Illustration of Flax Plant from Cook's Voyage

FORSTER, Johann Georg.

No XXIII. [-Flax Plant of New Zealand.
London: Strahan and Cadell, 1777. 380x 240mm.

An illustration to Cook's 'A Voyage towards the South Pole and round the world,' showing a New Zealand flax plant, Phormium tenax (Liliaceae), one of the country's most distinctive natural plants. It was sketched by Georg Forster, who accompanied his father Johann on Cook's Second Voyage as the expedition's naturalists. Because of conflicts with Cook, Georg Forster decided to publish his own account of the voyage, which appeared six weeks before this official account. In revenge the Forsters were neither credited or paid for the use of their work in the official account.


Stock ID : 17130