Bell, Miss (fl. 1831)

Probably one of eight daughters born to Lieut. Archibald Bell (1772-1837) and Maria née Kitching (1777-1841). The Bells had a property 'Belmont' in the Blue Mountains, where Allan Cunningham stayed in November 1823.

Some 'Miss Bell' specimens are mounted on the same sheet as 'Allan Cunningham, Anderson and others' specimens from H.C. Watson's herbarium, and another is annotated 'qui. H.W.', presumably indicating it is also from Watson's herbarium.

The specimens collected by Miss Bell (one dated 1831) are all ornamental, and include specimens from places visited by Cunningham on other journeys (at least one is from Africa), so it is likely that Cunningham provided Miss Bell with plants or seeds to grow. Miss Bell's specimens were not sent directly to Mueller, but were presumably incorporated into the MEL collection with the Sonder herbarium. There are A. Bell specimens labelled with the same handwriting, suggesting that Miss Bell's brother (Archibald Jr), or possibly her father, also collected specimens.

Source: Maroske, Sara and Vaughan, Alison (2014) 'Ferdinand Mueller's female plant collectors: a biographical register', Muelleria Vol.32 [consult for source references]