Notice

Colin Mills, compiler of the Hortus Camdenensis, died in late November 2012 after a short illness. As he always considered the Hortus his legacy, it is his family's intention to keep the site running in perpetuity. It will not, however, be updated in the near future.

Crinum scabro-pedunculatum ‘Helen’

A Crinum zeylanicum L. x Crinum pedunculatum R.Br. hybrid. Originally Crinum scabro-pedunculatum hybrid no.4 in Macarthur’s notebook.  Broad petals from 1 to more than 1? inches wide, not so reflexed as Augusta.  Stripe in the centre tolerably broad but imperfect and indefinite, very inferior in this respect to Augusta and Cleopatra, in other respects the finer flower.  Diameter 6-7 inches.  [MP A2948 Notebook no.4, p.40]. This plant, together with the other named plants of this cross, was probably bred by John Bidwill. See Crinum scabro-pedunculatum ‘Augusta’ for more detail.

Horticultural & Botanical History

See Crinum scabro-pedunculatum no.5 for more information about these crosses.

History at Camden Park

Listed in the 1845, 1850 and 1857 catalogues as Crinum scabro-pedunculatum [B.93/1845].  This name presumably covers all the hybrids raised, some of which were named after 1845.  Crinum scabro-pedunculatum varieties ‘Augusta’, ‘Cleopatra’, ‘Helen’, ‘Dido’ and ‘Thisbe’ were hand-written in a copy of the 1850 catalogue in the Camden Park collection, signed William Macarthur and dated 1850-51 [CPA].  This catalogue also contains a full price list, the five hybrids priced at 2/6 and 5/-.  The catalogue numbers 94/2 – 94/6 were allotted them by Macarthur, presumably to assist with ordering.  They are also listed on a hand-written page, 6a, in an 1850 catalogue in the Mitchell Library collection, this one signed Wm. Macarthur and dated 23rd Dec. 1854.  [ML 635.9m].  Detailed descriptions are given in William Macarthur’s gardening notebooks [MP A2948], with additional material on ‘Augusta’ in Bidwill’s notebook [Bidwill p.7]. 

It seems highly likely that the bulk of the notes on the Crinum scabrum Herb. x Crinum pedunculatum R.Br. hybrids in Macarthur’s notebooks are in John Bidwill’s hand, with additional pencil notes by William Macarthur.

Notes

Published May 07, 2009 - 01:30 PM | Last updated Jul 04, 2012 - 04:50 PM

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Family Amaryllidaceae
Category
Region of origin

Garden origin, Camden Park
Synonyms
Common Name
Name in the Camden Park Record

Crinum scabro-pedunculatum var. ‘Helen’

 
Confidence level high