Camellia is a genus that gathers 120 species and it is native to Asia, China and Japan. The perfect environments in which the plant can maintain its health are the forests situated at a medium height above see level.
Camellia is a perfect garden plant because it can easily get used to shade and soil that lacks limestone, if it is enriched with a compost of shrunken leaves. Its flowers come in colors such as red, pink white, simple or semi-double and have a number of 5 petals and yellow stamens in the middle.
The most popular specie is the Camellia japonica, a plant that offers a numerous amount of choices in terms of color. This specie has around 2000 varieties that are very much appreciated in Japan because of the early flowering that starts at the end of winter.
The propagation process can be done by cutting, layering or by division and, the plant, sensitive when talking about cultivation, needs a precise pot mixture in order to germinate. That is: four parts humus without calcium, two parts manure and one part sand. The perfect time for planting Camellias is the end of summer and from June till the end of August it can be used a fertilizer added in the water, once every three weeks.
During flowering the watering process should be moderated and as soon as the flowers wither, should be removed.
Camellias are really important plants, if seen from a commercial point of view, as the leaves of the plant are used in producing tea. Some of the species, and those are: Camellia sinensis and Camellia oleifera are used in producing tea oil. This oil has a sweet taste and it has culinary uses.
Camellia can be sensitive to fungal diseases such as leaf blight, petal blight, dieback and canker, root rot or gal and to viral diseases such as the yellow mottle virus.
Camellia Pictures Gallery
