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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Aucuba japonica Thunb. var. variegata
Fully hardy, rounded, evergreen shrub with elliptic to ovate glossy leaves, usually with a few marginal teeth, and small, red-purple flowers in spring. In female plants these are followed by bright red berries in autumn. Variegata is always female, and has yellow speckled leaves. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Babiana disticha Ker-Gawl.
Leaves lance-shaped, hairy, flowers pale yellow or shades of blue marked with yellow, fragrant. To 20cm. [RHSD, Hortus, CECB].
Babiana hirsuta (Lam.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning
One of the taller growing species with lance-shaped, stiff, pleated, finely velvety leaves and bright red flowers, the upper tepal clawed. To 70cm. [CECB].
Babiana ringens (L.) Ker-Gawl.
Cormous perennial with lance-shaped leaves, to 4cm long, and somewhat tubular scarlet-purple-flowers, to 4cm long, in early summer, the main flower spike sterile and most flowers borne on side branches near to the ground. To 40cm. [RHSD, CECB].
Babiana rubro-cyanea (Jacq.) Ker-Gawl.
Frost-tender cormous perennial with hairy leaves and spikes of variously coloured flowers, but typically mauve with bright red centres, in spring. To 20cm. [RHSE, Hortus, CECB]. Considered by some authors to be a form of Babiana stricta (Ait.) Ker-Gawl., which see.
Babiana stricta (Ait.) Ker-Gawl.
A similar plant to Babiana disticha Ker-Gawl., which see, with purple, blue, white or yellow unscented flowers or violet scented flowers. To 20cm. [CECB].
Babiana tubulosa (Burm.f.) Ker-Gawl.
Cormous perennial, the leaves linear to lance-shaped, hairy, flowers white to cream, often with red markings on the lower segments, tube to 8.5cm, cylindrical. [CECB, RHSD].
Babiana unidentified species, Crimson flower
A number of species of Babiana have bright red flowers, or occur naturally with red flowers. One such, Babiana ringens was listed in the catalogues from 1843. Of the Cape species, this being the most likely source, Babiana thunbergii Ker-Gawl., which see, and Babiana villosa (Ait.) Ker-Gawl. in its bright crimson form are perhaps the most likely possibilities, although the former is recorded at Camden. [CECB].
Bambusa arundinacea Wall.
Frost tender evergreen, clump-forming bamboo with tall woody stems, up to 20cm in diameter, with a profusion of very leafy branches at the top, flowering once only after which the plant dies. To 30m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Barleria strigosa Willd.
Probably Roxburgh’s Barleria caerulea. Frost tender evergreen shrub with lance-shaped leaves and spikes of tubular, 2-lipped, blue flowers in summer. To 90cm. [Hortus].
Bauera rubioides Andr.
Frost tender, mat-forming to low, spreading, bushy, evergreen shrub with 3-palmate, deep green leaves and solitary, bowl-shaped, pink or white flowers, on long stalks from the upper leaf axils, from spring to summer. To 3m. [RHSE, Hilliers’, Hortus, FNSW].
Bauhinia racemosa Lam.
Frost-tender shrub or small tree with hanging branches, small, lobed leaves and loose racemes of yellow flowers. [Hortus].
Bauhinia richardiana DC.
Frost-tender shrub with heart-shaped leaves and white flowers. [Don].
Bauhinia scandens L.
Frost-tender evergreen woody climbing shrub, branching from the ground, with terminal racemes of small, deep pink flowers in spring and autumn. To 2.5m. [Don].
