Camellia: Encyclopedia - Camellia

Camellia

About 100–250 species, including:
Camellia assimilis
Camellia brevistyla
Camellia caudata
Camellia chekiangoleosa
Camellia chrysantha – Golden Camellia
Camellia connata
Camellia crapnelliana
Camellia cuspidata
Camellia euryoides
Camellia forrestii
Camellia fraterna
Camellia furfuracea
Camellia granthamiana
Camellia grijsii
Camellia honkongensis
Camellia irrawadiensis
Camellia japonica – Japanese Camellia
Camellia kissii
Camellia lutchuensis
Camellia miyagii
Camellia nokoensis
Camellia oleifera
Camellia parviflora
Camellia pitardii
Camellia polyodonta
Camellia reticulata
Camellia rosiflora
Camellia rusticana – Snow Camellia
Camellia salicifolia
Camellia saluenensis
Camellia sasanqua
Camellia semiserrata
Camellia sinensis – Tea
Camellia taliensis
Camellia transnokoensis
Camellia tsaii
Camellia vietnamensis
Camellia yunnanensis

Camellia (Tsubaki in Japanese) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, native to eastern and southern Asia from the Himalaya east to Japan and Indonesia. Different botanists vary in the number of species considered distinct, with anything from 100–250 species being accepted.

They are evergreen shrubs and small trees from 2–20 m tall. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, usually glossy, and 3–17 cm long. The flowers are large and conspicuous, 1–12 cm diameter, with (in natural conditions) 5–9 petals; colour varies from white to pink and red, and yellow in a few species. The fruit is a dry capsule subdivided into 1–5 compartments, each containing 1–8 seeds.

The genus is generally adapted to acidic soils, and does not grow well on chalk or other calcium-rich soils. Most species also have a high rainfall requirement and will not tolerate drought.

Camellia is used as a food plant by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species including Common Emerald, The Engrailed, Turnip Moth and Willow Beauty as well as members of the genus Endoclita including E. malabaricus, E. punctimargo, E. purpurescens and E. sericeus.

Camellia - Cultivation and uses

Camellia sinensis is of major commercial importance because tea is made from its leaves. Tea oil is a sweet seasoning and cooking oil made by pressing the seeds of Camellia sinensis or Camellia oleifera.

Many other camellias are grown as ornamental plants for their flowers; about 3,000 cultivars and hybrids have been selected, many with double flowers, as in the galley below. Camellia japonica (often simply called Camellia) is the most prominent species in cultivation, with over 2,000 named cultivars; next are C. reticulata, with over 400 named cultivars, and C. sasquana, with over 300 named cultivars. Popular hybrids include C. × hiemalis (C. japonica × C. sasquana) and C. × williamsii (C. japonica × C. salouenensis). They are highly valued in Japan and elsewhere for their very early flowering, often among the first flowers to appear in the late winter. Late frosts can damage the flowers.

Camellia japonica is the state flower of Alabama.

Double flowered Camellia

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia japonica 'Pink Perfection'

Double flowered Camellia

Double flowered Camellia

Category: Ericales

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Camellia", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki