Japanese Camellia seeds camellia japonica

LATIN NAME: Camellia japonica

COMMON NAME: Common Camellia

The common camellia is a handsome, glossy-leaved evergreen shrub of the gardens, and its great, showy, rose-like flowers have made it one of the most loved of the winter-blooming plants. It grows as an evergreen shrub or a small tree, reaching up to six metres or more, with the upright, branching habit bearing the glossy, leathery, dark-green leaves and, through the winter and the early spring, the great, showy, rose-like flowers, single or double, in the white, the pink, the red and the many blends, followed by the rounded, woody capsules of the large seeds. It is a species of the flowering shrub in the tea family, and it is native to the southern and the eastern Asia, while it is grown in the gardens of the mild world, and it is known as the common camellia or the Japanese camellia.

The common camellia belongs to the tea family, Theaceae, and it is a species of the evergreen shrub, native to the southern and the eastern Asia, while it is known as the common camellia or the Japanese camellia. It is prized for its glossy, evergreen foliage and its great, showy, rose-like flowers of the winter.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The common camellia has a real and distinguished place in the research. It has been studied in the horticulture, since its glossy, evergreen foliage and its great, showy, winter flowers have made it one of the most loved of the garden shrubs, and researchers have examined its growth, its forms and its value in the garden, while its generous, winter bloom has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a shrub of the winter garden. The plant has also been studied in the chemistry of the natural products, since the leaves of the camellias are rich in the compounds, and researchers have examined the leaves and their constituents, while the chemistry of the camellia family has been of continuing interest, and the study of the tea and its relatives has been of great value. The species has also been studied in the genetics and the breeding, since its forms differ so much in their flowers and their colours, and the breeders have selected the many garden varieties, while the breeding of the winter-flowering forms has been of continuing interest. For a shrub of such beauty, the common camellia has a rich and continuing record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, the common camellia is a generous plant of the garden. Its glossy, evergreen foliage gives a year-round cover and a shelter to the birds, and its great, showy flowers feed the bees and the early pollinators of the winter, while it is a beloved presence in the mild gardens of the world. Its dark, glossy leaves make a fine evergreen hedge or a backdrop for the spring flowers, and its winter bloom is a quiet, welcome surprise in the cold months.

Its economic value is real. The common camellia is prized for its glossy, evergreen foliage and its great, showy, winter flowers, and its beauty has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a shrub of the winter garden, while the camellia family includes the tea plant, one of the most valued crops of the world. For a grower, the common camellia is a rewarding and elegant shrub, and for a gardener it brings a great, showy, rose-like bloom through the winter. The seeds are easy to start — sow them fresh in a pot of moist, free-draining compost, keep them gently watered in a sheltered spot, and they’ll be sprouting steadily, growing on into a glossy, evergreen, winter-blooming shrub.

Genus: Camellia
Species: japonica.
Common Name: Japanese Camelia
Other name: Camelia, Tea Bush
Pre-treatment: not-required
Plant Type: Small shrub
Growth rate: slow-medium
Vegetation type: ornamental evergreen
Leaf /Flower color: green/white.pink
DESCRIPTION:
Large, broadleaf evergreen shrub to small tree. It has a compact, upright habit and attractive smooth gray branches furnished with oval, glossy, dark green leaves. From late winter to early spring, it bears large, single deep red flowers, though there are many cultivars that come in a wider array of pink, white and red shades.
Camellia prefers partial sun to partial shade but will tolerate full sun once established, though sunscald may be a problem. The soil should be moist, acid and well-drained. This plant is notoriously slow-growing, slow to establish and shallow rooted. A thick layer of organic mulch will protect the roots and facilitate better growth. Regular irrigation and applications of fertilizer promote good growth and flowering, though plants will tolerate periods of drought. Prune after flowering, just before new growth starts in the spring. Selective, light pruning and shaping is recommended and shearing is not. Camellia do not recover well from harsh pruning practices.