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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Bauhinia tomentosa L.
Frost-tender shrub, deciduous in cooler climates, with roundish leaves with semi-connected leaflets and racemes of up to three, pale yellow, bell-shaped flowers, somewhat drooping, with a red spot at the claw. To 4.5m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Bauhinia vahlii Wight & Arn.
A giant woody climber in the wild, leaves heart-shaped at the base and with distinct, roundish lobes, and yellowish-white flowers borne in racemes. [various sources].
Beaufortia species unidentified
Beaufortia is a genus of 19 species of evergreen shrubs from warm-temperate areas of Western Australia, with bottle-brush-like flowers. [RHSE].
Beaumontia grandiflora Wall.
Frost-tender, vigorous, evergreen, twining climber with large, ovate, deep green leaves, reddish when young, and fragrant, trumpet-shaped white flowers in terminal and axillary corymbs in spring and summer. To 15m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Begonia albo-coccinea Hook.
It has a thickened rootstock, short, creeping stems, broadly ovate leaves, to 15cm long, and dense clusters of bright rose flowers, white inside. [RHSD].
Begonia coccinea Hook.
Large, sub-shrubby, cane-stemmed begonia with branching stems, ovate leaves, to 15cm long, reddish beneath and large coral-red flowers in drooping clusters. Parent of many hybrids and varieties. To 1m or more. [RHSE, Hortus].
Begonia cucullata Willd. var. hookeri (Sweet) L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub.
Fibrous rooted begonia with green, creeping shoots, becoming erect, with small, round green leaves and ever-blooming white or pinkish flowers. Many cultivars exist, which are popular garden bedding and pot plants. To 45cm. Hookeri varies from the type in that the leaves are not curved at the base. There are many varieties, reflected in the extensive synonymy. [RHSD, Hortus, Krempin].
Begonia dipetala Graham
Thick-stemmed, upright, usually unbranched perennial, with medium, grass-green, toothed leaves with white spots, short hairs arising from the centre of some spots, red beneath, and axillary cymes of fragrant pale pinkish-white flowers in clusters on the stems from spring to summer. To 1.2m. [RHSD, Krempin].
Begonia fischeri Otto & A.Dietr.
This may be the plant referred to as Begonia Fischeri by Macarthur. It was reportedly grown largely for its very ornamental leaves, which are pinkish when young, with a silvery lustre which persists in the old leaves, which turn a delicate yellowish green. [BM t.3532/1836].
Begonia fischeri Schrank
Frost-tender, shrub-like perennial with a woody stem, small, smooth leaves, crimson beneath, and very small, bright pink flowers, usually in threes, in spring. A number of cultivars are available. To 90cm. [Krempin]. This is the plant referred to B. fischeri in Australia today.
Begonia fuschioides Hook.
Frost-tender, shrub-like fibrous-rooted begonia with slender stems and sickle-shaped, toothed leaves, with a reddish tinge when young, and elegant. drooping, fuchsia-like pink to red flowers in panicles in winter. To 75cm by 45cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Begonia geraniifolia Hook.
Tuberous-rooted begonia with fleshy, purple-tinted stems, roundish, serrated to lobed, red-edged, green leaves and clusters of pinkish-white flowers. [Krempin].
Begonia hydrocotylifolia Otto ex Hook. var. hybrida
A pink-flowered hybrid. Begonia hydrocotylifolia, from Mexico, is a rhizomatous begonia with hairy leaves and small rose-pink flowers in open, long-stalked clusters. [RHSD, Hortus].
Begonia insignis Graham
Fibrous rooted begonia with an erect stem, swollen at the nodes and spotted, toothed, slender pointed leaves and abundant rose-coloured flowers. [RHSD, Hortus].
Begonia maculata Raddi
Frost-tender perennial with cane-like stems, long, smooth, oval, silver-spotted, wavy-edged green leaves, red beneath, and pink flowers from spring to autumn. A number of cultivars are available. To 1m. [RHSD, Hortus, Krempin, FC p.272/1846].
