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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Riedlea tiliifolia DC.
Frost tender shrub or small tree with toothed leaves and terminal corymbs of numerous small pink flowers. To 60cm. [Don].
Rigidella flammea Lindl.
Bulbous perennial with lance-shaped basal leaves, to 30cm long, and semi-pendant, iris-like scarlet flowers, to 10cm across, with purple markings at the base of the petals. The flowers are borne in succession before the leaves in spring or summer. To 1.5m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Rigidella immaculata Herb.
See Rigidella flammea Lindl. A very similar plant to Rigidella flammea, rather more slender and with smaller, unspotted flowers and narrower leaves. William Herbert summarised the key differences between R. flammea and R. immaculata in a note to The Gardeners’ Chronicle: ‘It is worth mentioning that while Rigidella flammea expands its flowers at three in the afternoon, the new scarlet one (R. immaculata) expands earlier and closes about three. They are both flowering in the open ground, having stood the winter, and as they grow near together this difference in the time of expansion is conspicuous.’ [GC p.494/1842, RHSD].
Ritchiea arborescens [Macarthur]
I have been unable to identify a plant with the name Richiea arborescens. The only plant of the genus Ritchiea listed in Paxton’s Dictionary is Ritchiea fragrans R.Br. Johnston’s Dictionary lists both this plant and Ritchiea polypetala Hook. ex Hook.f., the latter in the 1875 Supplement.
Ritchiea erecta Hook.f.
[Ritchiea polypetala is] ‘An erect, glabrous shrub, with alternate, 3-5-foliolate leaves, petioles slender, terete, three to five inches long. Leaflets as long as or longer than the petioles, oblong or obovato-lanceolate, acuminate, shortly petiolulate. Corymbs terminal, erect, two inches long, three- to five-flowered. Flowers large, four inches across the petals. Sepals four, ovate-oblong, deep green. Petals about fourteen, very narrow, strap-shaped, crumpled above the middle, acuminate, pale straw-coloured. Stamens very numerous, spreading, with small anthers. Ovary on a very long stipes.’ [BM t.5344/1862]. Joseph Hooker goes on the compare this plant to others in the genus: ‘It differs from the original species, R. fragrans (Crataeva fragrans, Bot. Mag. t.556), in the erect habit, short peduncle and pedicels, and numerous petals. The R. erecta has much smaller flowers and few petals.’
Robinia hispida L.
Fully-hardy upright shrub with bristly shoots, pinnate leaves, composed of up to 13 elliptic leaflets, and pendant racemes of light rose-pink flowers, to 3cm long, in spring and summer, followed by bristly brown seed pods. To 2.5m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Robinia pseudo-acacia L.
Fully-hardy, fast-growing, broadly columnar tree with spiny shoots, pinnate leaves, composed of up to 23 lance-shaped leaflets, and pendant racemes, to 20cm long, of fragrant white flowers, to 2cm long, in summer, followed by smooth brown seedpods. To 25m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Romulea rosea (L.) Eck.
Cormous perennial with 3-6 narrow basal leaves, grooved and very tough, and pink or white flowers with a yellow throat. Leaves to 15cm, flowers much shorter. [Hortus].
Rondeletia odorata Jacq.
Frost-tender, bushy shrub with oblong, puckered, wavy-margined leaves, to 10cm long, and dense terminal clusters, to 10cm long, of fragrant, tubular, orange to red, yellow-throated flowers in autumn. To 3m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Rosa 'Isabella Gray'
Noisette rose. Paul considered it to be the deepest of all yellows, with a large and full flower of globular shape, on a vigorous bush, but thought it to be unreliable outdoors in England. This comment by Paul sparked a vigorous debate in the pages of The Gardeners’ Chronicle [Paul (1863, 1888, 1903), Rivers (1857, 1863)].
Rosa ‘Acidalie’
Bourbon rose. ‘Acidalie’ has large, full, globular, sweetly-scented flowers of pure white with blush centres on a vigorous bush. It requires good weather to perform well. [Paul (1848, 1863)].
Rosa ‘Alexandrine Bachmeteff’
Hybrid perpetual. ‘Alexandrine Bachmeteff’ has bright rosy carmine flowers, large and full, of first rate character, on a hardy, free-growing, vigorous shrub. [Paul (1863, 1888), Rivers 1854, FC p.228/1857].
Rosa ‘Annie Vibert’
An early cluster-flowered Noisette, a mid-size shrub, to 1.5m, fragrant, repeat flowering, good for a pot. The flowers are medium pink on opening then white. [www.ashdownroses.com].
Rosa ‘Auguste Mie’
Hybrid Perpetual. ‘Auguste Mie’ was described by Paul as similar to ‘Coupe d'Hébé’, its flowers a light, glossy rose-pink, large, double, and globular in form. A late bloomer producing a vigorous bush, good for standard, pot or pillar. [Paul (1863, 1888), Rivers (1854, 1857, 1863), FC p.228/1857].
Rosa ‘Baronne de Hecheren’
Hybrid Perpetual. The flowers were described by Paul as rosy pink, the petals large, cupped and double, a fine showy rose. [Paul 1863, FC p.61/1855].
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