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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Acer negundo L.
Fully hardy, fast-growing, upright, deciduous tree with pinnate leaves with light green leaflets, turning yellow in autumn. Male and female flowers are borne on separate trees. To 15m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Acer platanoides L.
Fully hardy, vigorous, spreading, deciduous tree with large, broadly ovate, 3-5 lobed, dark green leaves, turning red or yellow in autumn. It bears small, but conspicuous, upright corymbs of yellow flowers. To 25m. [RHSE, Hilliers’].
Acer pseudoplatanus L.
Fully hardy, fast growing, spreading, rounded, deciduous tree with ovate, 5-lobed, dark green leaves. The pendant panicles of yellow-green flowers are followed by green or red winged fruits. To 30m. [RHSE, Hilliers’].
Acer saccharum Marsh.
Fully hardy deciduous tree with a dense rounded crown and large, broadly ovate, mid-green, 3-5 lobed leaves which turn brilliant orange to red and yellow in autumn. To 40m. An economically important tree, it is tapped for its sap in spring, the source of maple sugar, and also produces the highly prized birds-eye maple timber for cabinet making. [RHSD, Hilliers’].
Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum (F.Michx.) Desmarais
Large tree with deeply furrowed black bark and 3-lobed leaves. To 40m. [RHSD, Hortus]. Distinguished from the Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum Marsh which see, by the 5-lobed leaves of the latter.
Achillea millefolium L.
Fully hardy herbaceous plant with small white flowers in dense, flat corymbs. There are many garden cultivars with rose, red or yellow flowers. To 90cm. Tendency to be invasive but easily controlled. [RHSE, Hortus].
Achillea sibirica Ledeb. subsp. mongolica (Fisch. ex Spreng.) Heimerl
Fully hardy herbaceous plant with pinnatifid leaves and large flower heads bearing corymbs of white flowers on long, sometimes branching stems. To 90cm. [RHSD, Hortus].
Achillea species unidentified
Unidentified species, but perhaps Achillea sibirica Ledeb. subsp. mongolica (Fisch. ex Spreng.) Heimerl, which see. This first appeared in the 1850 cataologue.
Achimenes ‘Baumanni Grandiflora’
A cultivar of unknown parentage. ‘Another continental variety; dwarf, and blooms freely. Each blossom is about an inch across, of a lilac-purple, with a small yellow eye. Pretty.’ [FC p.4/1851].
Achimenes ‘Dr. Hopf’
A hybrid between Achimenes ‘Count Wolfarth’ and Achimenes longiflora ‘Alba’, it has pure white flowers, with a yellow throat, streaked crimson. [IH p.55 Vol 2/1855].
Achimenes ‘Floribunda Elegans’
A garden cultivar or hybrid with a profusion of purple and crimson flowers. [GRA p.18.] Its parentage is unknown to me.
Achimenes ‘Jayii’
A hybrid or cultivar of unknown origin with violet-purple flowers. It was described in a note on new plants in the Floricultural Cabinet: ‘It has much the appearance of A. rosea in habit, but the flowers are of a bright purple colour. A beautiful variety.’ [FC p.290/1849]. GRA p. 23.
Achimenes ‘Sir Trecherne Thomas’
‘Sir Trecherne Thomas’ is a crimson-flowered hybrid of Achimenes ‘Boekmanni’ x Achimenes grandiflora bred by Louis van Houtte. Achimenes ‘Boekmanni’ is itself a cross between A. longiflora and A. grandiflora. [GRA p.37].
Achimenes ‘Splendens’
A hybrid or cultivar of unknown origin, I have no description of this plant. Achimenes splendens is not listed in the Gesneriad Register-Achimenes. A number of ‘Splendens’ cultivars are listed, all later than this.
