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Theaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia sasanqua

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

A substance called Ch'da tsaiping was reported from Hong Kong as being derived from the residual seed cake of Camellia sasanqua and was used for poisoning fish. It has a use in aquaculture for the control of unwanted predatory fish in water courses[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

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[2]. Camellia sasanqua is said to do better in areas with hot summers and is then hardy to about -10°c when dormant[3, 4]. Another report says that this species is very cold hardy if it is sheltered from cold winds[5]. 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[5, 2]. Requires a position sheltered from strong winds[2]. Many cultivars tolerate full sun, in fact one report says that the species flowers better in a sunny position[6] and another that the plant prefers a hot sunny position[7]. Plants are not very self-compatible, self-fertilized flowers produce few seeds and these are of low viability[2]. A very ornamental plant[8], it is closely allied to Camellia oleifera[5]. The cultivar 'Narumi-gata' (which is sometimes mistakenly called Camellia oleifera) is a very reliable shrub in Britain[5]. Plants resent root disturbance and are best planted out into their final positions whilst still young. This species is cultivated in Asia for the oil in its seed, there are many named varieties mostly developed for their ornamental value[6]. The flowers have a delicate sweet perfume[9].

Propagation

Seed - can be sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[10]. 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[11, 10, 12]. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 23°c[12]. 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. A high percentage take, but they are slow to root[11]. Cuttings of firm wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, end of early summer in a frame[5, 11]. Keep in a cool greenhouse for the first year[5]. 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+sasanqua>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]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.
  2. [2]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.
  3. [3]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  4. [4]Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books, London. · 1998 · ISBN 0-330-37376-5 ↩︎Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.
  5. [5]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.
  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 RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  8. [8]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 ]).
  9. [9]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  10. [10]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.
  11. [11]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.
  12. [12]Growing from Seed. Volume 3. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1989 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  13. [13]Flora of Japan. (English translation) — Ohwi. G. · Smithsonian Institution · 1965 · ISBN - ↩︎The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
  14. [14]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.
  15. [15]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.
  16. [16]Plants Consumed by Man. — Brouk. B. · Academic Press · 1975 · ISBN 0-12-136450-x ↩︎Readable but not very comprehensive.
  17. [17]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.
  18. [18]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  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]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.
  21. [21]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.
  22. [22]Economic Botany. — Hill. A. F. · The Maple Press · 1952 · ISBN - ↩︎Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some detail about the plants it does cover.
  23. [23]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.
  24. [24]Atlas of Medicinal Plants. — Kariyone. T. · Nihon Rinshosha; Osaka · 1973 ↩︎A good Japanese herbal.
  25. [25]The Milder Garden. — Taylor. J. · Dent · 1990 ↩︎A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.
  26. [26]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
  27. [27]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.
  28. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎