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here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861.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.
Crinum canaliculatum Roxb.
For details see Crinum pedunculatum R.Br. Crinum canaliculatum Roxb. ex Ker Gawl. is now considered to be synonymous with Crinum pedunculatum [The Plant List]. It is retained as a separate entry for convenience and also because of some uncertainty on my part about the geographic origin of the plants described by Roxburgh and Ker Gawler.
Tender bulbous perennial with from 8-14 channelled, smooth-edged leaves, to 1.5m long and 10cm broad. A single scape, to 60cm, emerges from the lateral leaf axils bearing an umbel of up to 40 pure white, fragrant flowers with long pedicels, similar to Crinum asiaticum. [Roxburgh FI vol.2, p.132/1832].
Crinum erubescens (L.f) Aiton
A largely aquatic, somewhat variable bulbous perennial with numerous long, narrow, curved leaves, and scapes, to 60cm long, bearing umbels up to 12, fragrant white, purplish-red and pink flowers, to 12cm long, in summer. [RHSD, Hortus, Baker Am.]. A variable species attested by the large number of synonyms.
Crinum erubescens L.f ex Aiton var. loddigesianum
For further details of the species see Crinum erubescens L.f ex Aiton.
Crinum erubescens is a largely aquatic, somewhat variable bulbous perennial with numerous long, narrow, curved leaves, and scapes, to 60cm long, bearing umbels up to 12, fragrant white, purplish-red or pink flowers, to 12cm long, in summer. [RHSD, Hortus, Baker Am.]. The variety Loddigesianum has dark purple tips to the flowers. Paxton's Dictionary describes the flowers as white and purple. [RHSD, Baker Am., PD].
Crinum flaccido-capense
A Crinum flaccidum Herb. x Crinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Shweick. hybrid. No description of this hybrid is extant. Probably hybridised by John Bidwill or William Macarthur.
Crinum flaccidum Herb.
A variable deciduous species, with generally narrow, channelled leaves which tend to flop on the ground and which often die back in summer, and flattened stems, to 60cm long, bearing umbels of up to 8, fragrant, pure white or cream flowers that open widely. The bulbs can be as much as 1m below ground. [RHSD, FNSW]. Yellow-flowered forms have also been described from western South Australia and pink flowered forms from New South Wales. [Hannibal Plant Life p.46/1963]. More recently crinums with deep yellow or pink flowers have been discovered in South Australia and Queensland, some of them possibly new species. [Jim Lykos, personal communication].
Crinum jagus (J.Thomps.) Dandy
Bulbous perennial with bulbs to 15cm across, strap-shaped leaves, to 90cm long and 10cm across, and umbels of up to 6 bell-shaped, vanilla-scented, white flowers, up to 25cm long, in summer. To 90cm. [RHSD, Hortus].
Crinum lineare L.f.
Bulbous perennial with leaves to 60cm long, and flower stems to 30cm long, bearing umbels of up to 6, fragrant, funnel-shaped, white flowers, to 6cm long, tinged red in the centre. [RHSD, Baker Am., Verdoorn].
Crinum macleayi Hort.
Unidentified Crinum species or variety. Probably of Australian origin and a form of either Crinum flaccidum or Crinum pedunculatum.
Crinum pedunculato-capense
A Crinum pedunculatum R.Br. x Crinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Shweick. hybrid. Probably hybridised by Bidwill or Macarthur but no description is extant.
Crinum pedunculatum R.Br.
Green [FOA vol.49, p.510/1994] considered C. pedunculatum to be part of the widespread C. asiaticum, following Fosberg & Sachet (1987). This view is not generally accepted in Australia. True C. asiaticum occurs on Christmas and Cocos Islands [comment in the on-line version of APNI]. I have followed the Flora of Australia here.
Very large crinum with thick, leathery leaves, to 75cm long and 20cm wide, and many stout, reddish flowering stems of up to 1m with umbels of 20-30, fragrant white flowers, with greenish-purple tubes, to 6cm long, in summer. [RHSD, Hortus, FNSW, Baker Am.].
Crinum pedunculatum R.Br. var. brachyandrum
Crinum brachyandrum is a variety of Crinum pedunculatum R.Br. which see, distinguished from the type by shorter stamens. Baker gives similar descriptions for Crinum brachyandrum Herb. (Northern Australia) and Crinum pedunculatum R.Br. (Eastern Australia). [Baker Am].
Crinum scabro-capense
Crinum zeylanicum L. x Crinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Shweick. This hybrid was probably produced by John Bidwill at Camden. No description is extant.
Crinum scabro-Macleayi no.1
A Crinum zeylanicum L. x Crinum Macleayi hybrid. The latter is unidentified but is probably a form of one of the native Australian species, Crinum flaccidum Herb. or Crinum pedunculatum R.Br.
In 1845 and 1846 William Macarthur described ten Crinum scabro-macleayii hybrids in his gardening notebooks. [MP A2948 Notebook no.4, p.4].
No.1. Bulb round without a column. Leaves pale green, 12-14 in number, 3 feet long (3½ feet in 1846), 2-2½ inches broad, nearly recumbent. Scape 2 feet long, green with a little purple. Flowers 10-12 (in 1846), 6 inches in diameter. [Word unclear but probably] Ovaries green, hardly pedunculated, tubes 3 inches, petals nearly ovate in form (1846, petals longish), from 3-3½ inches long, 1-1¼ inches wide, pure white with a stripe of rosy pink down the centre, inside delicately pencilled off to a point with the tips [this part unclear]. Stamens white, stigma purple, one inch longer than the stamens and the same length as the petals, the whole grouped as in C. scabrum. Pollen and anthers white.
Crinum scabro-Macleayi no.10
A Crinum zeylanicum L. x Crinum Macleayi hybrid. The latter is unidentified but is probably a form of one of the native Australian species, Crinum flaccidum Herb. or Crinum pedunculatum R.Br.
In 1845 and 1846 William Macarthur described ten Crinum scabro-macleayii hybrids in his gardening notebooks. [MP A2948 Notebook no.4, p.4].
No. 10. Slender, handsome, pale pink stripe, purplish outside.
Crinum scabro-Macleayi no.11
A Crinum zeylanicum L. x Crinum Macleayi hybrid. The latter is unidentified but is probably a form of one of the native Australian species, Crinum flaccidum Herb. or Crinum pedunculatum R.Br.
In 1845 and 1846 William Macarthur described ten Crinum scabro-macleayii hybrids in his gardening notebooks. [MP A2948 Notebook no.4, p.4].
No. 11. [First word unclear but probably] Like a neat no.5. Very like no.5. Scape more slender, flowers fewer.
