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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Campsis grandiflora K. Schum.
Frost hardy, vigorous tendrilled climber with pinnate leaves to 30cm, each with 7-9 coarsely-toothed leaflets, and pendent, terminal panicles of 6-12 open funnel-shaped, dark orange to red flowers in summer and autumn. To 10m. There is a form ‘Thunbergii’, with shorter tubes, red trumpets and reflexed lobes, which may be the same as B. grandiflora Thunb. [RHSE, Hilliers’, Hortus].
Campsis radicans (L.) Seem.
Frost hardy, vigorous climber, usually climbing by aerial roots, with leaves to 10cm long composed of 7-11 toothed, ovate leaflets, and terminal cymes of 4-12 slender, tubular-trumpet-shaped orange to red flowers in summer and autumn. To 10m. [RHSE, Hilliers’, Hortus].
Canna glauca L.
Half-hardy, slender, rhizomatous perennial with narrow blue-green leaves and panicles of pale yellow to dark yellow flowers, sometimes spotted or tinged with red, in summer and autumn. To 2.2m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Canna indica L.
Half-hardy, rhizomatous perennial with usually lance-shaped green to bronze-tinted leaves and panicles of bright red or soft orange flowers in summer and autumn. To 2.2m. Paxton’s Dictionary lists the variety maculata, with red and yellow flowers. [RHSE, Hortus].
Canna indica L. var. coccinea (Mill.) Ait.
See Canna indica L. for a brief description of the species. I have no clear description at present but it appears to be a form of Canna indica with purple-pink flowers. Descriptions in modern literature are somewhat variable, some describing the plant as vigorous, growing to 2m, others as a small plant.
Canna indica L. var. patens Ait.
See Canna indica L. for a basic description. Johnson’s Dictionary describes Canna limbata and C. patens as separate species, the former with red flowers, bordered with yellow, the latter with reddish-yellow flowers.
Canna iridiflora Ruiz & Pav.
Half-hardy, upright, rhizomatous perennial with long, dark bluish-green leaves and pendant panicles of trumpet-shaped bright cerise-pink flowers with reflexed petals, in summer and autumn. To 3m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Cantua pyrifolia Juss. ex Lam.
Frost tender evergreen shrub or small tree with clusters of oblong leaves, to 7.5cm, toothed at the tips, arching habit and dense, erect racemes of creamy-white or straw-coloured flowers in spring. To 5m. [RHSD].
Capparis arborea (F.Muell.) Maid.
Half hardy shrub to small tree with ovate leaves, to 12cm, and fragile white flowers, to 3cm across. [Beadle, FNSW].
Capparis mitchellii Lindl.
Half hardy, much branched shrub or small tree with ovate leaves, to 6cm, and white flowers, to 5cm diameter, followed by edible fruits, to 5cm diameter. To 5m. The fruit is edible but not particularly palatable. [RHSD, FNSW].
Capparis spinosa L. var. inermis Tierra.
The species is a frost tender, perennial, evergreen shrub with roundish, leathery leaves and creamy-white flowers in summer. To 90cm. Inermis is without the thorns of the type. [RHSD, Hortus].
Cardiocrinum giganteum Makino
Fully hardy lily with basal rosette of large ovate leaves, to 45cm long, and smaller stem leaves, with stout stems bearing up to 20 large, nodding, trumpet-shaped, scented white flowers, striped maroon inside and purple in the throat, in summer. To 4m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Carica papaya L.
Unbranched, evergreen, dioecious tree with deeply lobed, palmate leaves and yellow flowers followed by yellow to orange, fleshy, edible fruit. source of the enzyme papain. To 6m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Carissa bispinosa (L.) Desf. ex Brenan.
Frost-tender, spiny shrub, the spines to 3cm long and usually forked, with box-like leaves and small, white, sweetly-scented flowers in summer, followed by red berries. To 1.5m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Carmichaelia australis R.Br.
Fully-hardy perennial shrub with flattened young stems and short, crowded racemes of tiny, pea-like lilac flowers in summer. To 1.2m. [RHSD, Hilliers’, Hortus].
