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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Gladiolus cardinalis x (x gandavensis) [#12]
Gladiolus cardinalis x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid no.12 in Macarthur’s notebook no.4 in an entry dated 1847. ‘Gladiolus cardinale inflato major [by] Gandavensis. No.12. Rather slender scapes, smallish flowers, pink and yellow with dark purple narrow blotch [on the] anterior lobes. Middling.’ [MP A2948-4].
Gladiolus cardinalis x (x gandavensis) [#3]
Gladiolus cardinalis x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid no.3 in Macarthur’s notebook no.5 in an entry dated 1847. Robust scape, good sized flower, good shape [word indistinct] lower limb and larger, deep flesh colour or scarlet pink with [word indistinct] blotches on lower lobes. Good variety. [MP A2948-5].
Gladiolus cardinalis x (x gandavensis) [#4]
Gladiolus cardinalis x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid no.4 in Macarthur’s notebook no.5 in an entry dated 1847. Slender scape. moderately [word indistinct] flower. Middling shape, purplish crimson, purple [word indistinct] blotches on lower lobes. Middling variety. [MP A2948-5].
Gladiolus cardinalis x (x gandavensis) [#5]
Gladiolus cardinalis x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid no.5 in Macarthur’s notebook no.5 in an entry dated 1847. Resembles No.3. Flower rather smaller, and pale in colour, but much resembling it, lower lobes varied by yellow and with larger purple blotches than No.3. Good variety. [MP A2948-5].
Gladiolus cardinalis x (x gandavensis) [#6]
Gladiolus cardinalis x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid no.6 in Macarthur’s notebook no.5 in an entry dated 1847. Robust scape, very large flower resembles last in colour but not so much yellow on lower lobes. Good variety. [MP A2948-5].
Gladiolus cardinalis x (x gandavensis) [#7]
Gladiolus cardinalis x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid no.7 in Macarthur’s notebook no.5 in an entry dated 1847. Not so robust as No.6. Scarlet and yellow, good shaped flower. Very good variety. [MP A2948-5].
Gladiolus cardinalis x (x gandavensis) [#8]
Gladiolus cardinalis x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid no.8 in Macarthur’s notebook no.5 in an entry dated 1847. Robust scape, middling flowers nearly same colour as No.5, but darker, with tinge of lake. Crimson yellowish throat. No spots.. Inferior to No.5. [MP A2948-5].
Gladiolus cardinalis x (x gandavensis) [#9]
Gladiolus cardinalis x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid no.9 in Macarthur’s notebook no.5 in an entry dated 1847. Robust scape, moderately large flowers, good shape, dull crimson. Tolerably good variety. [MP A2948-5].
Gladiolus carneus Delaroche
A variable, slender cormous plant with lance-shaped leaves and lax, sometimes branched, spikes of usually 3-8 funnel-shaped, cream, white or pink flowers, flaked with purple or yellow, in spring. To 60cm. [RHSE, CECB, Hortus].
Gladiolus carneus Delaroche var. blandus
See Gladiolus carneus Delaroche for a description of the species. Although Gladiolus carneus and G. blandus are the same species, the separate catalogue entries suggests that they were quite different in appearance and they were acepted as separate species by many botanists at the time. Gladiolus blandus is generally described as having white flowers with carmine markings and the name indicates a pale flower. Gladiolus carneus is a very variable plant, from white to salmon in colour, open or quite narrow in form and marked more or less on the bottom petals. There are also significant differences in habit, some varieties being much taller than others.
Gladiolus caryophyllaceus (Burm.f.) Poir. var. roseus
A cormous perennial with sword-shaped leaves and widely-funnel-shaped deep pink to mauve flowers and it is possible that Gladiolus roseus of the catalogues is a pink-flowered form. To 110cm. [CECB].
Gladiolus communis L.
Fully-hardy, vigorous cormous perennial with leaves to 50cm long and branched spikes of up to 20 rose-pink flowers, streaked or blotched with white or red, in summer. To 1m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Gladiolus communis L. subsp. byzantinus (Mill.) O.Bolòs & Vigo
Hardy, vigorous perennial with spikes of up to 20 funnel-shaped, deep magenta flowers in spring. To 1m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Gladiolus cunonius (L.) Gaertn.
Cormous perennial with linear leaves, to 35cm long, spirally twisted towards the end and the spikes of up to 8 bright red flowers, with the 3 lower lobes yellow or green, appear in spring. [RHSD, CECB].
Gladiolus cuspidatus (x colvilli)
Gladiolus cuspidatus x Gladiolus x colvilli hybrid. No description is extant.
