only to which he could attribute a name), many accounts by early settlers and explorers "cabbage contained referencesto the palm." The cabbagepalm in question, Livistonaaustralis, indeed once grew quite extensively around Botany Bay, site of the first European landing, and Sydney Harbor, site of the first fleets of settlers.Those people keeping accountsof settlement were mostly interested in the palms' immedlate and potential practical usesin providing food and construction material. For a short time in Sydneyharbor (then known as PortJackson),in the absenceof other suitablewood for construction, the trunks of felled tlvls tona australiswere used to make temporary but basic shelters. 'wood' However, this did not last for longer than one or two wet summers before rotting away. Many 'cabbages' palms were also felled and the or growing tips eaten. Unfortunately the effect on the Sydney harbor palm population from this use was drastic. Barron Field, writing in 1825 noted that the palm "once trees which had . . . characterizedthe neighborhood of Port Jackson . . . have long been "the exhausted,"and that absenceof these treeshas taken away much from the tropical characterof Sydney." Livistona australis and Archontophoenixcunninghamiana carr still be found in the temperate rainforest of the Illawarra district, south of Sydney.In the 19th century, visiting landscapeartists. Eugene Von Gerard, Conrad Martens and John Skinner Prout included them in their romantic paintings of rainforest landscapesand scenesof bush settlement. Eugene Von Gerard in particular drew these palms with great accuracy. Australian palms were also illustrated from the early 19th century for scientific purposes.In 1802 Ferdinand Bauermade the first comprehensive,scientific illustration of an Australian palm when he

My initiation into the world of palms came with the Wet Tropics Region. Within this region I found a project for the Townsville Palmetum in 1995. not only an interestingrange of speciesand forms, Under the guidance of local palm botanist John but also an even more interesting selection of Dowe, I explored twelve speciesof locally growing environments, which ranged from seasonally palms and painted them in watercolor to hang as flooded rivers and savannahplains, coastalforest, informative pieces for the visiting public. Since lowland woodland and rainforest, and high then, I was employed from time to time by John altitude woodland and rainforest. to make scientific pen and ink drawings of new with as many species speciesof palms from Australia, Vanuatu, and After familiarizing myself the PapuaNew Guinea. The prospect of a larger proiect planted locally aspossible, and reading up on I planned the most that enabled me to go further into my subject relevant scientific literature, - field work, than in previous prolects, held a lot of appeal. I important part of the research the to visit every decided to paint as many speciesof palms from during which I would endeavor speciesof north palm in the wild. the north Queensland region as possible, using Queensland Beach, detailed observation and information not The first, shorter trips were made to Mission previously explored. Cairns and Paluma. In the palm-dense Mission Beach region, I shot many rolls of film in the The native palm is so rich and extensive stand of Licuala ramsayiiust inland from diverse that the hardest task was to narrow my the coast. On the beachfront, large Arenga subject matter down. I did this by defining a palm- australasica,with leavesup to three metres long, rich areaand listing the number of speciesgrowing proved difficult to photograph, surrounded as they within its boundaries. I eventually arrived at a were by dense vine forest, fringing the coastal figure of around 35 species,which included sands.Graceful specimens of Ptychospermaelegans representativesof nearly all of the 19 genera in the grew in the nearby slopesof the coastalranges. Australian palm flora. This area ran from the Burdekin River in the south, east to the north Into the far northern reachesof the Wet Tropics Queensland coast, to the tip of Cape York area, I made the muddy ascent up Mount Lewis Peninsulain the north, and west to the edgesof in my trusty four-wheel-drive in an attempt to

128 PALMS Smith: Leaflet bv Leaflet Volume45(3) 2001

drew, and later painted in watercolor,Livistona inetmis, then incorrectly identified asLivistona humilis. The original drawing was most likely made from a specimen collected from an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and describedby scientist Robert Brown. Both Brown and Bauer were taking part in Matthew Flinders' voyage of 1801-1803, whose successfulmission saw the circumnavigation of the continent and the extensive collection of flora and fauna for scientific analysis and classification. Other scientific drawings were made for the description of new species,for example Linospadixmonostachya [Von Martius' Historia naturalispalmarum (1837)], and Livistonaaustralis [Curtis' Botanical Magazine (1857)]. Walter H. Fitch executed the color lithographs of Livistona australis for Curtis' Botanical Magazinefrom a specimensuccessfully growrr at Kew.Specimens of Livistonaaustralis grown from early collections of seedscan still be found today in most Europeanbotanical gardens Expedition artists recorded palms whilst taking part in exploration by both sea and land. In 1848, Oswald W Brierly, expedition artist on the voyage of the HMS Rattlesnake,made a revealing entry in his ship's diary. It tells of how a rare grove of mature, fruiting coconut palms had been discoveredby the ship's crew on one of the Frankland Islands,south of Cairns. Brierly noted his surprizein finding such a grove of mature trees, the first to be found during many years of exploration of the coast and islands. This unpublished artistic record, which includes an illustration and written description, places the earliestrecorded date for a known population of mature, wild-growing coconut palms in Australia backto 1848. ln other accounts,populations of wild palms were describedwith reactionsvarying from awe and admiration, to frustration. Engravings illustrating Huxley's 1852 account of the Edmund Kennedy expedition entitled "Cutting Through The Scrub" depict the thorny stemsof Calamusspecies blocking the way of men with horses who are attempting to traverse the dense lowland rainforest near Tully. The illustration does not really depict the true densenessof Calqmusaustralis and Calamusmoti (Fig. 4) thickets occurring in the towland rainforest of the area, now largely cleared for agriculture. These palms were specificallymentioned as a major sourceof delaysfor the expedition which began in 1848, and was subsequentlydisastrous when all but three men perished due to the unforeseendifficulties of traversingthe ruggednorth Queenslandlandscape.

photograph Oraniopsisappendiculata (Fig. 1) and the banks of tributaries of the Burdekin River, Archontophoenixpurpurea (Fig. 2), the latter being which can remain completely dry for long periods a speciesendemic to one small area on the of time. The stand that I saw at the Cape River in mountain. I had previously visited the areawith the height of the dry seasonwas hit with floods John Dowe during the collection of a new species, of over three metersheight some six months later, Linospadixapetiolata, and knew it to be a fickle when heavy rains flooded the area during a place as far as rainy weather and sunlight were cyclone. In more lush woodland surroundings on concerned. Sure enough, the mist was thick and the edge of the rainforest grew Livistonq qustralis the rain unrelenting but our patience was (Fig.3), a distinctive form of the most widespread rewarded when, in sight of a stand of Australian palm species,found in the Bluewater Archontophoenix purpurea, the clouds cleared and PalumaRanges. In the disturbedrain forest of momentarily. For a brief few minutes I was the wetter regions of these rangesr thickets of rewarded with the sight of shafts of sunlight Calamus moti (Fig. 4) and C. australis grew in reaching through the mist and illuminating the profusion. beautiful palms, framed by wild gingers, ferns, and In September7997 I made a major field trip to the massivevine-laden trunks. Cape York Peninsula, assistedby funding from the On eachvisit to the rainforest I was alwaysin awe Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia. of my first sight and impression of a new palm Accompanied by John Dowe, whose knowledge species,such as the giant Oraniopsisappendiculata of the palm areaswas extensive, and field assistant on Mount Bartle Frere, or the diminutive and Gavin Smith, I spent nearly three weeks travelhng elegant Linospadixmonostachya growing nearby in the understorey.Away from the rainforest habitats, page1 30 it was always a contrast to see some speciesof Livistona growing in quite different conditions. 2. Archontophoenixpurpurea is one of two species Livistona lanuginosa,the western-most palm endemicto MountLewis, where mist and rain almost included, had by far the most hostile environment continuallyshroud the vegetation, and chance breaks in to contend with. They grow in isolatedpatches on thecloud provide sudden, dramatic illumination.

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1 i\, * PALMS Smith: Leaflet bv Leaflet Volume45(3) 2001 some 7,000 kilometres, much of this in four-wheel On the way back from Cape Melville, crossing the drive. In the Lockerbie Scrub, a small area of flat savannah plains of Lakefield National Park, rainforest at the tip of Cape York, we saw Papua we saw fabulous stands of massive CoryPha utqn New Guinea speciesCqlamus hollrungii, Calamus (Fig.s). and giant Gulubia costata soaring above aruensis When the field trips were more or lesscompleted, pandanus swamps. Once, while photographing began the task of creating the illustrations. First Hy driastele wendlandiana, ol;rn Dowe's curiosity J had to sort through.the hundreds of photographs got the better of him and he accidentally disturbed had taken, arranging many of them into large of angry golden wasps- twicel We waited a nest panoramaswhich coveredthe walls of my studio. in fear for an allergic reaction to our scoresof I studied these, along with my field notes and stings from this extremely territorial wasp (they sketches,until I found the best specimensin the stop their attack abruptly at a distance of 20 meters most typical surroundings. Then I made several from the next), but fortunately were able to small composition sketches,and once I was happy continue relatively unfazedl with one I enlarged this concept into a drawing. Moving southwards down the Peninsula, I saw Drawing an entire palm is like cracking a structural great stands of spiky-trunked Livistona benthamii code. Firstly you need to work out how the surrounded by Melaleucasp. trees, and L. muelleri are built and then how they emergeand held from "trunk." growing amongst the eucalypts and termite the central part of the The arrangement mounds so typical of the Peninsula.Some of the of base remains on a broad Livistona trunk L. muelleri trunks and lower leaves were still will tell you a lot about the spiralling growth smouldering from recent bushfires.We ventured patternsformed by the leaves.Then of courseyou eastinto the isolatedrainforest of the Iron Range must understand the overall look and feel of the and found the graceful Archontophoenixtuckeri, palm. At what angle are the leavesheld, and how named for Robert Tucker, growing on the rocky are they spaced? Do the leaflets, or segments, creekbanks of steeply-walledvalleys, surrounded droop elegantly or are they held erect?From where by tall forest treesand lianas, native bamboo and do the inflorescencesemerge - are they produced pandanus. We surprised a cassowaryon a deserted amongst the leavesor do they hang clearly below stretch of the creek,and it promptly took off into the flat expanse of the tubular crownshaft? the rainforest, Gavin and in hot pursuit. I John Painting the palms was the next, and final, step. chose to wait back at the creek and was Each drawing was worked on for severaldays until photographing a nice fruiting specimen of 'plink' all the detail that I would require to paint was Archontophoenixtuckeriwhen a gentle made included. As well asunderstanding palm structure, me turn around, just in time to seethe cassowary when painting palms there are plenty of creeping quietly back acrossthe water. Although challengesto your color mixing skills. Facedwith I must give equal praise to the charms of all my a seaof greens,it is amazing iust how many types palms, I would have to say that seeingthe foxtail of green you can differentiate by looking at them palms, Wodyetiabifurcata, growing in their natural with a painter's eye. In the north Queensland habitat, was one of the highlights of the Cape palms I found a surprizing array of greens,ranging York trip. After a full day's slow, tortuous driving from the subtle, pale blue-green of Livistona towards the coast and a pleasant walk, we finally Ianuginosato the darker, ultramarine green of reached the foxtail site. I was struck by the sight Ptyciosperma elegans.Trunks, too, can be many of thousands of these magnificent palms sprouting different colors, especially those with fire- from every possiblepiece of ground amongst the blackenedbases. huge granite boulders, which covered the hills of Cape Melville. It was a true delight to climb After all that painstaking preparation, the actual amongst the palms, scrambling over and under painting of the palms wds an enjoyable experience! boulders, while I studied the crowns of mature The drawings were checked for accuracy by John '::1:n:"":::'- ':'o' Dowe, then traced onto illustration board where :::"':il ::":"n'":'1" the painting would be executed.For up to three weeks I huddled over each painting, carefully page1 31 building up detailsusing tiny sablebrushes. I had first laid down the backgrounds using an airbrush 3. Livistonaaustralis This distinctive specimen found on or a large watercolor wash brush. I'painted the the PalumaRange grows amongst strikingEucolyptus watercolor over grandisand Casuorinospp. on the marginsof the palms first with a layer of thin surroundingrainforest. This specimen and thosefrom the drawing, and then slowly built this up by the nearbyBluewater Range population may representa applying layers of opaque gouache paint. Each localvariey of the widely distributedspecies. background needed to have its own special

132 PALMS Smith: Leafletbv Leaflet Volume45(3) 2001

characterthat expressedthe nature of a particular the paintings, which representa good cross-section piece of forest. It was enjoyable to draw on my of the work, have since been reproduced in a vivid memories of visiting each palm - I learned limited edition of hand-signed, archival quality to recall an early misty morning at Paluma seeing prints. The originals are tucked away, waiting for Laccospadixaustralasica, and that icy, accidental their next public appearance. plunge from a luxuriously mossy rock, into the My story now switchessuddenly to the other side crystal Mount Lewis stream which ran past stately of the world. The setting is the Palm Room in the Oraniopsis ap pendiculata. When not daydreaming, Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, I carefully counted yet again every leaflet, and London. In another time, another place, I find observed the particular way in which they hung myself drawing speciesof New Guinea palms of in space.Finally after a couple of weeks,the day all descriptions; rattans from Africa, new Licuala would come when I could declarea painting to be "finished." speciesfrom the rainforests of Borneo, all this from the relative comfort of my window-side desk. By February 1999 | had painted 18 speciesin As I pull eachdried and pressedspecimen from its habitat, and a small group of flower and tagged and numbered box, I close my eyesand try pieces. I was almost ready for the March hard to imagine the palm from which this leaf exhibition. All of the work was framed, including was cut, wrapped, and then placed between the a selection of working drawings, which were hung boards of a plant press in some distant tropical alongside the finished paintings. On 9th March forest. I picture it growing in its natural setting, "Palms 1999, the of North Queensland" exhibition reaching high into the canopy for the light, or opened at the Pinnacles Gallery, Townsville to a sitting quietly in the gloomy understorey,passively warm and receptive audience. From the comments gathering leaf litter. In my diagnostic line drawings of visitors throughout the ten-day duration of the I attempt to convey my new found, and ever exhibition, I learnedabout the varied responsesto growing, understandingof theseplants to assistin the work from a wide cross-sectionof people. my job of illustrating the great diversity of the Many people expressedtheir surprize at the variety world's palm flora. My urge to return to the forests and number of local native palms that existed, and woodlands, nonetheless, has by no means some of which could be found growing in their diminished, and I find myself drifting off into gardens and streets. Others remarked on the daydreams of painting green palms, and more variety of environments portrayed, and felt that palms. the illustrations provided them not only with a tour of the local native palm flora, but also of their surrounding natural countryside. Judging from these responses,I felt that the exhibition poges134,1.35 was a success.Each illustration had achieved its 4 (page134). Colamus motl growing in a typicallydense aim, to portray each speciesof palm accuratelyin thicketin a sectionof disturbedrainforest, its leaves structure, form, and natural appearance.Since the forminga harmoniouspattern of gracefularches and exhibition, I have looked at the possibilities of interwovenlines. 5 (page135) Corypha uton from the expanding the project to cover even more species hot Lakefieldsavannah showing three different growth of Australian palms, and perhaps to produce an stages,including the terminal flowering that precedes informative book using the illustrations. Four of the deathof the massive,mature plant.

CLASSIFIED

PALMS OF NORTH QUEENSLAND limited edition prints by Lucy Smith. ,Livistona muelleri,Archontophoenix purpurea, Livistona australis. Each piint US$35/[25 or set of four for US$130/f,90. For all orders add US$10/f8 for postage.Send check or money order payable to Lucy Smith to Lucy Srnith, c/o Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond Surrey TW9 3AE, UK. Pleaseinclude shipping addressand e-mail address(if available). View prints and download order forms at www.lucysmith.com.

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