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Camellia japonica
Also called Common Camellia, Japanese Camellia
Camellia japonica is a shrub or small tree from the tea family, grown mainly for its showy flowers, with thousands of cultivars. Key to success is partial shade, acidic, well-drained soil that stays evenly moist.
Camellia japonica, known as common camellia, or Japanese camellia, is a species of flowering plant from the genus Camellia in the tea family Theaceae. It is native to China and Japan, and grows naturally in forests at altitudes of around 300–1,100 metres (980–3,600 ft).
There are thousands of cultivars of C. japonica, with many colors and forms of flowers, mainly as garden ornamental plants. The floriculture of Camellia japonica started in China. Its widespread cultivation can be traced back to the Song Dynasty, when 15 varieties of Camellia japonica were recorded in literature.
Camellias should be planted in the shade in organic, somewhat acidic, semi-moist but well drained soil. If the soil is not well drained, it can cause the roots to rot.
As a Camellia species, C. japonica can be used to make tea. Its processed leaves show aromatic fragrance. It contains caffeine and catechins of the same kind as C. sinensis.
Camellias are used to make teas and medicinal tinctures. See the overview at Uses of Camellia.
Hong Kong Camellia · Tea Oil Plant · Camellia petelotii · To-tsubaki · Sasanqua camellia · Tea · Camellia taliensis · Camellia ×williamsii · Tea
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Camellia japonica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
