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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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

Pyrus communis ‘Green Chisel’

‘Fruit small, nearly globular, about one inch and a quarter across each way. Eye large in proportion to the size of the fruit, prominently placed, with an open crumpled calyx. Stalk three quarters of an inch long, straight, inserted without any cavity. Skin quite green all round; but sometimes, when fully exposed, it has a faint brownish tinge on the sunny side. Flesh gritty. Juice a little sugary, with a slight perfume. Ripe the beginning to the middle of August.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.335/1831].

Pyrus communis ‘Grey Doyenné’

‘Fruit medium sized, obovate. Skin yellowish-green, but entirely covered with thin, smooth, cinnamon-coloured russet, and sometimes with a brownish-red tinge on the side next the sun. Eye small and closed, set in a narrow depression. Stalk three quarters of an inch long, inserted in a narrow, rather deep cavity. Flesh white, tender, melting, very juicy, sugary, and vinous. A first-rate hardy pear. Ripe in the end of October.’ [Hogg – Fruit Manual p.207/1860].

Pyrus communis ‘Hacon’s Incomparable’

‘Fruit middle-sized, somewhat turbinate, and a little irregular in its outline, occasioned by one or two slightly protuberant angles near its crown; about two inches and a half deep, and three inches in diameter. Eye small, open; segments of the calyx short and narrow, slightly sunk in a rather wide uneven depression. Stalk an inch long, rather stout, inserted in a somewhat lipped and rather deep cavity. Skin rugose, pale yellow, or yellowish white, a good deal mixed with green, and partially covered with a greyish orange russet, particularly round the stalk. Flesh yellowish white, slightly gritty, but very buttery and melting. Juice abundant, very saccharine, extremely rich, and possessing a high, musky, and perfumed flavour. In perfection in November and December.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.375/1831].

Pyrus communis ‘Jargonelle’

‘Fruit large, oblong, somewhat pyramidal, from three inches and a half to four inches long, and from two inches and a half to three inches in diameter. Eye open, with long segments of the calyx. Stalk two inches long, somewhat obliquely inserted. Skin greenish yellow on the shaded side, with a tinge of brownish red when exposed to the sun. Flesh yellowish white, very juicy and melting, with a peculiarly rich agreeable flavour; round the core it is gritty, and more so, if grafted upon the Quince. Ripe the middle and end of August.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.341/1831].

Pyrus communis ‘Joséphine de Malines’

‘Fruit about medium size. Skin yellow, with a greenish tinge on the shaded side and with a tinge of red on the side next the sun; the whole surface strewed with large russet spots. Eye open, set in a rather shallow depression. Stalk three quarters of an inch long, stout, and inserted in a narrow cavity. Flesh yellowish, with a tinge of red, melting and very juicy, sugary, vinous, and richly flavoured, with a high rosewater aroma. A most delicious pear, in use from February till May.’ [Hogg – Fruit Manual p.185/1860].

Pyrus communis ‘Léon Leclerc de Laval’

‘Fruit large, long-obovate, and rounding towards the eye. Skin smooth and shining, yellow, strewed with brown dots, and marked with tracings of russet. Eye large, with long, straight, narrow segments, set in a shallow basin. Stalk an inch and a half long, inserted without depression by the side of a fleshy lip. Flesh white, half-melting or crisp, juicy, sweet, and perfumed. An excellent stewing pear, which in some seasons is half-melting, and is in use from January till May and June.’ [Hogg – Fruit Manual p.197/1860].

Pyrus communis ‘Louise Bonne’

‘Fruit pretty large, somewhat pyramidal, much in the manner of the Saint Germain, but more rounded at the crown, and not so slender towards the stalk, about three inches and a half long, and two inches and three quarters in diameter. Eye small, very little sunk. Stalk three quarters of an inch long, straight, rather obliquely inserted, with a curb or embossment next the fruit. Skin very smooth, of a pale green, becoming a little yellow as it approaches maturity. Flesh extremely tender, and full of an excellent, saccharine, well-flavoured juice. Ripe in November, and will keep till Christmas.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.400/1831].

Pyrus communis ‘Marie Louise’

‘Fruit long ovate, something like a Saint Germain, but more angular in its outline, about three inches and a quarter long, and two inches and a half in diameter. Eye open, placed in an oblique, somewhat knobby hollow. Stalk one inch and a half long, obliquely inserted in a small uneven cavity. Skin greenish, but when fully matured of a rich yellow, clouded with light brown russet on the sunny side. Flesh inclining to yellow, perfectly melting, with abundance of saccharine, highly vinous juice. Ripe the beginning and middle of October.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.378/1831].

Pyrus communis ‘Moorfowl Egg’

‘Fruit rather small, of a globular-ovate figure, abruptly tapering from the middle, both to the crown and the stalk, about two inches and three quarters deep, and the same in diameter. Eye small, open, with a short, slender, strigose calyx, placed in a rather narrow and shallow basin. Stalk one inch and a half long, slightly inserted by the side of a small elongated lip. Skin pale yellow, mixed with green, and tinged on the sunny side with a lively orange-brown, interspersed with numerous minute russetty spots. Flesh yellowish white, a little gritty, but tender and mellow. Juice sugary, with a slight perfume. Ripe the end of September, and will keep two or three weeks.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.361/1831].

Pyrus communis ‘Morel’

Probably the pear ‘Morel’. ‘Fruit about medium sized, obovate. Skin yellow, thickly freckled with large russet spots. Eye half open, not depressed. Stalk an inch and a quarter long, stout. Flesh yellowish-white, crisp, juicy, and sweet, with an agreeable flavour. This in colour and flavour is like Hessle, but ripens in April, and is a good variety for that late season.’ [Hogg – Fruit Manual p.201/1860].

Pyrus communis ‘Napoléon’

‘Fruit large, the form of a Colmar, angular about the eye, a good deal contracted in the middle, about three inches and three quarters long, and three inches in diameter. Eye small, with a connivent calyx, a little depressed. Stalk half an inch long, thick, straight; in some specimens diagonally inserted under a large, elongated, curved lip. Skin smooth, bright green, in which state it remains for some time after the fruit is gathered; it finally changes to a pale green, when the flesh becomes very melting, with a most unusual abundance of rich agreeable juice. Ripe the middle of November, and remains in perfection several days.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.380/1831].

Pyrus communis ‘Ne Plus Meuris’

‘Fruit medium sized, roundish-turbinate, very uneven, and bossed on its surface. Skin rough, dull yellow, very much covered with dark brown russet. Eye half open, generally prominent. Stalk very short, not at all depressed, frequently appearing as a mere knob on the apex of the fruit. Flesh yellowish-white, buttery and melting, with a rich, sugary, and vinous flavour. A first-rate pear. Ripe from January till March.’

Pyrus communis ‘Nouvelle Fulvie’

‘Fruit large or very large, pyramidal-pyriform, strongly bossed, lemon-yellow when ripe, colored with vivid red on the side exposed to the sun, marked and dotted with russet; flesh yellowish-white, very fine, melting, buttery; juice very abundant, sugary, having an exquisite perfume; good; Nov. to Feb.’ [Pears of New York p.483 as ‘Nouvelle Fulvie’].

Pyrus communis ‘Orange Bergamot’

‘Fruit, small; roundish turbinate. Skin, smooth, pale green, becoming yellowish green at maturity, with dull red next the sun, strewed with whitish grey dots. Eye, open, and set in a deep basin. Stalk, half an inch long, stout, inserted in a small cavity. Flesh, white, half-melting, juicy, with a sweet and musky flavour. A dessert pear; ripe in August.’ [Hogg – Fruit Manual p.625/1884].

Pyrus communis ‘Passe Colmar’

‘Fruit middle-sized, obconical, flattened at the crown, about three inches and a half long, and three inches in diameter. Eye open, slightly sunk. Stalk one inch and a half long, strong, inserted in an oblique obtusely-angled cavity. Skin green, when ripe becoming yellowish, and sprinkled with russet, and if well exposed having a considerable tinge of red; the surface is somewhat uneven, with some slight longitudinal furrows running from the stalk end. Flesh yellowish, melting, juicy, very rich, and most excellent. In perfection in December and January.’ [George Lindley – Orchard Guide p.404/1831].

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