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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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

Santalum acuminatum (R.Br.) A.DC.

An erect shrub or small tree with lance-shaped leaves and bumerous small flowers in mostly terminal panicles, followed by bright red, rarely yellow, edible sweet fruit, 25mm long. The seeds or nuts are also edible. To 6m. Member of the Sandalwood family from southern and more arid parts of Australia, partially parasitic on the roots of other plants. [FNSW, Wrigley].

Sapindus drummondii Hook. & Arn.

Fully hardy, small deciduous tree with pinnate leaves, turning yellow in autumn, and dense conical panicles of cream flowers in early summer, followed by spherical, orange-yellow fruit. To 15m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].

Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb.

Half hardy small tree, similar to a Poplar, with pointed, ovate leaves, often turning brilliant red in autumn, and slender racemes of greenish-yellow flowers. The waxy coat of the seeds is used to make candles in China. To 12m. [RHSD, Hortus].

Sarcochilus falcatus R.Br.

Small, frost-tender, epiphytic orchid with fleshy leaves, to 16cm long, and slender racemes of up to 10, white, orange-blossom-scented flowers, with yellow and purple markings, in spring. [RHSD, Jones, FNSW, Pridgeon, Beadle].

Sarcochilus hillii F.Muell.

Frost tender epiphytic orchid with drooping stems, to 5cm, slender, linear leaves, to 10cm, often spotted, and an erect inflorescence bearing up to 10, crystalline, white to pale pink flowers, occasionally with yellow markings and purple markings on the labellum, in summer. [Jones, Beadle].

Sarcochilus olivaceus Lindl.

Frost-tender epiphytic orchid with short, thick stems, sickle-shaped leaves, to 14cm long, and axillary racemes of up to 11, olive green to golden flowers, up to 3.5cm across, in spring. [RHSD, Jones, FNSW, Beadle].

Saxegothaea conspicua Lindl.

Fully-hardy, slender, conical evergreen tree or shrub, bushy in cold areas, with whorled branches bearing lance-shaped leaves, to 3cm long, barred silver beneath, and terminal, fleshy, spherical, prickly, grey-green female cones, to 1.5cm across, in autumn. To 20m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].

Saxifraga umbrosa L.

Fully hardy evergreen perennial with compact rosettes of spoon-shaped leaves and pink flowers in summer. There are many garden varieties. To 30cm. [RHSD, Hortus].

Scabiosa atropurpurea L.

Fully hardy, erect, wiry-stemmed biennial or short-lived perennial, often grown as an annual, somewhat variable with solitary, fragrant, dark purple to lilac flower heads in summer. To 90cm. [RHSE, Hortus].

Scabiosa stellata L.

Fully hardy, erect, branching, wiry stemmed, hairy annual with pale blue to white flowers in summer, followed by large silvery-cream seed heads. To 45cm. The seed heads are very useful in dried flower arrangements. [RHSE, Hortus].

Scadoxus multiflorus (Martyn) Raf.

Frost-tender bulbous perennial, with wavy-edged basal leaves and spherical heads of red flowers with conspicuous stamens, followed by orange berries, in summer. The leaves may be present or absent at flowering. To 60cm. Quite variable, with many geographical forms, many separately named in the early literature. [RHSE, Hortus, Baker Am.].

Scadoxus multiflorus (Martyn) Raf. subsp. multiflorus

Now recognised as a subspecies of Scadoxus multiflorus (Martyn) Raf. which see.

Haemanthus multiflorus is ‘very variable, but I cannot make out that more than a single species is covered by the above synonyms’ which include Haemanthus abyssinicus Herb. and H. tenuiflorus Herb. [Baker Am.]. The sub-species multiflorus has smaller, bright red flowers. [RHSD].

Scadoxus puniceus (L.) Friis & I.Nordal

A striking bulbous perennial with wavy-edged basal leaves and conical heads of up to 100 tiny yellowish-green to pink or scarlet flowers with prominent red bracts, followed by yellow berries, in spring and summer. The leaves may be present or absent at flowering but are invariably absent at Camden. To 50cm. It will grow well in the garden with minimal protection in many parts of Australia. [RHSE, Hortus, CECB].

Schinus molle L.

Frost tender, usually broad-headed tree with slender, pendant branches, pinnate leaves, to 30cm long, composed of up to 41 narrow leaflets, and pendant panicles, to 20cm long, of tiny whitish flowers from winter to summer, followed by rose-pink fruit. To 25m. Although ostensibly tender it thrives in the Camden district. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’]. The fruits have been eaten and sold as pink peppercorns.

Schinus polygama (Cav.) Cabrera

Fully hardy, medium-sized, evergreen shrub or small tree, the shoots often spine-tipped, with simple, oblong, usually entire leaves, to 2.5cm long, and tiny, yellowish flowers in short axillary racemes in spring, followed by round, purplish fruits, resembling peppercorns. To 6m. [RHSD, Hilliers’, Hortus].

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