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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Gymnosporia species Port Stephens
Unidentified species of Gymnosporia or a related genus. Gymnosporia Benth. & Hook.f. is a genus of tropical and subtropical shrubs and trees of the family Celastraceae, often spiny and mainly from Africa.
Habenaria susannae R.Br.
Frost tender terrestrial orchid with stems to 20cm, elliptic leaves to 12cm, and racemes bearing up to 6 white to green-white, fragrant flowers. Suited to bog gardens or moist places. [RHSD].
Habranthus robustus Herb. ex Sweet
Robust bulbous perennial with slender linear leaves which emerge in summer at about the same time as the stems that bear solitary, open funnel-shaped, pale pink flowers resembling a small Amaryllis belladonna. To 30cm. The largest of the Habranthus genus commonly grown. [RHSE, Hortus, Baker Am.].
Habranthus species orange
Probably Habranthus, Rhodophiala or related species, perhaps a form of Rhodophiala advena (Ker-Gawl.) Traub which see. This plant is used as illustration.
Habranthus species unidentified orange no.2
Probably Habranthus, Rhodophiala or related species, perhaps a form of Rhodophiala advena (Ker-Gawl.) Traub which see. This plant is used as illustration.
Habranthus species red
Probably Habranthus, Rhodophiala or related species, perhaps a form of Rhodophiala advena (Ker-Gawl.) Traub which see. this species is used as illustration.
Habranthus tubispathus (L’Hér.) Traub
Half-hardy, upright, bulbous perennial with narrow, linear leaves and a succession of flowering stems, each bearing a small, funnel-shaped, coppery red, orange or yellow flower, in summer. To 15cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Halesia tetraptera J.Ellis
Fully hardy, spreading tree or shrub with finely toothed, elliptic leaves, to 16cm long, turning yellow in autumn, and axillary clusters of 2-6 pendant, bell-shaped white flowers, to 2cm long, in profusion in late spring, just before the leaves emerge. To 8m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’, Don].
Hardenbergia violacea (Schneev.) Stearn
Evergreen scrambling shrub with simple leaves, cordate to lance-shaped, and axillary racemes of purple to violet, occasionally white, pea-like flowers with a yellow basal spot. [RHSD, Hortus, FNSW].
Hardenbergia violacea (Schneev.) Stearn var. alba
See Hardenbergia violacea (Schneev.) Stearn for a description. Alba is a naturally occurring variety with white flowers. [RHSD, Hortus, FNSW].
Hatiora salicornioides (Haw.) Britt. & Rose
Frost tender, epiphytic, bushy, erect or pendant cactus producing stems with club-shaped, bronzy-green segments, to 5cm long, arranged in whorls of up to 5, and funnel-shaped, golden yellow or orange flowers, to 1cm long, in spring. To 40cm by 40cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Hebe salicifolia (Forst.f.) Pennell
Fully hardy, highly variable, erect to spreading, evergreen shrub with lance-shaped leaves, to 12cm long, and pendant, axillary racemes, to 20cm long, of small, white or lilac-tinged flowers in summer. To 2.5m. A parent of many hybrids. [RHSE, Hilliers’].
Hebe x andersoni (Lindl. & Paxt.) Ckn.
A hybrid, Hebe salicifolia (Forst.f.) Pennell x Hebe speciosa R.Cunn. A vigorous half hardy shrub with leaves to 10cm long, and long racemes of soft-pink to lavendar-blue flowers, fading to white, in summer and autumn. To 1.8m. [RHSE, Hilliers’].
Hedera colchica (K.Koch) Hibb.
Fully hardy, vigorous climber with ovate, unlobed, leathery leaves, to 12cm long. the largest-leaved of all ivy’s. To 10m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’]. Varieties of colchica, particularly arborescens, will form rounded bushes or even trees.
Hedera helix L.
Fully hardy, vigorous, variable, self-clinging climber or trailing perennial with 3- to5-lobed, broadly triangular glossy leaves, to 6cm long. To 10m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
