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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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

Malus domestica ‘Jenneting’

Dessert apple. Fruit; small, round and a little flattened. Skin; smooth and shining, pale yellowish-green in the shade but clear yellow, with sometimes a faint tinge of orange or red next to the sun. flesh; white, crisp, brisk and juicy, with a vinous and sharply perfumed flavour, mealy and tasteless if kept only a few days. [HP pl.III/1878].

Malus domestica ‘Kentish Pippin’

‘Fruit, medium sized, two inches and three quarters broad, and two inches and a half high; conical and slightly angular. Skin, pale yellow, with brownish-red next the sun, studded with specks, which are greenish on the shaded side, but yellowish next the sun. Eye, small, and partially open, set in a wide, shallow, and plaited basin. Stalk, very short and fleshy, almost imbedded in a deep and wide cavity, which is smooth or rarely marked with russet. Flesh, yellowish-white, delicate, very juicy, with a sweet, and briskly acid flavor. A culinary apple of first-rate quality ; in use from October to January.’ [Hogg p.121/1851].

Malus domestica ‘Kerry Pippin’

‘[The Kerry Pippin] is one of the best varieties of its season, ripening just after the Devonshire Quarenden; like which variety it is, however, of short duration. […] The fruit is seldom larger than represented in the plate; its form usually almost globular, having some plaits or wrinkles about the eye, and a few broad projecting folds surrounding the stalk; a slightly furrowed mark, as shown on the largest fruit in the figure, is frequently observed. The skin is of a fine straw colour, shaded with deeper yellow, striped and speckled with fine red, highly polished. The flesh is yellow, tender, sweet, and well flavoured. […] This variety has been long cultivated in Ireland, though little known in this country: its conspicuous appearance and good qualities, however, justly entitle it to a place in every collection.’ [PL pl.20/1818].

Malus domestica ‘Kingston Black’

Fruit; of medium size and irregular in shape. Skin; dark mahogany or deep crimson, deep yellow-orange where shaded, the surface strewn with fine cinnamon russet dots. Flesh; yellowish, pink near the skin, fine grained. the juice is plentiful, rich, tawney-red in colour and agreeable in flavour, moderately sweet, pleasantly acid with an astringent after taste. [HP pl.XLV/1878].

Malus domestica ‘Kirke’s Golden Pippin’

‘Fruit small, formed with the most perfect regularity of outline. a little more long than broad. Crown quite flat. Eye large, in proportion to the size of the fruit, but very shallow, surrounded by a fine thin russet. skin pale green on the shaded side; on that exposed to the sun, of a very pure, clear yellow, free from specks. flesh pale greenish yellow, firm, crisp. Juice abundant, sacharrine, and highly flavoured. A dessert apple from Michaelmas to Christmas.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.19/1831].

Malus domestica ‘Lincolnshire Holland Pippin’

Fruit; above medium size, roundish. Skin; yellow, streaked with red and bright crimson next the sun. A beautiful apple, for culinary use. The tree is very ornamental when in flower, owing to its large, brightly coloured blossoms. [Proc. RHS 1862-1865].

Malus domestica ‘Maclean’s Favourite’

‘A variety of the highest excellence as a dessert fruit, it is of medium size, and roundish shape; skin, of a yellow color; and in use from October till January.’ [Hogg p.249/1851].

Malus domestica ‘Manx Codlin’

‘Fruit, large; conical, and slightly angular. Skin, smooth, greenish-yellow at first, but changing as it ripens to clear pale-yellow, tinged with rich orange-red on the side next the sun ; but sometimes, when fully exposed, assuming a clear bright-red cheek. Eye, small and closed, set in a small, plaited, and pretty deep basin. Stalk, three quarters of an inch long, more or less fleshy, sometimes straight, but generally obliquely inserted, and occasionally united to the fruit by a fleshy protuberance on one side of it. Flesh, yellowish-white, firm, brisk, juicy and slightly perfumed. A very valuable early culinary apple, of first-rate quality. It is ripe in the beginning of August, and continues in use till November.’ [Hogg p.131/1851].

Malus domestica ‘Margaret’

‘Fruit below the middle size; skin greenish yellow, richly and closely streaked with deep red; flesh white, juicy, breaking, sub-acid, very rich and agreeable. Ripens early in August.’ [FCM p.39/1845].

Malus domestica ‘Margil’

Fruit; small, concial, five-sided and ridged. Skin; orange streaked with deep red, patches of russet on one side. Flesh; yellow, firm, juicy, rich, sugary, with a powerful aromatic flavour. [HP pl.XLI/1878].

Malus domestica ‘Munn’s Red’

Fruit; round, even and regular. Skin; bright red, approaching scarlet, mottled, somewhat streaked with crimson. Flesh; yellowish, with a stain of red. [HP].

Malus domestica ‘New York Pippin’

‘Fruit, rather large, of an oblong figure, somewhat pyramidal, rather irregular in its outline, and slightly pentangular on its sides, three of which are generally much shorter than the other, forming a kind of lip at the crown; from two inches and a half to three inches deep, and the same in diameter at the base. Eye, closed, rather deeply sunk in a very uneven irregular basin. Stalk, half-an-inch long, slender, rather deeply inserted in a wide uneven cavity. Skin, dull greenish-yellow, with a few green specks, intermixed with a little skin, (thin?) [Hogg’s query] grey russet, and tinged with brown on the sunny side. Flesh, firm, crisp, tender. Juice, plentiful, saccharine, with a slight aromatic flavor. A dessert apple; in use from November to April. [Hogg p.144/1851].

Malus domestica ‘Newtown Pippin’

‘This variety, when perfectly matured, is considered by some the finest apple in our country; its skin is green, changing to olive yellow at maturity, having a thin russet covering the greatest part of the base; flesh pale yellow and firm; juice sacharrine, and possessing a rich and highly aromatic flavour: from December to April.’ [FCM p.44/1845].

Malus domestica ‘No Name Red Streak’

Red streak? [The question mark is Macarthur’s]. March-July. Very great. A dessert fruit only. Not very juicy but with a pleasant spicy flavour. [Notebook no.9, MP A2948].

No name “Red Streak”. March-July. An excellent mild flavoured dessert fruit of no value for the kitchen. [Diary B, 1862, MP A2951].

Malus domestica ‘Nonesuch’

‘Fruit middle sized, of a very regular round figure, and free from angles on its sides, about two inches and a half in diameter, and two inches and a quarter deep. Eye small, with a short, closed calyx, in a very regular, rather shallow, saucer-shaped basin, without plaits. Stalk short, slender, inserted in a shallow cavity, seldom projecting beyond the base. Skin pale yellow, spotted and marbled with orange, with numerous broken stripes and patches of brick-red on the sunny side. Flesh white, soft, and tender. Juice plentiful, a little saccharine, and slightly perfumed. A handsome dessert apple from Michaelmas till nearly Christmas.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.20/1831].

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