Calceolaria ringens Hort.
Hybrid calceolarias.
Florist’s calceolaria: Florists’ calceolarias are hybrids of several, often indeterminate species. ‘Bloom perfectly round; colour, back bright as front; lip, throat, and calyx, small; markings, if any, decided and dense; substance thick and stiff; stems strong and branching; footstalks elastic; plant decidedly shrubby, and the bloom just above the foliage.’ [FC p.10/1848]. ‘This is a favourite genus, and contains some very showy species, from which an almost countless number of handsome hybrids have been raised and are raising.’ [PD, 1849].
Horticultural & Botanical History
Later editions of Paxton’s Dictionary comment on Calceolaria ringens: ‘Garden varieties – these are too numerous to allow even a select list; many however are very beautiful.’ This is very suggestive of hybrid origin. Illustration Horticole figures 20 varieties of hybrid calceolaria [IH p.110 Vol. 3/1856] and Flore des Serres [FS pl.VIII 7e Liv./1847] a similar number.
History at Camden Park
Listed in the 1845, 1850 and 1857 catalogues [H.36/1845]. Macarthur was certainly interested in these new improved hybrids of Calceolaria. He received plants from J. Abbott of Hobart, probably in 1845, but reported on 16th June 1846 that ‘the […] calceolaria have not succeeded’ due to hot weather and drought. He included ‘Calceolarias (any)’ in a list of desiderata accompanying the letter. [MP A2933-2, p.159].
Notes
Published Jan 26, 2009 - 03:34 PM | Last updated Feb 18, 2010 - 05:07 PM
Calceolaria ringens Hort. | IH p.110 Vol. 3/1856 | RBGS
| Family | Scrophulariaceae |
|---|---|
| Category | |
| Region of origin | Garden origin, England and Europe |
| Synonyms | |
| Common Name | Florists’ calceolaria |
| Name in the Camden Park Record | Calceolaria ringens |
| Confidence level | high |
