Tuesday 1 July 2014
Camellia japonica (the Japanese camellia) is one of the best known species of the genus Camellia. Sometimes called the Rose of winter, it belongs to the Theaceae family. It is the official state flower of Alabama. In the wild, it is found in mainland China (Shandong, east Zhejiang), Taiwan, southern Korea and southern Japan. It grows in forests, at altitudes of around 300 to 1,100 metres . Camellia japonica is a flowering tree or shrub, usually 1.5 to 6 metres tall, but occasionally up to 11 metres tall. Some cultivated varieties achieve a size of 72m² or more. The youngest branches are purplish-brown, becoming grayish-brown as they age. The alternate leathery leaves are dark green on the top side, paler on the underside, usually 5 to 11 centimetres long by 2.5 to 6 centimetres wide with a stalk (petiole) about 5 to 10 millimetres long. The base of the leaf is pointed (cuneate), the margins are very finely toothed (serrulate) and the tip somewhat pointed. Source
