History of botany voyages to distant lands instigating another phase of encyclopaedic plant identification, nomenclature, description and illustration, "flower painting" possibly at its best in this period of history. Plant trophies from distant lands decorated the gardens of Europe's powerful and wealthy in a period of enthusiasm for natural history, especially botany (a preoccupation sometimes referred to as "botanophilia") that is never likely to recur. Often such exotic new plant imports (primarily from Turkey), when they first appeared in print in English, lacked common names in the language. During the 18th century botany was one of the few sciences considered appropriate for genteel
A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland began as a collaboration between Smith and George Shaw. Together they produced a two-part work entitled "Zoology and Botany of New Holland", with each part containing two zoology plates and two botany plates, along with accompanying text. These appeared in 1793, although the publications themselves indicate 1794. The collaboration then ended, and Shaw went on to independently produce his "Zoology of New Holland". Smith's contributions to "Zoology and Botany of New Holland" became the first two parts of "A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland", a further two parts of which were issued in 1795. The book contained details