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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Chirita sinensis Lindl.
Frost-tender evergreen perennial with flat rosettes of hairy, dark green leaves, sometimes veined with silver, and occasional white, flowers suffused with pinkish purple to mauve. To 5cm. [RHSE].
Chironia jasminoides Ker-Gawl.
Frost tender evergreen shrub with tetragonal stem, lance-shaped leaves, and red or purplish, salverform flowers borne at the tops of the branches. To 90cm. [RHSD, Don].
Chlidanthus fragrans Herb.
Bulbous perennial with with large, ovoid bulbs and narrow, erect, grey-green, linear leaves. Umbels of 3-5 trumpet-shaped, fragrant, golden yellow flowers are borne in summer. To about 30cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Pers. var. flore pleno
Upright perennial with much dissected leaves and dene panicles of small, double white flowers. To 1m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Chrysophyllum cainito L.
Frost tender evergreen tree with branches clothed in silky down, oblong leaves, silky beneath, to 15cm long, and small whitish-purple flowers followed by light green or purple fruits, up to 10cm in diameter, with soft, white, translucent, sweet pulp with a somewhat insipid taste. To 18m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Nees & Eberm.
Frost tender, erect to spreading tree with aromatic, boldly-veined, glossy, ovate leaves, reddish when young, and clusters of small, bowl-shaped, greenish flowers in spring and summer, followed by black berries. To 20m. [RHSE, Hilliers’].
Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume
Frost tender tree with ovate leaves, to 18cm long, and long panicles of yellowish-white flowers. To 13m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Cistus hirsutus Lam.
Frost hardy, mound-forming shrub with dense branches, elliptic, dark green leaves covered with long white hairs, and terminal cymes of 3-8 white flowers, 4cm across, in summer. To 1m. [RHSE. Hortus, Hilliers’].
Cistus monspeliensis L.
Frost hardy, bushy shrub with lance-shaped, deeply veined leaves and crowded, terminal and axillary cymes of 3-6 saucer-shaped white flowers, to 2.5cm across, in summer. To 1m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Cistus villosus L. var. undulatus
Frost hardy, compact shrub with ovate, wavy-margined, deeply veined leaves and terminal cymes of 3-5 purple-pink flowers, to 6cm across, in summer. To 1m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle
Irregularly branched small, spiny tree with elliptic-oval pale green leaves and white flowers followed by round to oval green fruit, ranging in taste from acid to sweetish. To 4m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Citrus australasica F.Muell.
Spiny shrub or small tree with simple leaves and white flowers, to 1.2cm across, followed by edible, intensely flavoured, green to reddish fruit, to 6cm long. To 6m. [FNSW, Wrigley].
Citrus australis (Mudie) Planch.
Spiny, open shrub with elliptic leaves, to 5cm long, and fragrant white flowers, to 2cm across, followed by edible green fruits, to 6cm across. [Wrigley].
Citrus bergamia Risso & Poit.
Small tree with ovate-oblong leaves, flowers white, fragrant, followed by globose to pyriform fruit with yellow rind and green, acid and aromatic pulp. [RHSD, Hortus].
Citrus limetta Risso
Small spiny tree, or erect shrub, leaves glossy ovate, toothed at the base, flowers white, fruit rounded or oval, to 6.5 cm in diameter, rind, pale yellow to green, smooth to slightly rough, pulp sweetish to slightly acidic. To 3m. [RHSD].
