Buddleja lindleyana Fort. ex Lindl.

Horticultural & Botanical History

‘British gardens have received our subject through the Horticultural Society, by whose collector, Mr. Fortune, it was discovered shortly after his arrival at Chusan.  He gave it the name it bears, and despatched seeds of it from China, in 1843.  These were raised in the garden of the Society, producing plants that flowered in their conservatory the following year.  Buddleya Lindleyana may be regarded as hardy, although it is not so, correctly speaking.  It will endure the rigour of our severer winters as an herbaceous plant, but cannot exist as a shrub, without protection.’  [MB p.5/1847]. 

‘In cultivation this shrub has hitherto proved unwilling to flower; it grows very vigorously, running to wood as we say, and requiring some special mode of mangement in order to stop its exuberant vegetation.  It is about as hardy as a Fuchsia.  The specimen figured was taken from a plant in the large conservatory of the Horticultural Society; but it was by no means as beautiful as the wild plant must be.  Probably very poor gravely or clayey soil, and a hot dry atmosphere would suit it much better than the rich mould usually found in gardens.’  [BR f.4/1846].  BR misc.25/1844.  FS pl.IX 5e Liv./1846.

History at Camden Park

Listed in the 1850 and 1857 catalogues [T.184/1850].  Obtained from Veitch’s Nursery, brought out from England by Captain P. P. King in 1849.  Believed by Macarthur to be a new introduction to the colony.  [ML A1980-3].  It was possibly obtained from other sources as it was included among desiderata to James Backhouse in a letter dated 10th April 1846 but not recorded as arrived [MP A2933-1, p.136], and also in desiderata to Kew Gardens [MP A2933-1, p.165]. and John Lindley in 1848 [MP A2933-1, p.157].  It was requested of Lindley again on 1st February, 1849 but not recorded as arrived.  [MP A2933-1, p.182a].  It was omitted from an amended list of desiderata sent to Sir William Hooker on 1st February, 1849, ‘as I have recently received from Loddiges many of the plants in a list of desiderata I forwarded last year [MP A2933-1, p.177].’  It was not included in the 1846 [MP A2933-1, p.147] or 1848 [MP A2933-1, p.172] list of desiderata sent to Loddiges’ nursery. 

Notes