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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.

Lycoris radiata (L’Hér.) Herb.

Bulbous perennial bearing umbels of several wavy-margined, rose-red or deep red flowers appear in summer and autumn followed by the strap-shaped leaves. To 50cm. [RHSE, Hortus, Baker Am.].

Lyperanthus suaveolens R.Br.

Deciduous terrestrial orchid with a subterranean tuberoid, erect, narrow leaves and racemes of stiff-textured, long-lasting flowers with a strong musky fragrance, in winter to spring. Flower colour is variable, ranging from yellowish-brown to almost black, with a yellow apex to the labellum. In the wild it forms loose colonies. [Jones, FNSW, Pridgeon, Beadle].

Lysiphyllum carronii (F.Muell.) Pedley

Tall shrub or small tree with ovate, two-pinnate leaves and short racemes of rusty brown flowers. To 10m. [NSW Flora On Line].

Lysiphyllum hookeri (F.Muell.) Pedley

Frost-tender, small, semi-deciduous tree with two-lobed leaves, and white flowers with prominent red stamens, to 7cm across. [Wrigley].

Lythrum salicaria ‘Roseum Superbum’

A cultivar of Lythrum salicaria L. A fully hardy, clump-forming perennial with star-shaped, bright purple-pink flowers in spike-like racemes in summer to autumn. To 45cm. The variety roseum superbum has larger rose-coloured flowers. [RHSE, Hortus].

Maclura pomifera (Raf.) Schneid. male and female

Fully hardy, rounded, deciduous tree, thorny when young, with ovate, pointed leaves, to 10cm long, turning yellow in autumn, and tiny yellow-green flowers, followed by large, wrinkled, yellow-green fruit, to 12cm across, on female trees. To 7m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].

Magnolia acuminata L. var. cordata (Michx.) Sarg.

Fully hardy, vigorous, conical, deciduous tree with ovate leaves, to 25cm long, softly hairy beneath, and cup-shaped, single, yellow-green to green flowers, to 9cm across, among the leaves in spring and summer, followed by red or brown fruit. To 20m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’]. Cordata is usually smaller and more compact than the type, the flowers being soft canary-yellow. [Hilliers’].

Magnolia coco (Lour.) DC.

Frost hardy, evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub with smooth, net-veined leaves and nodding creamy-white, night-fragrant flowers, produced over a long period. [RHSD, Hilliers’].

Magnolia denudata Desr.

Fully hardy, spreading, deciduous shrub or tree with obovate leaves, to 15cm long, and cup-shaped, pure white flowers, to 15cm across, in spring before the leaves. To 10m by 10m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].

Magnolia grandiflora L. var. ?Exmouth?

See Magnolia grandiflora L. for details on the species. In the variety ‘Exmouth’ the leaves narrower than the type, tomentose and with a rusty appearance beneath, flowering earlier than the type. [Hilliers', RHSD].

Magnolia grandiflora L.

Frost hardy, broadly conical, evergreen tree with elliptic, glossy, leathery leaves, often reddish-hairy beneath, to 20cm long, and large, cup-shaped, creamy white flowers, to 25cm across, in late summer and autumn. To 18m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].

Magnolia liliiflora Desr.

Fully hardy bushy, deciduous shrub with elliptic leaves, to 20cm long and goblet-shaped, purplish-pink flowers, to 7cm across, in spring and summer. To 3m. [RHSE, Hilliers’].

Magnolia liliiflora Desr. var. gracilis

See Magnolia liliiflora Desr. for a description of the species. The variety gracilis has a smaller, more slender habit than the type and deep purple flowers. [RHSD, Hortus].

Magnolia pyramidata Bartr.

Deciduous tree with ascending branches, obovate leaves, to 21cm long, and creamy white flowers, to 13cm across. To 9m. [RHSD, Hilliers’].

Magnolia tripetala L.

Hardy deciduous tree with lance-shaped leaves, to 50cm long, clustered at the end of shoots, and pungently-scented creamy-white flowers in summer, to 25cm across, followed by rosy-red fruits. To 12m. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’].

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