Greville's Bolete, Larch Bolete

Anna Maria Hussey included this illustration of Boletus elegans, in her 1847 work, Illustrations of British Mycology, which she produced with her sister, Frances Reed. This species, now known as Suillus grevillei, lives symbiotically with the larch tree, and was found in abundance in those parts of the English countryside where Hussey traveled to collect samples. Hussey was an active participant in the scientific community in Kent and had made the acquaintance of Charles Darwin. Her accomplishments in mycology, and the careful observations displayed in her detailed illustrations of rot, insects, and rare or poisonous species, were often met with resistance due to her gender. In her mycological commentary, Hussey advises young women to leave the home and interact with the less-romanticized aspects of the natural world, and she also addresses the gender discrimination of male scientists with scathing criticism. In addition to her scientific studies, Hussey was an anonymous contributor to at least two popular magazines, where she authored romantic and popular fiction. Illustrations of British Mycology pairs mycological illustration with a daringly unconventional narrative.