Rosa
Inscripta
“A bloom recovered from the iron-gall margins of a 1742 ledger.”
First catalogued in the lower garden of the Barberini estate, the inscribed rose was identified by the curling script of its sepals -- veins that read, under magnification, like a curator's hand. The pigment is unstable. The petals fade between observations.
- FAMILYRosaceae
- HABITATwalled gardens, archive courtyards
- BLOOMMay — late June
- RARITYCommon · well-recorded
Fern
Acuminata
“Each frond uncoils with the patience of a slow argument.”
Found in the shaded margins between two collapsed conservatories. Its fractal structure has been used by archivists as a counting aid: pinnae per frond, fronds per crown, crowns per colony. The plant resists drying and must be pressed at exactly the right hour.
- FAMILYPolypodiaceae
- HABITATcold north walls, glasshouse seams
- BLOOMnon-flowering · spore release Aug
- RARITYUncommon · localised
Lavandula
Somnia
“A scent that closes the eyes of careful readers.”
The dreaming lavender was named for the soft narcosis its dried oil induces in archive workers. Three spikes per stem, never four. The colour ranges from dust to bruise depending on the soil's iron content and the angle of late-afternoon light.
- FAMILYLamiaceae
- HABITATstony slopes, abandoned terraces
- BLOOMJune — September
- RARITYCommon · cultivated
Magnolia
Umbra
“Older than bees, the magnolia is pollinated by patience and beetles.”
The shade magnolia is one of the oldest living forms in the catalogue. Its blooms open before the leaves, in a brief window that arrives without ceremony. The shadow it casts has been described, in archive notes, as “cool, slightly historical, slightly damp.”
- FAMILYMagnoliaceae
- HABITATtemperate slopes, courtyards
- BLOOMearly March — mid April
- RARITYUncommon · long-lived
Digitalis
Nox
“Beautiful, slow, exact. Do not press without gloves.”
Each bell of the night foxglove contains a small private dusk. The plant is governed by archive protocol: it may be observed at any time, drawn at any time, but transported only in lined cases. Its toxin is metabolised by no known herbivore in the catalogue.
- FAMILYPlantaginaceae
- HABITATforest verges, ruined orchards
- BLOOMJune — August
- RARITYRestricted · gloves required
Orchis
Rara
“Two known specimens. One pressed. One still arguing with the light.”
Catalogue entries for the rare orchid are short and tense. Each specimen is its own genus. Each labellum is its own dialect of red. The archive permits one observation per visitor, per year, per lifetime. After that, the file is sealed and the visitor must request a new credential.
- FAMILYOrchidaceae
- HABITATsingle grove, location withheld
- BLOOMirregular · sometimes never
- RARITYRare · one observation / lifetime
Field
Notes
“The archive does not own the specimens. It only keeps them company.”
lrx.wiki is a working herbarium maintained from a single curator's desk. The HUD overlay is a viewing instrument; the watercolours are the specimens being viewed. New folios are added at the slow speed of careful drying. There is no newsletter. There is, occasionally, correspondence.
- EST.2024 · Folio 001 deposited
- FOLIOS7 catalogued · 41 pending
- CURATORL. R. X. · corresponding member
- CONTACTvia paper · or stylus pressed firmly