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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Camellia japonica ‘Herbertii’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. ‘British hybrid with single red flowers.’ [FC p.187/1835]. ‘Foliage beautiful and port very vigorous; bud elongate, scales greenish; flower rather large, semi-double, of a cherry-red, No.2; petals broad, numerous and crowded; some stamens in the centre. – Passable.’ [Berlèse, Monographie p.64/1838].
Camellia japonica ‘Hermia’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 48/52. ‘Bright crimson, very double, petals quite irregular, of thick substance. Handsome.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Hermione’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 14/50. ‘Scarlet crimson, with a few splashes of white upon inner petals, outer petals large and well shaped, inner small and crowded, large size, good flower, a few anthers.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Hero’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 42/51. ‘Pale crimson, very double, petals thick substance, very small and quite confused. When full blown quite convex and almost semi-globular. Very pretty flower.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica Hippolyta’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 54/52. ‘Pale crimson, or deep pink, large flowers, outer row of petals large and undulated, inner excessively numerous, erect, confused, forming an irregular very convex half-sphere. Handsome.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Ianthe’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 3/50. ‘Apparently a very handsome shaped flower of very bright crimson colour and good substance. Did not open properly, being gathered too soon.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Imbricata Alba’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. ‘Flower three and a half inches in diameter, spheroidal, very full and forming a regular rose, the petals of which diminish in size towards the centre, and are mutually imbricated from the centre to the circumference, each has a free border, a little sinuous, entire, two lines broad in the centre and augmenting to twenty-five lines in the periphery; they are white with distinct red or white stripes.-Magnificent.’ [Berlèse Monography p.88/1838]. See also Camellia japonica L. var. imbricata.
Camellia japonica ‘Imbricata’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L., ‘Imbricata’ has formal double, carmine rose flowers, often with central petals streaked white. The name ‘Imbricata’ refers to the way that the petals are formally arranged, overlapping each other, like the tiles of a roof. [ICR]. ‘Bud, spherical, rather large, scales greenish; flower large, perfectly round, of a cherry-red, No.2; shaded with carmine-lake; petals from 70-75, regularly imbricated, oval, broad, terminating in a point at the summit; those of the centre a little striped, or marked with white; is a long time in bloom.-Magnificent.’ [Berlèse Monography p.64/1838]. Under the name ‘Imbricata rubra’ it is still available. [Hilliers’].
Camellia japonica ‘Imogen’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 2/50. ‘White, quite double, petals moderate substance, incurved like Myrtifolia, good size, very handsome, but not equal to the old double white.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Incarnata’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. The flower is a glowing blush, some 9cm across, the somewhat pointed petals being recurved towards the outside. [ICR, Don]. ‘Flower three and a half inches in diameter, full, arranged in a star, of a carnation color, pale on opening, and soon after becoming of a dingy yellow, a shade above No.3; petals imbricated, tufted, slightly acuminated, sometimes crenated at the summit, gently leaning on each other, and forming a kind of star.-Magnificent.’ [Berlèse Monography p.83/1838].
Camellia japonica ‘Insignis Alba’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. ‘Flowers large, three and a half inches in diameter, single, of a cherry red, No.3, six petals in the circumference, sometimes spotted with white; petaloid stamens, whitish, slightly striped, with a pale red.-Passable.’ [Berlèse Monography p.64/1838].
Camellia japonica ‘Insignis’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L., ‘Insignis’ has flowers that are at first bell-shaped but unfold the large outer petals to exhibit a dense, globular mass of small, variegated petals. The large outer petals are of deep rose with darker veins, the inner rose, variegated with white. [ICR].
Camellia japonica ‘Iras’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 5/50. ‘Crimson, with a few lighter splashes, very regular in form, petals good shape and substance, did not open properly, probably very good.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Isabel’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 32/51. ‘Pure white, smallish size, perfectly double and regular to centre, petals well shaped, moderate substance, incurved, smaller buds of better form than old Double white. Beautiful flower.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Julia’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 44/51. ‘Bright crimson, small flower, quite double, petals moderate substance and form, gradually diminishing nearly to centre. Pretty flower.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
