Scientific Name : Camellia japonica L.
Common Name : Japanese Camellia, Camellia
Chinese Name : 山茶、洋茶、茶花、晚山茶、耐冬、山椿、藪春、曼佗羅、野山茶
Family : THEACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origins | Native to South Japan and South Korea, it is also distributed in some provinces of China, including Sichuan, Jiangxi, Shandong, eastern Zhejiang and Taiwan. |
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| Meanings of name | The generic name Camellia commemorates the 17th-century Moravian Jesuit missionary and naturalist Georg Joseph Kamel (1661-1706). The specific epithet japonica means ‘of or from Japan’. |
| Vitality | Japanese Camellia prefers semi-shade environments and well-drained soils with a neutral to acidic pH. |
| Ecology | Usually grows in forests at altitudes of 300-1100 m and is widely cultivated in gardens. |
| Application | Japanese Camellias are traditionally used to produce tea and essential oils and are cultivated extensively as ornamental plants worldwide. There are currently more than 23,000 recognized cultivars of Japanese Camellias. The three main colors of Japanese Camellia include red, light red, and white, with most having double petals. In addition, various studies verify that the extracts obtained from different sections of Japanese Camellia exhibit several bioactivities that have positive impacts on human health. |
| Theaceae |
Japanese Camellia (Camellia japonica) and Hong Kong Camellia (Camellia hongkongensis): Both trees are members of the genus Camellia. They can be distinguished by observing their branches and filaments. The branches of Japanese Camellia are greyish brown, while those of Hong Kong Camellia are reddish brown. The filaments of Japanese Camellia are white, whereas those of Hong Kong Camellia are red. |
| Growing habit | Shrub or small tree. |
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| Height | To 9 m tall. |
| Stem | Branches and branchlets greyish brown, glabrous. |
| Leaves | Petiole glabrous or adaxially pubescent; leaves leathery; leaf blade oblong or obovate-oblong; base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margin serrulate, apex shortly acuminate or acute. Midvein yellowish green, thick, and elevated on both surfaces; lateral veins 7-8 on each side of midvein. |
| Flower | Flowers axillary or subterminal, solitary or paired, subsessile; petals rose or white, silky-pubescent abaxially; stamens many. |
| Fruit | Capsule globose, 3-loculed with 1 or 2 seeds per locule; pericarp thick when dry, woody. |
| Seed | Seed brown, semiglobose to globose, glabrous. |
| Flowering period | January to March in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | September to October in Hong Kong. |
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website:
https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=7155
Scientific Names from Other Databases
―Flora of China: Camellia japonica L.
―GBIF: Camellia japonica L.