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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Berberis darwinii Hook.
Fully hardy, vigorous, upright, evergreen shrub with spine-toothed, glossy green leaves and pendant racemes of 10-30 dark orange flowers in spring and sometimes autumn, followed by blue-black fruit. To 3m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Berberis hookeri Lem.
Fully hardy, dense, compact, evergreen shrub, with dark purple fruits. A very useful species for hedging. To 1.2m. [RHSD, Hilliers’, Hortus].
Berberis macrophylla Hort. Ex Lindl.
A hairless shrub with lance-shaped leaves and fascilcles of 12 or more yellow flowers. To 3m or more. [BM t.9283/1935].
Berberis vulgaris L.
Fully hardy deciduous species mainly grown for its pendulous clusters of egg-shaped, bright red, translucent berries which follow the yellow flowers which appear in spring. To 3m. [RHSD, Hilliers’].
Berberis vulgaris L. var. atropurpurea
See Berberis vulgaris L. for description of the species. Atropurpurea is a shrub with deep purple foliage which contrasts strikingly with the nodding racemes of yellow flowers. [RHSD, Hilliers’, Hortus].
Berberis vulgaris L. var. dulcis
Although included separately in the Camden Park catalogues this plant is almost certainly Berberis vulgaris L., which see. The variety dulcis has no doubt been selected for the quality of its fruit over many generations. ‘B. vulgaris dulcis. Sweet fruited. Very similar to the species. The fruit is a little larger and not quite so acid, and leaves bright green and shining. This variety should not be confounded with the before mentioned species, Berberis dulcis [Berberis buxifolia Lam. which see], as the latter has black fruit of the size of a large currant, which is solitary, while that of the former is produced in racemes.’ [Fuller – The Small Fruit Culturist p.27/1914].
Bergenia ligulata (Wall.) Engl.
Marginally fully hardy perennial herb with somewhat heart-shaped, toothed leaves, and a forked panicle of very pale red, almost white, flowers in spring. To 30cm. [RHSD].
Betula papyrifera Michx.
Large, hardy, graceful, deciduous tree with ovate leaves, to 10cm long, white papery bark and yellow autumn foliage. There are a number of naturally occurring forms. To 30m. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Bifrenaria harrisoniae (Hook.) Reichb.f.
Frost-tender epiphytic orchid with pseudobulbs bearing 1 large, apical leaf and 1 or 2 large, long lasting, waxy, creamy-white flowers, sometimes flushed with red, with a red-purple lip, in winter or spring. [RHSD, Pridgeon].
Bignonia capreolata L.
Half hardy vigorous climber with opposite leaves to 18cm long, usually consisting of 2 leaflets and 1 tendril. Orange-red flowers are borne in summer. To 10m or more. [RHSE, Hilliers’, Hortus].
Bignonia unguis-cati L.
Vigorous, woody climber with persistent underground tubers, twining climbing branches and solitary bright yellow flowers. The name Cat’s Claw relates to the claw-like leaf appendages, seen clearly in the figure, which aid climbing. [RHSD, Hortus].
Billbergia grandiflora [Macarthur]
I have found no reference to a plant of this name. It is probably an unpublished nursery name for a Billbergia or a related species.
Billbergia zebrina Lindl.
Frost tender, evergreen epiphyte with scaly, laxly toothed, recurved leaves to 1m, banded silver or white, sometimes bronze-purple, forming a tubular rosette, and with an arching to pendant inflorescence of tubular yellow-green flowers with pink, papery bracts, arising from the centre of the leaves. To 1m in flower. [RHSD, Hortus].
Bixa orellana L.
Frost tender, intricately branched, evergreen tree with ovate-heart-shaped leaves and terminal panicles of 3-5, open cup-shaped, 5-petalled, purple-tinted, white or pink flowers in summer and autumn, followed by bristly bright red or dark pink fruit, full of dark red seeds. To 10m by 5m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Blandfordia grandiflora R.Br.
Frost-tender rhizomatous perennial with linear leaves and loose racemes of red or red and yellow flowers in early summer. To 60cm. [RHSE, Hortus, FNSW].
