Level 3 Mortlock Wing State Library of South Australia North Terrace Adelaide SA 5000

Wildflowers of South Australia by Fanny de Mole, 1861

Wildflowers of South Australia was written and illustrated by Fanny Elizabeth de Mole (1835 - 1866). Published in 1861, it was the first book published on the botany of the province of South Australia.

Fanny de Mole Wild Flowers of SA 3

Fanny wrote and illustrated the first book on wildflowers in SA, Wild flowers of South Australia in 1861. She painted watercolours of botanical specimens gathered mainly around Burnside where her brothers had purchased land. Her watercolours were sent to England and lithographs were made from them by Paul Jerrard & Son. These were then sent back to Australia to be hand-coloured. The book contains 20 hand-coloured lithographic plates. There were an estimated 100 copies made of the original edition of Wildflowers of South Australia.


Conserved through the Adopt a Book Program.

RGSSA rgsp 582.13 D278 (Plate v missing).  Located in the large bookcase on the western side of the Library.

Fanny De Mole was born in 1835 in the residential rooms of Merchant Taylors Hall, London. She migrated to South Australia in 1857 to join two of her brothers. Fanny suffered from ill health for much of her life and she died of tuberculosis aged twenty -six at Willunga on 26 December 1866. She was buried at St Matthew's Church, Marryatville, South Australia.

Fanny de Mole Wildflowers - Sturt Desert Pea
Fanny de Mole - Orchidea