Nancy Adams: a Wellington botanist and artist

Watercolour illustration of the 'Kallymenia berggrenii' seaweed, Plate 73 from 'Seaweeds of New Zealand', Wellington, by Nancy Adams CBE. Purchased 2007. © Te Papa. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (CA000892/001/0021)

Nancy Adams (1926-2007) was one of Aotearoa’s most notable botanists and a talented artist. As well as being a prolific botany collector, Adams drew and painted an incredible number of botanical illustrations, and wrote popular books on New Zealand seaweed, trees and flora.

Adams lived in Wellington for her whole life, and much of her work as a botanist was done here. In this back-of-house visit we will look at specimens that Adams collected in the Wellington region, alongside the artworks that she painted of local flowers and seaweeds. We will explore her connections to this place, and her important contributions to our understanding of Wellington’s plant world.