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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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

Ornithogalum conicum Jacq.

Robust, half-hardy bulbous perennial with semi-erect, lance-shaped basal leaves which wither in spring and are followed by dense racemes of many cup-shaped white flowers, tinted cream or green at the base. To 1m. [RHSD, Hortus, CECB]. Ornithogalum conicum is very similar to the true ‘Chincherinchee’, Ornithogalum thyrsoides Jacq., but with smooth- not hairy-margined leaves and usually longer flower stems. [RHSD].

Ornithogalum dubium Houtt.

Half-hardy bulbous perennial with up to 8 narrow leaves, to 10cm long, with flowering stems to 30cm bearing racemes of 20 or more orange, red, yellow or, rarely white flowers, often tinged green or brown at the base within, opening in succession for a considerable time in the winter and spring. [RHSD, Hortus, CECB].

Ornithogalum species white

An unidentified species of Ornithogalum or a related genus. Most species of Ornithogalum have white flowers.

Orphium frutescens L.

Erect shrub with linear leaves and red flowers in showy cymes. To 60cm. [RHSD].

Orphium frutescens L. var. grandiflora

For a description of the species see Orphium frutescens L. Grandiflora is probably identical to frutescens but may be a form with larger flowers. In Prodromus Stirpium in Horto ad Chapel Allerton vigentium [p.137] Salisbury gives Chironia grandiflora as a synonym of Chironia frutescens L. without further elucidation.

Orthrosanthus multiflorus Sweet

Iris-like plant with narrow leaves and spikes of sky blue flowers opening in the early morning. [Wrigley].

Osmanthus americanus Benth. & Hook.f

Frost-hardy, large evergreen shrub or small tree with leathery, lance-shaped leaves, to 15cm long, and short axillary panicles of fragrant white flowers in spring. [Hortus, Hilliers’].

Oxalis bifurca Lodd.

Half-hardy bulbous perennial with leaves composed of 3 linear leaflets, bilobed, deeply incised to about half their length, to about 8mm long and .5mm wide, smooth above, sparsely hairy beneath. Erect or procumbent branched stems, to 30cm, bear solitary, purple-red flowers, to 1.2cm across, with yellow-green throats, on stalks to 8cm long. Late summer to autumn flowering in Australia. [RHSD, Beadle, FNSW].

Oxalis bowiei Herb. ex Lindl.

Frost-hardy clump-forming, bulbous perennial with large, long-stalked leaves composed of 3 rounded, shallowly-notched leaflets, rather thick and leathery, hairy and often purplish beneath, and loose, umbel-like cymes of 3-12, funnel-shaped, deep rose-pink flowers with yellow-green tubes. To 25cm. Late summer and autumn flowering in Australia. [RHSE, Hortus, Beadle].

Oxalis brasiliensis Lodd.

Frost-hardy, short-growing, bulbous species with leaves composed of 3, rounded and centrally-notched leaflets, somewhat purplish beneath, and magenta to rose-coloured flowers with darker throat and veins, to 2.5cm across, carried on scapes, to 15cm, each bearing up to 4 flowers. [RHSD, Hortus].

Oxalis crispa Jacq.

Oxalis crispa has wavy-margined leaves composed of 2, roundish, notched leaflets and large white flowers with reddish edges in the autumn. To 9cm. [Don].

Oxalis debilis Kunth var. corymbosa (D.C.) Lourt.

Half-hardy bulbous perennial with leaves composed of 3 leaflets, to 4.5cm long, rounded sometimes with dark spots beneath and purplish when young, and irregularly branched cymes of up to 15, red to purple flowers, to 1.5cm across, with darker veins, in spring and summer. To 40cm. [RHSD, Hortus].

Oxalis deppei Schlecht. ex Hemsl.

See Oxalis tetraphylla Cav. for more detail. Oxalis deppei and O. tetraphylla, generally regarded as synonymous are sometimes treated as separate, but very similar species from Mexico. For convenience they are treated separately here. [RHSD, Hortus].

Oxalis elegans H.B. & K.

Frost-tender bulbous perennial with 3 roundish leaflets, green above purplish beneath and flowering stems bearing 2-6 purple flowers with a deeper coloured throat. [RHSD].

Oxalis flava L.

Very variable, half-hardy rhizomatous perennial with up to 12, narrow leaflets per leaf, up to 20cm long, and solitary, bright yellow, white or very pale rose-violet flowers, to 2.5cm across, with a yellow throat, borne slightly above the flowers in spring and summer. To 25cm. [RHSD].

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