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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Gardenia augusta (L.) Merrill var. florepleno
The species is a medium to large bushy shrub, or sometimes small tree, with lance-shaped, glossy green leaves and salverform, strongly fragrant, white or ivory flowers, to 8cm across, either single or in few-flowered cymes, in summer and autumn. To 12m by 3m. There are a number of semi-double, or double-flowered cultivars, often much smaller bushes, and it is usually grown in a double-flowered form. [RHSE, Hortus, Don].
Gardenia augusta (L.) Merrill var. fortuniana
See Gardenia augusta (L.) Merrill var. flore pleno for details. Fortuniana has flowers larger than the type.
Gardenia augusta (L.) Merrill var. ovalifolia
See Gardenia augusta (L.) Merrill var. flore pleno for detail. Ovalifolia is a variety with more oval leaves and smaller flowers.
Gardenia beaumiana unidentified
An unidentified species. This could be a typographical error with bowieana intended. Given the confusion between species of Gardenia, Rothmannia and Randia at this time the plant intended could be Euclinia longiflora Salisb. which see. Its numerous synonyms include Rothmannia bowieana (A.Cunn. ex Hook.) Benth. and Randia bowieana A.Cunn. ex Hook.
Gardenia resinifera Roth.
Frost-tender, unarmed shrub or small tree with shiny, oblong leaves with resinous buds and solitary, almost terminal, large, pure white, fragrant flowers. [Don].
Gardenia species from China
An unidentified species. Chinese species recognised at the time of the catalogues include Gardenia amoena, a spiny shrub with solitary white flowers, purplish on the outside [BM t.1904/1817] and G. grandiflora, an unarmed tree or shrub with large solitary white flowers. [RHSD]. The latter is a form of Gardenia augusta. See Gardenia augusta (L.) Merrill var. flore pleno for more details.
Gardenia species from the Cape of Good Hope
An unidentified species. A number of species of Gardenia or related genera are recorded from South Africa.
Gardenia thunbergia L.f.
Frost-tender, open, erect unarmed shrub or small tree with rigid branches, opposite pairs of glossy, dark green leaves with wavy margins, to 6cm long, and solitary, tubular, spreading, fragrant, white or cream flowers, to 6cm across, from winter to spring, followed by persistent, large, woody, pear-shaped fruits. To 5m. [RHSE, Hortus, Don].
Garrya macrophylla Benth.
Frost hardy, robust shrub with leaves to 15cm long and catkins appearing in late spring. To 3m. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Gasteria obliqua (Aiton) Duval
A very variable succulent, as attested by the large number of synonyms. It has 2-ranked leaves, to 25cm long, green banded with paler dots, the inflorescence to 90cm, unbranched, the flowers small, tubular and scarlet. [RHSD, Hortus].
Gaylussacia species unidentified
Evergreen or deciduous shrubs introduced to Europe from the Americas in the 18th and 19th centuries. ‘Low, branching shrubs, mostly resinous-dotted. Leaves serrate or entire. Flowers small, white or pink, in lateral, bracted racemes, nodding; pedicels usually 2-bracteolate. Calyx tube short, obconic, the lobes persistent. Corolla ovoid to bell-shaped, 5-lobed, the lobes erect or recurved. Stamens equal, usually included ; anthers awnless. Fruit a 10-seeded, berry-like drupe.’ [Bergen – Key and Flora, Northern & Central States p.182/1901].
Gazania pavonia R.Br.
Half hardy, spreading perennial with yellow, brown and white flowers in summer. To 20cm. Mainly found in semi-arid localities in the Cape district. Common garden varieties are hybrid selections. [RHSD, Hortus, Rice].
Gazania rigens (L.) Gaertn.
Herbaceous perennial with short branching stems, leaves entire or pinnatifid, to 12cm long, and large, showy flower heads, rays to 3cm long, orange with black eye. [RHSD, Hortus].
Geissorhiza tulbaghensis F.Bolus
Frost hardy upright cormous perennial with thread-like basal leaves, to 15cm long, and one- or two-flowered spikes of whitish flowers with a white-ringed, dark brown to purple centre, to 4.5mm long, in spring. To 15cm. [RHSE, CECB].
Gelasine elongata (Graham) Ravenna
Cormous perennial with lance-shaped basal leaves, to 60cm long, the flower stems bearing a terminal cluster of few, cup-shaped, bright blue flowers with a white blotch at the base. [RHSD].
