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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Clerodendrum x speciosum Teijsm. & Binn.
Frost tender perennial climber with terminal and axillary cymes of deep rose flowers, shaded violet, in summer. [RHSD, Hortus].
Clinanthus incarnatus (Kunth) Meerow
Bulbous perennial with umbels of up to 6 pendant, tubular, white, yellow, pink or scarlet flowers produced in spring, the strap-shaped leaves produced with the flowers but elongating to 75cm after flowering. To 60cm. [RHSE, Baker Am.].
Clitoria ternatea L.
Frost tender, slender, evergreen, short-lived perennial twiner with pinnate leaves composed of 5 leaflets, and usually solitary flowers, each 2.5cm long, clear blue in colour, marked on the standard with yellowish white. The flowers are somewhat variable in markings and white and double-flowered forms are known. To 4m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Clivia nobilis Lindl.
Rhizomatous perennial, easily distinguished from the common Clivia miniata by its longer, narrower strap-shaped leaves and umbels of 40-60 semi-pendant tubular red and yellow flowers, tipped with green, in spring, the scapes 40cm or more in height. [RHSE, Hortus].
Cobaea scandens Cav.
Frost tender, very vigorous, evergreen, perennial climber, with fragrant flowers, opening white and ageing to purple, from summer to autumn. To 20m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Coburgia splendens Herb.
Coburgia splendens is now considerd to be synonymous with Clinanthus incarnatus (Kunth) Meerow which see. Herbert considered it to be a separate species as described below. Macarthur also no doubt considered it to be a good species and it is treated separately here for ease of identification.
‘Perianthemum coccineum apice virescens, laciniis longioribus acutioribus; folia carent. It is impossible to decide, without more perfect knowledge of these plants, whether this splendid flower should be considered as var. splendens of incarnata, or as distinct. It differs both in colour and the form of the segments of the limb. The leaves are wanting.’ [Herbert p.400/1837]. Herbert plate 47/1837.
Coffea arabica L.
Frost-tender evergreen shrub with elliptic leaves, to 10cm long, and fragrant white flowers in late summer, followed by reddish berries, containing 2 large seeds, the coffee beans of commerce. To 7m. [RHSD, Hortus, Don].
Coleonema album (Thunb.) Bartl. & Wendle.
Frost tender, dainty, shrub with aromatic, heath-like foliage and axillary white flowers. Makes a good pot specimen. To 1m. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Columnea scandens L.
Frost-tender trailing sub-shrub with 5cm long leaves, with red hairs at the margin, and sparsely hairy, red or yellow flowers, singly or in pairs, from spring to summer. To 15cm, trailing to 1m. [RHSE].
Columnea schiedeana Schltdl.
Frost-tender trailing shrub or climber with dark green leaves, crimson beneath, and numerous long yellow-brown flowers, blotched and banded dark red, all along its stems, which tend to root at the joints. [RHSD].
Colutea arborescens L.
Fully-hardy, vigorous shrub with pinnate leaves composed of 5-6 pairs of broadly elliptic leaflets and racemes of 3-8 yellow, pea-like flowers in summer, followed by green, then translucent, seed pods. To 3m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Colvillea racemosa Bojer ex Hook.
Half-hardy erect tree, often with a long trunk and spreading branches, with fern-like leaves and 30cm-long droopy racemes of scarlet flowers, 4.5cm across, in autumn and winter. To 15m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Combretum coccineum Lam.
Frost tender to half hardy evergreen shrub or semi-climber with entire leaves, to 24cm, and elongated terminal panicles composed of many spikes of scarlet flowers in summer. To 6m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Commelina coelestis Willd.
Frost-hardy, vigorous, clump-forming, erect, tuberous perennial with fleshy stems, lance-shaped leaves and freely produced cymes of vivid blue flowers in summer and autumn. To 90cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Commelina graminifolia Sessé & Moc. var. stricta (Desf.) C.B.Clarke
‘Apparently very similar to C. tuberosa and C. coelestis, but perhaps distinguishable from the former in habit and in the narrower obovate-oblong sepals, and from the latter, more obviously, by the narrow, and elongate leaves.’ [J. F. Macbride - Flora of Peru part 1, no.3, p.604/1936].
