About 100–250, see text
Synonyms
Thea
Camellia

Camellia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They
are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to
Japan

Japan and Indonesia. There are 100–300 described species, with some
controversy over the exact number. There are also around 3,000
hybrids. The genus was named by Linnaeus after the
Jesuit

Jesuit botanist
Georg Joseph Kamel, who worked in the Philippines and described a
species of camellia (although Linnaeus did not refer to Kamel's
account when discussing the genus).[1] Camellias are famous throughout
East Asia; they are known as cháhuā (茶花, 'tea flower') in
Chinese, tsubaki (椿) in Japanese, dongbaek-kkot (동백꽃) in
Korean, and as hoa trà or hoa chè in Vietnamese.
Of economic importance in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian
subcontinent, leaves of C. sinensis are processed to create the
popular beverage tea. The ornamental C. japonica, C. sasanqua and
their hybrids are the source of hundreds of garden cultivars. C.
oleifera produces tea seed oil, used in cooking and cosmetics.
Contents
1 Description
2 Use by humans
3 Ecology
4
Fossil

Fossil record
5 Garden history
6 Modern cultivars
7 Selected species
8 Cultural significance
9 See also
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links
Description[edit]
Leaves of
Camellia

Camellia sinensis, the tea plant
Camellias are evergreen shrubs or small trees up to 20 m
(66 ft) tall. Their leaves are alternately arranged, simple,
thick, serrated, and usually glossy. Their flowers are usually large
and conspicuous, one to 12 cm in diameter, with five to nine
petals in naturally occurring species of camellias. The colors of the
flowers vary from white through pink colors to red; truly yellow
flowers are found only in South China and Vietnam.
Camellia

Camellia flowers
throughout the genus are characterized by a dense bouquet of
conspicuous yellow stamens, often contrasting with the petal
colors.[2][3] The so-called "fruit" of camellia plants is a dry
capsule, sometimes subdivided in up to five compartments, each
compartment containing up to eight seeds.
The various species of camellia plants are generally well-adapted to
acidic soils rich in humus, and most species do not grow well on
chalky soil or other calcium-rich soils. Most species of camellias
also require a large amount of water, either from natural rainfall or
from irrigation, and the plants will not tolerate droughts. However,
some of the more unusual camellias – typically species from karst
soils in
Vietnam

Vietnam – can grow without too much water.
Camellia

Camellia plants usually have a rapid growth rate. Typically they will
grow about 30 cm per year until mature – though this does vary
depending on their variety and geographical location.
Camellia

Camellia plants are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of
Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera species; see List of
Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera that feed on Camellia.
Leaves of the
Japanese camellia

Japanese camellia (C. japonica) are susceptible to the
fungal parasite Mycelia sterile (see below for the significance).
Use by humans[edit]
Camellia reticulata

Camellia reticulata is rare in the wild but has been cultivated for
hundreds of years.
Camellia

Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, is of major commercial importance
because tea is made from its leaves. The species C. sinensis is the
product of many generations of selective breeding in order to bring
out qualities considered desirable for tea. However, many other
camellias can be used to produce a similar beverage. For example, in
some parts of Japan, tea made from C. sasanqua leaves is popular.
Tea

Tea oil is a sweet seasoning and cooking oil made by pressing the
seeds of C. oleifera, C. japonica, and to a lesser extent other
species such as C. crapnelliana, C. reticulata, C. sasanqua and C.
sinensis. Relatively little-known outside East Asia, it is the most
important cooking oil for hundreds of millions of people, particularly
in southern China.
Camellia

Camellia oil is commonly used to clean and protect the blades of
cutting instruments.
Camellia

Camellia oil pressed from seeds of C. japonica, also called tsubaki
oil or tsubaki-abura (椿油) in Japanese, has been traditionally used
in
Japan

Japan for hair care.[4]
Ecology[edit]
The camellia parasite mycelia sterile PF1022 produces a metabolite
named PF1022A. This is used to produce emodepside, an anthelmintic
drug.[5]
Mainly due to habitat destruction, several camellias have become quite
rare in their natural range. One of these is the aforementioned C.
reticulata, grown commercially in thousands for horticulture and oil
production, but rare enough in its natural range to be considered a
threatened species.
Fossil

Fossil record[edit]
The earliest fossil record of
Camellia

Camellia are the leaves of †C. abensis
from the upper
Eocene
.JPG/440px-Crassostrea_gigantissima_(Finch,_1824).JPG)
Eocene of Japan, †C. abchasica from the lower
Oligocene

Oligocene of
Bulgaria

Bulgaria and †C. multiforma from the lower
Oligocene

Oligocene of
Washington, United States.[6]
Garden history[edit]
Camellias were cultivated in the gardens of China and
Japan

Japan for
centuries before they were seen in Europe. The German botanist
Engelbert Kaempfer
.jpg/660px-Beschrijving_van_Japan_-_ABC_(cropped).jpg)
Engelbert Kaempfer reported[7] that the "
Japan

Japan Rose", as he called it
grew wild in woodland and hedgerow, but that many superior varieties
had been selected for gardens. He was told that the plant had 900
names in Japanese. Europeans' earliest views of camellias must have
been their representations in Chinese painted wallpapers, where they
were often represented growing in porcelain pots.
The first living camellias seen in England were a single red and a
single white, grown and flowered in his garden at Thorndon Hall,
Essex, by Robert James, Lord Petre, among the keenest gardeners of his
generation, in 1739. His gardener James Gordon was the first to
introduce camellias to commerce, from the nurseries he established
after Lord Petre's untimely death in 1743, at Mile End, Essex, near
London.[8]
With the expansion of the tea trade in the later 18th century, new
varieties began to be seen in England, imported through the British
East India Company. The Company's John Slater was responsible for the
first of the new camellias, double ones, in white and a striped red,
imported in 1792. Further camellias imported in the East Indiamen were
associated with the patrons whose gardeners grew them: a double red
for Sir Robert Preston in 1794 and the pale pink named "Lady Hume's
Blush" for Amelia, the lady of Sir Abraham Hume of Wormleybury,
Hertfordshire (1806). The camellia was imported from England to
America in 1797 when Colonel John Stevens brought the flower as part
of an effort to grow attractions within Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New
Jersey.[9] By 1819, twenty-five camellias had bloomed in England; that
year the first monograph appeared, Samuel Curtis's, A Monograph on the
Genus

Genus Camellia, whose five handsome folio colored illustrations have
usually been removed from the slender text and framed. Camellias that
set seed, though they did not flower for more than a decade, rewarded
their growers with a wealth of new varieties. By the 1840s, the
camellia was at the height of its fashion as the luxury flower. The
Parisian courtesan Marie Duplessis, who died young in 1847, inspired
Dumas' La Dame aux camélias and Verdi's La Traviata.
The fashionable imbricated formality of prized camellias was an
element in their decline, replaced by the new hothouse orchid. Their
revival after World War I as woodland shrubs for mild climates has
been paralleled by the rise in popularity of
Camellia

Camellia sasanqua.
Modern cultivars[edit]
Today camellias are grown as ornamental plants for their flowers;
about 3,000 cultivars and hybrids have been selected, many with double
or semi-double flowers. C. japonica is the most prominent species in
cultivation, with over 2,000 named cultivars. Next are C. reticulata
with over 400 named cultivars, and C. sasanqua with over 300 named
cultivars. Popular hybrids include C. × hiemalis (C. japonica × C.
sasanqua) and C. × williamsii (C. japonica ×
Camellia

Camellia saluenensisC.
saluenensis). Some varieties can grow to a considerable size, up to
7002100000000000000♠100 m2, though more compact cultivars are
available. They are frequently planted in woodland settings, alongside
other calcifuges such as rhododendrons, and are particularly
associated with areas of high soil acidity, such as Cornwall and Devon
in the UK. They are highly valued for their very early flowering,
often among the first flowers to appear in the late winter. Late
frosts can damage the flower buds, resulting in misshapen flowers.[10]
There is great variety of flower forms:
single (flat, bowl- or cup-shaped)
semi-double (rows of large outer petals, with the centre comprising
mixed petals and stamens)
double:
paeony form (convex mass of irregular petals and petaloids with hidden
stamens)
anemone form (one or more rows of outer petals, with mixed petaloids
and stamens in the centre)
rose form (overlapping petals showing stamens in a concave centre when
open)
formal double (rows of overlapping petals with hidden stamens)
The following hybrid cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural
Society's Award of Garden Merit:
Name
Parentage
Size
Flower colour
Flower type
Ref.
Cornish Snow
cuspidata × saluenensis
04.0m²
white
single
[11]
Cornish Spring
cuspidata × japonica
04.0m²
pink
single
[12]
Francie L
reticulata × saluenensis
64.0m²
rose-pink
double
[13]
Freedom Bell
× williamsii
06.5m²
red
semi-double
[14]
Inspiration
reticulata × saluenensis
10.0m²
rose-pink
semi-double
[15]
Leonard Messel
reticulata × saluenensis
16.0m²
rose-pink
semi-double
[16]
Royalty
japonica × reticulata
01.0m²
light red
semi-double
[17]
Spring Festival
× williamsii, cuspidata
10.0m²
pink
semi-double
[18]
Tom Knudsen
japonica × reticulata
06.3m²
deep red
double paeony
[19]
Tristrem Carlyon
reticulata
10.0m²
rose pink
double paeony
[19]
Simple-flowered
Camellia × williamsii

Camellia × williamsii cv. 'Brigadoon'
Semi-double-flowered camellia cultivar
Double-flowered camellia cultivar
Double-flowered hybrid cv. 'Jury's Yellow'
Selected species[edit]
Camellia

Camellia fraterna
Flower buds of an unspecified camellia
Fruits of an unspecified camellia
Camellia japonica

Camellia japonica - MHNT
Camellia

Camellia assimilis
Camellia

Camellia azalea
Camellia

Camellia brevistyla
Camellia

Camellia caudata
Camellia

Camellia chekiangoleosa
Camellia chrysantha

Camellia chrysantha – golden camellia
Camellia

Camellia chrysanthoides
Camellia

Camellia connata
Camellia crapnelliana

Camellia crapnelliana – Crapnell's camellia
Camellia

Camellia cuspidata
Camellia

Camellia euphlebia
Camellia

Camellia euryoides
Camellia

Camellia flava (Pitard) Sealy
Camellia

Camellia fleuryi
Camellia

Camellia forrestii
Camellia

Camellia fraterna
Camellia

Camellia furfuracea
Camellia

Camellia gilbertii
Camellia granthamiana

Camellia granthamiana – Grantham's camellia
Camellia

Camellia grijsii
Camellia

Camellia hengchunensis
Camellia

Camellia hiemalis
Camellia hongkongensis

Camellia hongkongensis – Hong Kong camellia
Camellia

Camellia irrawadiensis
Camellia japonica

Camellia japonica – East Asian camellia
Camellia

Camellia kissii
Camellia

Camellia lutchuensis
Camellia

Camellia miyagii
Camellia nitidissima

Camellia nitidissima – yellow camellia (formerly C. chrysantha)
Camellia

Camellia nokoensis
Camellia oleifera – oil-seed camellia, tea oil camellia
Camellia

Camellia parviflora
Camellia

Camellia pitardii
Camellia

Camellia pleurocarpa
Camellia

Camellia polyodonta
Camellia

Camellia pubipetala
Camellia

Camellia reticulata
Camellia

Camellia rosiflora
Camellia

Camellia rusticana – snow camellia
Camellia

Camellia salicifolia
Camellia

Camellia saluenensis
Camellia

Camellia sasanqua
Camellia

Camellia semiserrata
Camellia sinensis

Camellia sinensis – tea plant
Camellia taliensis

Camellia taliensis – also used to make tea like C. sinensis
Camellia

Camellia transnokoensis
Camellia

Camellia tsaii
Camellia

Camellia tunghinensis
Camellia

Camellia vietnamensis
Camellia

Camellia × williamsii
Camellia

Camellia yunnanensis
Cultural significance[edit]
Portrait of a New Zealand suffragette, circa 1880. The sitter wears a
white camellia, symbolic of support for advancing women's rights.
The
Camellia

Camellia family of plants in popular culture.
Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California is nicknamed the
Camellia

Camellia City.
The camellia is the state flower of Alabama.
The
Camellia

Camellia Bowl is a post-season college football game under the
auspices of the NCAA.
The Lady of the Camellias

The Lady of the Camellias is named for the camellia.
Augusta National Golf Club's 10th hole is named Camellia.
Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore wrote a poem entitled "Camellia" about the
camellia.
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose's camellia
bushes out of anger due to some insensitive comments she had made
about his family. Later on in the book, Jem is given a camellia bud by
the dying Mrs. Dubose.
Camellia

Camellia buds are an iconic symbol for the
Chanel
.jpg/440px-Stephen_Jones_(1).jpg)
Chanel fashion house's
haute couture; a tradition started by Coco
Chanel
.jpg/440px-Stephen_Jones_(1).jpg)
Chanel herself.
Camellias have a major significance in the
Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa film
Sanjuro.
White camellias became a symbol of New Zealand women's right to vote
and feature on the country's ten-dollar note.
The
Knights of the White Camelia

Knights of the White Camelia was an organization similar to the Ku
Klux Klan.
Temple City, California's city slogan since 1944 has been "Temple
City, Home of Camellias."
See also[edit]
List of
Award of Garden Merit

Award of Garden Merit camellias
References[edit]
^ Kroupa, Sebestian (Nov 2015). "Ex epistulis Philippinensibus: Georg
Joseph Kamel SJ (1661–1706) and His Correspondence Network".
Centaurus. 57 (4): 246, 255. doi:10.1111/1600-0498.12099.
ISSN 1600-0498.
^ Mair and Hoh (2009).
^ The International
Camellia

Camellia Society. Flowers of Camellias.
^ How to Use Japanese
Camellia

Camellia (Tsubaki) Oil. [1].
^ Harder et al. (2005)
^ Journal of
Plant

Plant Research, September 2016, Volume 129, Issue 5, pp
823–831,
Camellia

Camellia nanningensis sp. nov.: the earliest fossil wood
record of the genus
Camellia

Camellia (Theaceae) from East Asia by Lu-Liang
Huang, Jian-Hua Jin, Cheng Quan and Alexei A.
^ Kaemfer, Amoenitates exoticae, 1712, noted by Alice M. Coats, Garden
Shrubs

Shrubs and Their Histories (1964) 1992, s.v. "Camellia".
^ Coats (1964) 1992.
^ The New York Botanical Garden, Curtis' Botanical Magazine, Volume X
Bronx, New York: The New York Botanical Garden, 1797
^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling
Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
^ "RHS
Plant

Plant Selector
Camellia

Camellia 'Cornish Snow' (cuspidata ×
saluenensis) AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved
2013-04-29.
^ "RHS
Plant

Plant Selector
Camellia

Camellia 'Cornish Spring' (cuspidata ×
japonica) AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved
2013-04-29.
^ "RHS
Plant

Plant Selector
Camellia

Camellia 'Francie L' AGM / RHS Gardening".
Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
^ "RHS
Plant

Plant Selector
Camellia

Camellia 'Freedom Bell' AGM / RHS Gardening".
Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
^ "RHS
Plant

Plant Selector
Camellia

Camellia 'Inspiration' (reticulata ×
saluenensis) AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved
2013-04-29.
^ "RHS
Plant

Plant Selector
Camellia

Camellia 'Leonard Messel' (reticulata ×
williamsii) AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved
2013-04-29.
^ "RHS
Plant

Plant Selector
Camellia

Camellia 'Royalty' (japonica × reticulata) AGM
/ RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
^ "RHS
Plant

Plant Selector
Camellia

Camellia 'Spring Festival' (cuspidata hybrid)
AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
^ a b "RHS
Plant

Plant Selector
Camellia

Camellia 'Tom Knudsen' (japonica ×
reticulata) AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved
2013-04-29.
Further reading[edit]
Harder, A.; Holden–Dye, L.; Walker, R. & Wunderlich, F. (2005):
Mechanisms of action of emodepside. Parasitology Research
97(Supplement 1): S1-S10. doi:10.1007/s00436-005-1438-z (HTML
abstract)
Mair, V.; Hoh, E. (2009): The True History of Tea. Thames &
Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-25146-1.
External links[edit]
Wikispecies

Wikispecies has information related to Camellia
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Camellia.
The International
Camellia

Camellia Society
The American
Camellia

Camellia Society
The Southeastern
Camellia

Camellia Society
Website with many
Camellia

Camellia illustrations from European and Japanese
Camellia

Camellia Books
First Public
Camellia

Camellia Show historical marker
Taxon identifiers
Wd: Q212815
APDB: 189042
EoL: 38389
EPPO: 1CAHG
FoC: 105380
GBIF: 3189634
GRIN: 1985
iNaturalist: 83058
IPNI: 39017-1
ITIS: 500689
NCBI: 4441
PLANTS: CAMEL2
Tropic