Collections sent to Kensington Gardens by John Weir
Information
Title - Collections sent to Kensington Gardens by John Weir
Record type - Archive
Original Reference - RHS/Col/11/1/1
Date - 9 Aug 1861-1 Nov 1864
Scope & content - Pages 1-86: Collections sent to Kensington Gardens by John Weir from Brazil and Colombia
This item is part of the volume of Kensington Gardens accessions book
Overview of contents:
Pages 1-4: 'Received at the garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, from Mr Weir, Rio Janeiro', 9 Aug 1861
Pages 6-16: 'List of the contents of two cases of plants forwarded from Rio de Janeiro by the packet of the 8th of September 1861, addressed to the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, London'
Pages 18-25: 'List of plants and seeds forwarded to the Royal Horticultural Society by the HM packet which leaves Rio de Janeiro on the 9th of October', 5 Nov 1861
Pages 26-63: Collections sent by Weir, 9 Jun 1862-2 Apr 1864
Pages 64-68: 'Seeds received from Mr Weir per W.W. Saunders esq [William Wilson Saunders, secretary of the Horticultural Society of London]', Oct 1864
Pages 70-76: 'List of contents of 9 boxes received from Mr Weir', 16 Sep 1864
Pages 78-82: 'List of contents of 8 boxes bearing numbers 47 to 54 received from Mr Weir, Bogota, New Granada', 17 Oct 1864
Pages 84-86: 'List of contents of five boxes received from Mr Weir', 1 Nov 1864
The plants are numbered consecutively (1-271), with information about the name, qualities and sometimes location of collection or origin, condition [on arrival at the gardens] and results. 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
Pages 1-4: 'Received at the garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, from Mr Weir, Rio Janeiro [Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]', 9 Aug 1861. The list is numbered (1-17)
Includes Orchid ('marked No 1 (3 pieces). Plants of a Cattleya. It grows on trees in the Sierra dos Mendos[?], at an elevation of between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. In good condition. Laelia perrinii [Cattleya perrinii], Dr L. [John Lindley, assistant secretary of the Horticultural Society of London], Dec 31st 1861'), Physurus argenteus [Aspidogyne argentea] ('7 pieces. In good condition. 24 plants given away in May ballot 1862'), an unnamed plant ('No 11. 7 pieces. Plant growing about a foot high with ovate lanceolate leaves, dark green on the upper side, with a delivery[?] blotch down the middle. From the Sierra dos Mendos, elevation 2,500 feet. Chamaeranthemum beyrichii, Dr L. [John Lindley]. 300 plants given away'), an unnamed plant ('No 4. Seeds of a fern (Adiantum species) from Tijuca [Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. Seeds sown. 13 plant cuttings sowed. Adiantopsis radiata, Dr L. [John Lindley]. 13 plants in cutting house') and an unnamed plant ('2 pieces. In bad condition') [here the list includes 12 more plants]
Pages 6-16: 'List of the contents of two cases of plants forwarded from Rio de Janeiro by the packet of the 8th of September 1861, addressed to the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, London'. The list is numbered (18-40)
Includes an unnamed plant ('No 13. Tubers of this sent before with remarks on its locality &c. Never yet made any flowers. Dead'), an unnamed plant ('3 plants, No 12. Plants sent before. Eranthemum verbenaceum [unidentified as at Jul 2019]'), an unnamed plant ('6 plants, No 34. A small, creeping species from woods near San Jose de Cacaria [unidentified], and other woods near Belem [?Belem, Brazil]. The leaves are prettily marked with silver grey. Chamaeranthemum beyrichii. 300 distributed'), an unnamed plant ('No 44 from forests round Belem in the Serra. The leaves are blotched with white. Dorstenia villosa [unidentified], Dr L. [John Lindley]. 18 plants at garden, 50 distributed') and an unnamed plant ('4 plants. This plant is common in the forests here, and is exceedingly variable. Some plants have the leaves quite plain. The 4 plants in one of the cases are about the prettiest I have seen. Physurus fimbrillaris [Aspidogyne fimbrillaris], Dr L. 12 plants given away, May ballot') [here the list includes 17 more plants]
Pages 18-25: 'List of plants and seeds forwarded to the Royal Horticultural Society by the HM packet which leaves Rio de Janeiro on the 9th of October', 5 Nov 1861. The list is numbered (41-60)
Includes Orchid ('with small spike of yellow flowers, spotted with brown, from a forest near Belem. Oncidium gardeneri [Gomesa gardneri], Dr L. [John Lindley]. 1 plant in garden'), Amaryllis ('a few bulbs, labelled p.16. Flowers not seen, but said to be white, with a red stripe down the centre of the sepals. 3 bulbs'), 'seeds of No 19' ('dead. Paullinia, Dr L. [John Lindley]'), unnamed seeds ('No 32. Stifftia chrysantha. 60 plants for May ballot 1862') and an unnamed plant ('another species of Ipomoea or Convolvulus from dried-up plants at Belem. Dead – eaten by insects. Seeds eaten up with insects') [here the list includes 15 more plants]
Pages 26-63: Collections sent by Weir, 9 Jun 1862-2 Apr 1864. The list is numbered (61-232)
Includes Oncidium ('No 200. 70 plants, August ballot'), Aristolochia ('Aristolochia labiosa [Aristolochia cymbifera]. Growing'), melon ('not yet sown. Seeds distributed'), an unnamed plant ('pretty, salicaceous shrub. Sow in peaty soil with silver sand. 2 packets. Seeds sown') and Araucaria ('seeds of the Araucaria, or palm, of the leaves of which Panama hats are made. 2 packets, No 169') [here the list includes 166 more plants]
Pages 64-68: 'Seeds received from Mr Weir per W.W. Saunders esq', Oct 1864. The list is numbered (233-243)
Includes a species of Monnina or Polygala ('No 119'), Datura ('No 181. Rio Magdalina [Magdalena River, Colombia]'), Solanum ('No 263. A lovely species, grows on the temperate plains of Bogota [Bogota, Colombia]. Would make a fine greenhouse plant, and also a pretty bedder. Flowers blue. I have never seen it in cultivation at home'), Angelonia ('No 267. This grows in the same climate as the Cattleya, preferring dry situations. 2 packets') and an unnamed plant ('No 268. Seeds of a shrub with pretty, fern-like foliage from cold hills near Bogota') [here the list includes 5 more plants]. Includes a note: 'The above packets of seeds were opened by Mr Saunders' gardener and part of the seeds sown by him']
Pages 70-76: 'List of contents of 9 boxes received from Mr Weir. From Bogota, New Granada [Colombia]', 16 Sep 1864. The list is numbered (244-253)
Includes Oncid ('10 plants of No 226, with long, very much branched tapering panicles [loose branching cluster of flowers] of medium-sized or rather small yellow flowers, sepals with a few brown bars and lip with spots of same colour near the base. The panicles are sometimes more than 4ft long and bear several hundred flowers. From woods between Zipaquira [Zipaquira, Colombia] and Pacho [Colombia]. 7,000 feet alt. [altitude]. A flower enclosed. Kept by the secretary'), Orchid ('No 229. On rocks, Pacho, 6,000 ft. 6 plants'), Orchid ('30 plants, No 211. Small species, pretty, flowers brownish yellow or nearly orange with purple streaks. On the paramos [paramo, alpine tundra ecosystem] near Bogota, 8,000ft alt.'), Schomburgkia ('80 pieces, No 260. Rocks near Choaelii, 6,000ft alt. I am not sure whether this is the same as No [left blank and annotated in the margin: 'no number given'], which I found near Bucaramanga [Colombia], not having seen the flowers in either locality') and Cattleya ('260 pieces, No 259. Valley of Pacho, three leagues below the village, between 5,000 and 6,000ft alt. The colour of the flowers of this species varies on different plants from a pure white to a lilac purple, but it generally (not always) has a deep crimson stain on the lip. Flowers very large and fine. They are perhaps Cattleya mossiae') [here the list includes 4 more plants]
Pages 78-82: 'List of contents of 8 boxes bearing numbers 47 to 54 received from Mr Weir, Bogota, New Granada', 17 Oct 1864. The list is numbered (254-258)
Includes Cattleya ('750 plants, No 259. This as I remarked in list of plants sent last month, is probably Cattleya mossiae. It is very variable in size and colour of its flowers, which are of every shade from nearly pure white to a lilac purple. Indeed, it would be difficult to find two plants having flowers exactly the same. All are very beautiful'), Schomburgkia ('100 plants, No 260. A quantity of this was also sent last month, and I have nothing further to remark of it'), Odontoglossum ('plants No 265, flower enclosed, racemes 10-18-flowered. Flowers large, brown & yellow [...] both these and the Pacho species grow on trees in the mountain forests, where continual clouds and mist are hovering about, keeping them in a very moist state during a great part of the year, and where the thermometer sinks to 40° or sometimes under during the nights'), Oncidium ('40 plants, No 227. A few of this sent before. The panicles are long and lax, the flowers as large or larger than those of Oncidium crispum, and certainly more striking. They are also deliciously fragrant, a property which as far as I know is not very common among oncidiums'). Includes a note: 'in box No 54 I put in a few plants of various species to fill it up. They were put in at the last moment, and are not labelled. Mr Eyles [George Eyles, gardener at the Kensington gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society] will please hand them over to Mr W.W. Saunders. The odontoglots are put one by one on the top of the cattleyas in boxes 47-51. The oncids are on the top of schomburgkias in box 53. I think they will go better in this way, but if I succeed in getting any quantity for next month, I will try some of them packed in a different way'
Pages 84-86: 'List of contents of five boxes received from Mr Weir', 1 Nov 1864. The list is numbered (259-271)
Includes '260 odontoglossums' ('from Bogota, New Granada'), Brassavola ('from Santa Marta [Colombia]'), Begonia ('No 261. Fine species, flowers large, bright scarlet. From cold hills near Bogota'), 'variegated thistle' ('No 264. Plain of Bogota') and a palm ('No 273. Seeds of a palm given to me, but said to be from 'Sierra friz', the cold regions') [here the list includes 7 more plants]. Includes a note: 'With the above no list was received, but mentioned in a letter to Mr Eyles'
Extent - 86 pages
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)