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Theaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Camellia japonica

Camellia japonica

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
GrowthSlow

Camellia species are found mainly in the warm temperate to subtropical regions of southern China, and most species experience mild winters with few frosts plus wet summers[1]. Camellia japonica is one of the hardiest members of the genus and has been reported to withstand temperatures down to lower than -30°c without damage[2]. Species in this genus generally prefer a peaty, more or less lime-free soil with a pH in the range 5 - 7, but most will grow well in an open loam to which ample leaf-mould has been added, so long as it is well-drained and lime-free. Most species are understorey plants in forests (preferably oak or pine) and prefer a warm, sheltered position with moderate shade; at least at the hottest time of day[2, 1]. This species also grows well on a north-west aspect[2] and against sunless walls[3]. Requires a position sheltered from strong winds[1]. Plants should be given a position shaded from the morning sun in order to protect the flowers from late frosts[4]. A slow-growing plant[5]. Plants are not very self-compatible, self-fertilized flowers produce few seeds and these are of low viability[1]. A very ornamental plant[2]. A large amount of named forms have been developed, mainly for their ornamental value[2, 1]. Many of the cultivars are able to tolerate full sun[6, 1]. 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'[PFAF]. The sub-species Camellia japonica macrocarpa. Masam has larger fruits than the type, looking like small apples[2, 4]. The sub-species Camellia japonica rusticana (Honda.)Kitamura. Is a hardier form of the species from northern Japan where it grows at higher elevations than the species and withstands long snowy winters[2, 4].

Propagation

Seed - can be sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[7]. Stored seed should be pre-soaked for 24 hours in warm water and the hard covering around the micropyle should be filed down to leave a thin covering[8, 7, 9]. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 23°c[9]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions when they are more than 15cm tall and give them some protection from winter cold for their first year or three outdoors[PFAF]. Cuttings of almost ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, mid summer to early autumn in a shaded frame. High percentage but slow[8]. Cuttings of firm wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, end of early summer in a frame[2, 8]. Keep in a cool greenhouse for the first year[2]. Leaf-bud cuttings, mid summer in a frame. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Camellia+japonica>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  3. [3]Climbers and Wall Shrubs. — Davis. B. · Viking. · 1990 · ISBN 0-670-82929-3 ↩︎Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.
  4. [4]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
  5. [5]Flowers of India — http://www.flowersofindia.net/ ↩︎A wed site of native Indian plants, plus cultivated and naturalized species. It has good quality photos and terse details on more than 3,000 species and cultivars.
  6. [6]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  7. [7]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  8. [8]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  9. [9]Growing from Seed. Volume 3. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1989 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  10. [10]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  11. [11]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  12. [12]Flora of Japan. (English translation) — Ohwi. G. · Smithsonian Institution · 1965 · ISBN - ↩︎The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
  13. [13]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  14. [14]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
  15. [15]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  16. [16]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  17. [17]Plants Consumed by Man. — Brouk. B. · Academic Press · 1975 · ISBN 0-12-136450-x ↩︎Readable but not very comprehensive.
  18. [18]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  19. [19]Chinese Materia Medica. — Stuart. Rev. G. A. · Taipei. Southern Materials Centre · 1911 · ISBN - ↩︎A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
  20. [20]Medicinal Plants of China — Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. · Reference Publications, Inc. · 1985 · ISBN 0-917256-20-4 ↩︎Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
  21. [21]Cytotoxicity and Pharmacogenomics of Medicinal Plants from Traditional Korean Medicine — Kuete V.; Ean-Jeong Seo; Krusche B.; Oswald M.; Wiench B.; S · Hindawi Publishing Corporation · 2013 · http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/341724 ↩︎
  22. [22]Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. — Grae. I. · MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. · 1974 · ISBN 0-02-544950-8 ↩︎A very good and readable book on dyeing.
  23. [23]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  24. [24]Atlas of Medicinal Plants. — Kariyone. T. · Nihon Rinshosha; Osaka · 1973 ↩︎A good Japanese herbal.
  25. [25]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  26. [26]The Milder Garden. — Taylor. J. · Dent · 1990 ↩︎A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.
  27. [27]Trends in New Crops and New Uses — Jules Janick and Anna Whipkey (Editors) · ASHS Press; Virginia USA · 2002 · https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu02/v5-toc.html · ISBN 0-970756-5-5 ↩︎This book, the fifth of a series, is based on the symposium entitled New Crops and New Uses: Strength in Diversity held Nov. 8 to 11, 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia. It can be downloaded from the Internet
  28. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎