Picture Details
Betelnut tree, fruit and flowers. Watercolour and gouache on paper.
Partner:
Kew GardensImage reference:
ILLUS187.0/130.0Origin:
IndiaArtist / Date:
Unknown, c.1800Size:
313 x 383 mmDescription:
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Kew holds several illustrations by this artist, whose name remains a mystery. The slim, tall trunk and bright clustered fruit of the Betelnut are instantly recognisable. While working for the East India Company, the Scottish botanist William Roxburgh (1751-1815) noted that, "On the malabar coast, the common Black pepper-vines are usually trained up this tree, which renders it more particularly useful in those parts". The artist has provided a cross-section of the fruit revealing the small nut inside.
