Plants in the Hortus
Many of the plants described here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861. A large number of additional plants were identified from correspondence, gardening notebooks and other documents surviving in the archives. The Hortus attempts to describe all the plants grown in the gardens at Camden Park and those grown in horticultural enterprises such as orchards and vineyards and includes plants grown outside the gardens in the park-like environs of the Camden Park estate. The Hortus plants served a wide range of purposes in the 19th century household; as ornament, living fences, fibre, dyestuffs, medicines, food and drink from the garden, orchard and vineyard and many others.
Erica manipuliflora Salisb.
Frost-hardy erect to spreading heath with irregular racemes, to 10cm long, of cylindrical to bell-shaped, rose-pink flowers, 4mm long, in summer and autumn. To 1m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Erica multiflora L.
A heath with leaves in whorls of 5 or 6 and dense spikes of pink flowers. To 90cm, much more in the wild. [RHSD].
Erica nudiflora L.
Half-hardy small shrub with hairy shoots, whorls of 3 leaves, and short terminal clusters of small, bright red or purplish-red flowers from the leaf axils. To 45cm. [RHSD, Don].
Erica parviflora L. var. hispida
Hispida differs primarily from the type by having a broader corolla. [RHSD].
Erica parviflora L.
Half-hardy heath with downy leaves in whorls of 4 and pale red flowers in terminal racemes. To 90cm. [RHSD, Don].
Erica pinea Thunb.
Half-hardy, erect, much branched heath, leaves in whorls of 6, and tubular green-yellow flowers spreading in dense clusters near the ends of branches. To 1.5m. [RHSD].
Erica pinifolia Andr.
Heath with upright stems, to 45cm, sparcely branched, leaves in sixes or eights, linear, flowers downy, white, club-shaped, to 2.5cm long. [Andr.Heaths. v.III p.199/1809].
Erica species unidentified
Three unidentified Erica species are listed in the 1843, 1845 and 1850 catalogues.
Erica tetralix L.
Fully-hardy, dwarf, spreading heath, its leaves arranged in whorls of 4 to form a cross, and umbels of urn-shaped, pale pink flowers, to 9mm long, in summer and autumn. To 30cm. [RHSE, Hilliers’].
Erica thymifolia Andr.
A short, bushy heath, leaves in threes, the flowers axillary, a deep rose colour. [Andr.Heaths v.II p.136/1805].
Erica vestita Thunb.
Shrubby heath with leaves in sixes and variable flowers. white, yellow, rosy or crimson, in axillary whorls. To 1.2m. There are many garden varieties. [RHSD].
Erica viscaria L.
Heath with linear leaves in whorls of 4 and drooping racemes of purplish-red flowers. To 60cm. [LBC no.726/1823].
Erigeron speciosus DC.
Perennial to 45cm, robust, erect, perennial with leafy stems and flower heads, to 5cm across in corymbs, the ray-florets violet. To 60cm. There are a number of garden forms. [RHSD, Hortus].
Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.
Frost-hardy, vigorous, spreading shrub or tree with large lance-shaped, strongly veined leaves, to 30cm long, and large panicles of fragrant white flowers from autumn to winter, followed in spring by edible orange-yellow fruit to 4cm across. To 8m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Erysimum cheiri (L.) Crantz
Fully hardy evergreen perennial, usually grown as a biennial, with open, sweet-scented bright orange-yellow to reddy-brown flowers in late winter to spring. To 80cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
