Bulbous and Tuberous Rooted Plants
A division of the Camden Park catalogues that is not clearly defined. Some of the more important families of the Hortus are included here, Amaryllidaceae, Iridaceae and Liliaceae. It also contains a wide assortment of other plants with a modified stem or root that acts as a storage organ. Such plants are usually deciduous and have a distinct dormancy period. Shrubs and trees are not included, but there is some overlap with herbaceous plants.
Achimenes erecta (Lam.) H.P.Fuchs
Frost-tender, long-stemmed, trailing, rhizomatous perennial, with leaves dark green above, often red-flushed beneath, and numerous solitary, long-tubed, bright red or rose-pink flowers from summer to autumn. To 45cm. [RHSE, GRA p.12].
Achimenes erecta (Lam.) H.P.Fuchs var. rosea
For a description of the species see Achimenes erecta (Lam.) H.P.Fuchs. Achimenes rosea is a variety of Achimenes erecta which occurs naturally with with rich deep rose flowers. It is treated here as a naturally occurring variety rather than cultivar. See also Achimenes erecta ‘Superba’, A. erecta ‘Eximia' and A. erecta ‘Splendens’.
Achimenes grandiflora DC.
Frost-tender, erect, rhizomatous perennial, with leaves dark green above and flushed red beneath, and solitary or paired, reddish-purple flowers with white eyes and purple-dotted throats, from summer to autumn. To 60cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Achimenes grandiflora DC. var. liebmannii (Lem.) Voss
See Achimenes grandiflora DC. for a description of the species. Similar in growth and habit to Achimenes grandiflora but with vivid rose purple flowers, without the whitish blotch at the throat. To 45cm.
Achimenes hirsuta ‘Carmesii’
Achimenes ‘Carmesii’ is a form of Achimenes hirsuta Lindl. I have found no specific description. See Achimenes hirsuta Lindl. and Achimenes skinneri Lindl. for further information.
Achimenes hirsuta Lindl.
Today Achimenes skinneri and Achimenes hirsuta are regarded as synonymous but they were usually regarded as separate species in the Victorian literature and for that reason are given separate entries here. [RHSD]. See Achimenes skinneri Lindl. for the principal entry. It seems probable that Achimenes hirsuta and Achimenes skinneri as grown by Macarthur were noticeably different in appearance.
The Botanical Register describes Achimenes hirsuta as resembling Achimenes pedunculata [Benth.] and, like the latter, it bears bulblets in the axils of its leaves and branches. [BR f.55/1843]. Its red flowers have a deep rose-coloured border, the lobes notched. Allen describes Achimenes hirsuta with ‘hairy leaves and rose-coloured flowers with a yellow eye’.
Achimenes longiflora ‘Major’
See Achimenes longiflora DC. for a description of the type. Major is a variety with metallic green leaves, lavender to pale purple flowers with a golden throat and yellow tube, longer than the type, to 7.5cm long. [RHSD].
Achimenes longiflora DC.
Frost-tender, free-flowering, trailing, rhizomatous perennial with leaves dark, metallic green above, often flushed red beneath, and violet, or lavender to pale purple flowers with a golden throat and yellow tube, to 6cm long, from summer to autumn. To 40cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Achimenes mexicana Benth. & Hook.
Frost-tender rhizomatous perennial with paired, ovate, toothed, hairy leaves, to 12cm long, and flower stems to 60cm, bearing a solitary purple or blue flower with a pale mauve throat and spreading lobes, to 5cm long. [RHSD].
Achimenes patens Benth.
In growth habit similar to Achimenes longiflora DC. which see. The solitary flowers are red-violet, flushed with yellow and dotted with violet on the white throat. To 30cm. It will flower for many months of the year. [Moore, Hortus, GRA p.32].
Achimenes pedunculata Benth.
Rhizomatous perennial with a rangy habit and green or purplish stems to 90cm long, leaves heart-shaped at the base, often with a purplish lower surface, and axillary peduncles of 2 nodding flowers, usually towards the ends of the stems, with a vermilion red corolla tube with an orange flush below and a yellow throat, all dotted with dark red. [Moore, GRA p.33].
Achimenes skinneri ‘Grandiflora Maxima’
Probably a cultivar of Achimenes skinneri Lindl. It was described in L’Horticulteur Francais in 1856 but I have not yet traced this description. [GRA p. 33]. The name suggests a cultivar with larger flowers than the wild type.
Achimenes skinneri Lindl.
Today Achimenes skinneri and Achimenes hirsuta are regarded as synonymous but they were usually regarded as separate species in the Victorian literature and for that reason are given separate entries here. [RHSD]. The Botanical Register describes Achimenes hirsuta as resembling Achimenes pedunculata [Benth.] and, like the latter, it bears bulblets in the axils of its leaves and branches. [BR f.55/1843]. Its red flowers have a deep rose-coloured border, the lobes notched. Allen describes Achimenes hirsuta with ‘hairy leaves and rose-coloured flowers with a yellow eye’.
Achimenes x sanguinea (Hort. ex Hanst.) Regel ex Hanst.
I have no description of this plant but the name suggests a cultivar or hybrid with a bright red flower.
Acis autumnalis (L.) Sweet
A slender bulbous perennial with grassy foliage, produced with or just after the flowers, and leafless stems bearing 2-4 bell-shaped white flowers, red-tinged at the base, in summer and early autumn. To 15cm. [RHSE, Hortus, Baker Am.].
