Cactus Gallery

Marianne North at her easel, circa 1883

Photograph of Marianne North (1830-1890), botanical artist, pictured here in Grahamstown, South Africa circa 1883.
Marianne North generally travelled unaccompanied, an extraordinary feat for a Victorian lady, only occasionally using letters of introduction to enable her to stay with the associates of those she met on her travels. Between 1871 and 1879, she visited Canada, the United States, Jamaica, Brazil, Japan, Sarawak, Singapore, Java, Sri Lanka and India. In 1880, Marianne met Charles Darwin, whom she regarded as the greatest man living, the most truthful as well as the most unselfish and modest'. On his suggestions, she set off on a further voyage, this time encompassing Australia and New Zealand. In 1882 she visited Africa, the final continent left unrepresented in her work

© The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Leuenbergeria bleo, 1836

Hand-coloured lithograph on paper by William Jackson Hooker, 1836. Current accepted plant name is Leuenbergeria bleo, commonly known as rose cactus or leaf cactus. Artwork from Curtis's Botanical Magazine, volume 63, plate 3478.
Curtis's Botanical Magazine is the longest running botanical periodical featuring colour illustrations of plants and has been published continuously since 1787

© The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

23. A Chilian Cactus in flower and its Leafless Parasite in fruit

Referring to the various Chilian landscapes, we see that columnar cacti are a conspicuous feature. This, the-commonest species, is Cereus Quisco, Gay, which grows to a height of 1.5 to 20 feet, and is often preyed upon by a leaf less parasite, Loranthus aphyllus, Miers (syn. L. cactorurn, Hook. et Arm). In this case both nurse-plant and parasite-are leafless ; in others it may be seen that the leaves of the two are often similar (see 21 and 734). In 26 the cactus and its parasite are shown in their natural habitat. The ripe white berries of the Loranthus are edible

© The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew