Collections sent to Chiswick Gardens by Theodor Hartweg from Mexico and California

Title

Collections sent to Chiswick Gardens by Theodor Hartweg from Mexico and California

Record type

Archive

Original Reference

RHS/Col/7/2/4/1

Date

10 Jan 1846-17 Sep 1848

Scope & content

Pages 1-132: Collections sent to the Horticultural Society garden at Chiswick, London by Theodor Hartweg from Mexico and California

This item is part of the volume of Chiswick Gardens accessions book

Overview of contents:
Pages 1-28: Seeds, plants and roots 'received at the garden' [from Theodor Hartweg], 10 Jan-7 Nov 1846
Pages 29-38: Seeds, plants and roots 'received at the garden' [from Theodor Hartweg], 11 May 1847
Pages 39-132: Seeds, plants and roots 'received at the garden' [from Theodor Hartweg], 5 Jan-17 Sep 1848

Enclosures:
Enclosure 1, originally enclosed between the front flyleaves: Notes on plants

The plants are numbered consecutively, with information about the name, qualities and sometimes location of collection or origin, condition [on arrival at the gardens] ('good', 'bad', 'dead' etc) and results ('flowering', 'dead', 'failed', 'growing' etc.). The latter are often added in a different ink or different hand, and sometimes with several notes, often with the gardeners' initials and occasionally dates

Summary of contents:

Enclosure 1: Note in John Lindley's hand: 'Hartweg's plant that has been flowered is Ternstroemia sylvatica', and in another hand: 'Evergreen (No 23), Mexico'

Pages 1-27: Seeds, plants and roots 'received at the garden' [from Theodor Hartweg], 10 Jan-7 Nov 1846

Includes Cleome speciofissima var. alba [Cleoserrata speciosa] ('garden variety. In good condition. Growing Mch 2/46 [2 Mar 1846]. Given to dist [distribution]. In flower Oct 1846'), Mina lobata [Ipomoea lobata] ('!!! Probably in good condition. Very pretty. Growing Feb 2/46 [1846]. In full flower Apl [April] 1846'), three species of Chamaedorea ('these were in the mould and nothing can be said about them. Growing. Given to dist [distribution] Aug 21/46 [1846]. 2 species sent to Kew [Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew] Oct 15/46 [1846]'), Penstemon gentianoides ('corolla violacea. A hardy perennial from the mountains of Angangueo [Mexico] (very scarce). See Plantae Htwg [George Bentham, 'Plantas Hartwegianas imprimis mexicanas adjectis nonnullis Grahamianis enumerat novasque describit Georgius Bentham', 1839–1857]. In good condition. Growing Apl 3/46 [3 Apr 1846]. A good specimen, dried for D.L. Distributed June 1846. Flowered Oct 1847') and a species of Convolvulus ('a tender annual. In hedges near Tepic [Mexico]. ?In good condition. In flower May 1847. Thrown away') [here the list includes 131 more plants]

Page 27 includes a copy of a letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary [George Bentham, secretary of the Horticultural Society of London], written at Monterey, 17 Jul 1847. He encloses a bill of lading [shipment receipt] showing the shipment of two Wardian cases with plants [enclosure not present]; Mrs Spence [?Adelaide Estrada Spence, wife of David Spence, settler and merchant in Monterey] ('the only Californian lady, who takes interest in such matters') has been taking care of the plants during Hartweg's absence; Captain Roper ('who says that he has also 'a little turn that way'') has promised to take care of them during the passage, and has been given written instructions; he hopes Roper will be rewarded; the brig Lady S. Stewart will take in freight in Mexico and Peru, and is expected to arrive at Liverpool in January

Pages 29-38: Seeds, plants and roots 'received at the garden' [from Theodor Hartweg], 11 May 1847

Includes Pinus macrocarpa [Pinus coulteri] ('in good condition. Growing'), a species of Viburnum ('a shrub 8 feet high. Near Sonoma [California, United States of America]. ?Bad condition. Failed'), a species of Rosa ('woods near Monterey [California]. In good condition. Growing'), a species of Solanum ('erect. Monterey. In good condition. Growing. Flowered June 1848. Small bunches of blue flowers') and a species of Caprifolium ('mountains of Carmel [?Santa Lucia Range, California]. Probably in good condition. Failed') [here the list includes 45 more plants]

Pages 39-132: Seeds, plants and roots 'received at the garden' [from Theodor Hartweg], 5 Jan-17 Sep 1848

Includes Abronia umbellata ('flowers pink and sweet-scented. A perennial spreading on the ground like a Verbena. On sands near the seashore, Monterey. ? condition. Growing. In flower June 1848. See Journal vol.IV ['New plants etc. from the Society's garden', The Journal of the Horticultural Society of London, volume IV, 1849, pages 81-82]'), Pinus insignis [Pinus radiata] ('Monterey. ?Good condition. About 1,000 seeds given to the dist.dept. [distribution department] Jan 19/48 [1848]. Growing'), Pinus sabiniana ('in good condition. 400 seeds given to dist. dept. Jan 19/48 [1848]. Growing'), 'mescal', Agave ('mountains of Santa Ines [Santa Ynez Mountains, California]. A middling-sized paper of seed, in good condition. A small portion of the seed growing') and an unnamed annual plant ('in sandy soils about Santa Cruz [California]. Dist. [distributed]') [here the list includes 410 more plants]

Extent

132 pages

Is part of

RHS archive: plant collector papers

Repository

Royal Horticultural Society Lindley Library

Copyright

Royal Horticultural Society

Credit Line

RHS Lindley Collections

Usage terms

Non-commercial use with attribution permitted (CC BY-NC 4.0)