Camellia
Pink Camellia Petals - Close Up
Pink Camellia Stamen
Camellia – though I’m not sure what kind. There are up to 250 different kinds of Camellias and lots of the flowers we see are hybrids or cultivars, of which there are thousands. With such small snapshots, looking back – there’s no way I can hope to figure out what kind of Camellia I have here.
This one was photographed at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC.
The most well known species is actually not recognized as a Camellia at times, but is rather known as the most common tea plant Camellia sinensis. This one kind of Camellia graciously gives leaves and stems that make white tea, green tea, black tea and oolong tea. The leaves achieve differing levels of oxidation due to treatment and that’s what gives it unique flavors.
The plant also bears fruit which is not edible or delicious, but the seeds of which are pressed to create tea oil which can be used for cooking.
The Camellia is the:
- Alabama state flower
- Sacramento city flower
- Newberg (OR) city flower
- Slidell (LA) city flower
- New Zealand emblematic flower
The flower is used in buckets of pop culture references (including lots of Manga stories) but is also tied to a few real life famous people -
- Ralph Peer (father of country music) was the president of the American Camellia Society
- Coco Chanel often wore a white camellia
- The Queen Mother Elizabeth used them widely in her gardens and they played a role in her funeral
And, of course per the photo above the anthers of the Camellias are wonderfully heavy with pollen! A lot of varieties are very fragrant and quite the treat for neighborhood bees as well.
