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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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 ‘Juliet’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 65/52. ‘Large light rather dull crimson, outer petals very large and thick, inner erect, very crowded. Irregular large semi-globular flower, rather coarse.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Juno’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 41/51. ‘Bright crimson, excessively double, petals very numerous, arranged round several distinct centres like several double flowers attached together. Very good.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
An unnamed cultivar at Camden Park, #4 at the Old Orchard, now part of the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, is a very close match for William's ‘Juno’. The flowers are large, anemony-form, very double, almost globular when full blown, and bright crimson in colour (RHS Colour Chart 52A—Crimson). Many show what appear to be multiple centres exactly as described by William. Some petals show white streaking, not mentioned by William, but this varies between flowers. The flowers have stamens scattered among the petals and several stigmas in the centre. It is an upright grower, very vigorous and easily propagated from cuttings.
Another possibility is 'Pallas', described by William Macarthur as ‘Dark bright crimson, very double with several centres like Juno, quite irregular. Good.’ [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Lavinia’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 57/52. ‘Deep rose colour with irregular stripes and blotches of faint white. Quite double and regular. Would be a perfect little flower, but petals are too thin in substance.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Leila’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 45/52. ‘Beautiful large white flower, two rows of outer petals large entire, undulated and inclined to be fimbriated, inner very numerous, crowded, erect, of yellow tint. Beautiful and new. First flower very large, 4½ inches in diameter.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘like Waratah’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. No detailed description is extant.
Camellia japonica ‘Lysanthe’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Bred by William Herbert. Its maternal parent was a seedling from a cross between the ‘old single red’ and a striped camellia. This seedling was crossed with the ‘myrtle-leafed variety’, presumably C. myrtifolia of the catalogues. It has flowers of bright carmine colour, with stripes of pale pink running down the centre of each petal. The flowers are cupped, the outer petals falling back when fully expanded. [Gard.Chron. 1843, ICR].
Camellia japonica ‘Marcia’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 43/51. ‘Dark crimson, excessively double forming a half sphere with petals somewhat of a Waratah character. Good.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Mariana’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 58/52. ‘Bright lake crimson, very double, outer petals large and flat, inner excessively crowded, erect and inclined to be blotched or striped, very like Vesta, very waved [indistinct word]. Good flower.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6]. Spelt ‘Marianna’ in the gardening notebook.
Camellia japonica ‘Marina’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 12/50. ‘Scarlet crimson, petals outer two rows large and flat, inner smaller, erect and confused. Globular flower. Very handsome. Tolerably good. E.B.’ It seems probable that the basic description was by Edmund Blake with some corrections and ‘tolerably good’ added by William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Medea’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 16/50. ‘Light crimson, beautifully shaped compact little flower, regularly imbricated nearly to centre, concave or bell [indistinct] shaped petals, good form and substance, rather irregular in very centre. Good.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Medora’
A Camden Park cultivar, seedling 27/50. ‘Double red, said to be good.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6]. He does not appear to have seen the flower at this time.
Camellia japonica ‘Metella’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 59/52. ‘Deep coral coloured, very double after the manner of Vesta but of much deeper colour. Good.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Miranda’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 4/50. ‘White, with pink and crimson stripes and blotches. Quite double, petals well formed and regular nearly to centre. Good.’ William Macarthur. [MP A2948-6].
Camellia japonica ‘Modesta’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L., ‘Modesta’ has very regular flowers of a delicate purplish-pink.
Camellia japonica ‘Myra’
A cultivar of Camellia japonica L. Camden Park bred, seedling 24/50. ‘Scarlet crimson, three rows of outer petals good, inner small and crowded but regular. Pretty flower. E.B.’ The initials suggest that this entry was made by Edmund Blake, although it is in Macarthur’s handwriting. [MP A2948-6].
