Akeake, circa 1885, New Zealand, by Sarah Featon. Purchased 1919. Te Papa (1992-0035-2277/82)
One of my favourite examples is akeake (Dodonaea viscosa). Unlike many of the flowering plants in Sarah's paintings, akeake uses wind to carry its pollen. Its flowers are small and lack showy petals. Many plants have male and female flowers on separate individuals, although some have both. After fertilisation, distinctive papery, winged capsules develop. These help the seeds disperse through wind, sometimes assisted by water. Akeake demonstrates that a native flowering plant doesn't necessarily need any animal pollinator at all. And there are other examples. Native beech trees, rimu and tōtara use wind pollination, while ferns reproduce through spores rather than flowers or seeds. Nature has many different solutions.