Prunus persica ‘Camden Superb’

Horticultural & Botanical History

Macarthur wrote of this and two other peach hybrids to Loddiges’ on 1st February, 1849, sending plants: ‘The three varieties of peach in no. 5 case are surely worth your notice so as to give them a fair trial.  The Camden superb is a splendid fruit larger than the Red Magdalen or Royal George, and of higher flavour.  It is a hybrid between the Red Magdalen and the double flowering Chinese.  Of the other two No. 13 is the most shewy looking, ripening to a deep purple, but No. 14 is the best.  These Nos. take more after the Chinese than the other but are very superior to the Chinese in size and flavour.  If they succeed as well in England as they do here they can scarcely fail to be highly approved of.  All three are second generation from the crossed fruit stones, the first having completely taken after the Chinese male parent.  The fruit of Camden Superb this season (a very dry one) weighs from 7 to 9 oz.  None of the royal George is a weight this season more than 5 or 6 oz under similar circumstances.’ [MP A2933-1, p.185].

History at Camden Park

Listed in an Addendum to the 1857 catalogue as ‘Camden superb’ [Peach no.12/1857]. This peach is mentioned in an early gardening notebook but without detail. [MP A2948 Notebook 4, p.9/1845].

Notes