Camellia japonica Camellia (Theaceae) Evergreen shrub

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Camellia japonica
Camellia
Evergreen shrub
(1 Page of 5)

The Camellia japonica plant species is found in E. Asia - Japan, Korea. It is a member of the Theaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Camellia. Some home gardeners know the variety as Thea japonica.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Camellia japonica
Common Name:  Camellia
Family:  Theaceae
Author:  L.

Known Hazards:  None known

Mature Height:  10   Mature Width:  8

Habitat:  Woods in hills and down to sea level near the coast in C. and S. Japan[58].

Cultivation Notes: Prefers a woodland soil but thrives in a warm open well-drained loam if leafmould is added[1, 11, 200]. A calcifuge plant, preferring a pH around 5[11, 200]. Prefers the partial shade of a light woodland[200], it also grows well on a northwest aspect[11] and on sunless walls[202]. This is a very cold hardy plant, but it cannot tolerate cold winds[11]. Plants should be given a position shaded from the morning sun in order to protect the flowers from late frosts[219]. Prefers a wet summer and a cool but not very frosty dry winter[200]. Plants are not very self-compatible, self-fertilized flowers produce few seeds and these are of low viability[200]. A very ornamental plant[11]. A large amount of named forms have been developed, mainly for their ornamental value[11, 200]. Many of them tolerate full sun[182, 200]. Camellias are a valuable commercial crop in Asia, where they are cultivated for the oil obtained from their seed. Many of the cultivars grown in Britain do not set seed, unfortunately. The following cultivars have been seen with good crops of seeds:- 'Alba Simplex'; 'Coppelia'; 'Guillio Nuccio'; 'Jupiter'[K].The sub-species C. japonica macrocarpa. Masam. has larger fruits than the type, looking like small apples. The sub-species C. japonica rusticana (Honda.)Kitamura. is a hardier form from N. Japan where it grows at higher altitudes than the species and withstands long snowy winters[11, 219].

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Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'.
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