Camellia
(named in honour of George Joseph Camellus or Kamel, a Moravian Jesuit and traveller in Asia, who wrote a history of the plants of the Isle of Luzon, which is inserted in the third vol. of John Ray's "Historia Plantarum"). Japanese Rose. Including Thea ORD. Ternstraemiaceae. A genus of elegant hardy or nearly hardy evergreen shrubs or trees. Flowers large; sepals five or six, gradually passing from bracts into petals, the latter slightly cohering at the base; stamens numerous. Leaves coriaceous. By close attention to a few particulars in the management of these beautiful plants, much disappointment may be avoided, and a succession of flowers obtained from October till the following July. The fact of the buds frequently dropping off, deters many would-be growers from attempting the culture of the Camellia. Dryness of the atmosphere, and want of water at the roots, are generally the primary causes of failure; the remedy for these evils rests with the cultivator. The roots are apt to get matted together, compressing the earth around them into a hard ball, impervious to water; hence attention is necessary to see that the water poured into the pot thoroughly moistens all the soil. In order to form handsome plants, they should be trained with single stems to rods, and pruned, so as to make them throw out side branches from every part of the stem; they must not be placed too close to each other on the stage, or when planted out. A liberal supply of water is always necessary, but especially so during the flowering period. Plants that are required to flower early may remain in the warm house till they commence to blossom, when they should be removed to a cold place, such as the back of a greenhouse, giving them plenty of light. Those kept in a hothouse or vinery during summer, will flower in the beginning or middle of October; and a large plant, having from fifty to one hundred buds, will continue in flower till the month of January. Those that are removed early, will blossom in January, and so succeed the others. The plants that have finished flowering should be brought back to the hothouse, where they will begin to make new wood, and be ready to come in succession next season. By thus shifting the plants from a warm to a cold situation, a regular succession will be secured from October to July. The soil should be kept constantly moist, and in the summer months the leaves occasionally syringed. Camellias flower best when kept in small pots or tubs. In order to raise and exhibit these handsome plants to the best advantage, they should be grown in a separate house, of ample height, as they never look so well as when 6ft. or 8ft. high, trained in a conical form, with branches from the root upwards; and the plants should be raised near to the glass on a movable stage, which should be lowered as they grow. In summer, they may either be placed in the open air in a sheltered spot, or the glass roof of the house can be taken off. The hardier sorts, such as the Doublered, Blush, and Paeony-flowered, succeed in the bed or border of a conservatory, if the roof can be taken off in summer, so as to admit air. If this cannot be managed, they are better grown in portable pots or boxes. The most suitable time for shifting Camellias is directly after flowering; they should then be put into a vinery or hothouse, where there is a little heat; or the warmest part of a greenhouse. They will soon begin to make new wood, where they should be allowed to remain, amply supplied with water, till they form their flower buds, at the extremity and sides of the young growth. A few should then be removed to a cold place, and shaded during strong sunshine. In a few weeks afterwards, others may also be transferred, so as to have a regular succession of flowering plants.
Propagation. The red Camellias are generally propagated by layers, but cuttings will also succeed; the single red Camellia being raised by either cuttings, layers, or seeds. This latter forms suitable stocks on which to inarch or graft the rarer kinds. The ripened shoots of the preceding summer should be taken off in August, cutting them smoothly at a joint or bud. Two or three of the lower leaves should be taken off, and the cuttings planted firmly in the soil with a dibble. Some growers use peat earth and sand to strike in, while others prefer a loam mixed with sand and peat. The pans containing the cuttings should be kept in a plant or cold frame, without being covered with glasses, but shaded during powerful sunshine. In the following spring, such as have struck will begin to push, when they need to be placed in a gentle heat. The following September or October, the rooted plants will be fit to pot off, and in the second or third spring they may be used as stocks. Inarching or grafting is done in early spring, as soon as growth commences. When this process is completed, care must be taken to fix the pot containing the stock so that it may not be disturbed during the connection of the scion with the parent plant. The grafting being clayed over, is then covered with moss, to prevent its cracking. When independent grafting is resorted to, the mode called "side grafting" is generally employed, as in the care of Orange-trees; but the operation of tongueing is generally omitted, as tending to weaken the stock. Liquid or other manure is not required; nor is it desirable to apply it, as it often, sooner or later, causes the destruction of the plants. As a rule, insects do not trouble this class of plants; but scale will sometimes appear, and can easily be removed by hand. Thrips occasionally put in an appearance, but a little smoke will quickly get rid of them.
C. euryoides (Eurya-like). fl. white; peduncles lateral, one-flowered, scaly. May to July. l. ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, serrated, silky beneath. Branches hairy. h. 4ft. China, 1822. (B. R. 983.)
C. japonica (Japanese).* Common Camellia. fl. variously coloured, axillary, sessile. l. ovate, acuminate, acutely serrated. h. 20ft. Japan and China, 1739. The innumerable hybrids are chiefly the offspring of this species. C. j. anemonaeflora (Anemone-flowered). All, or nearly all, the stamens, &c., in this variety are transformed into small petaloid bodies, and the flower has the general aspect of a double Anemone. (B. M. 1654.)
C. oleifera (oil-yielding).* fl. white, very numerous, fragrant, solitary. November. l.elliptic-oblong, acute, serrated, coriaceous, shining. h. 6ft. to 8ft. China, 1820. (B. R. 942.)
C. reticulata (netted-leaved). fl. bright rose, large, semi-double. l. oblong, acuminated, serrated, flat, reticulated. h.10ft. China, 1824. There is a form of this species with full double flowers.
C. theifera (Tea-bearing). fl. white, spreading, of five sepals and five petals, axillary. November to spring. l. elliptical-oblong, obtuse, serrated, more than twice as long as broad, dark green. h. 2ft. to 6ft. China, Japan, and India, 1780. This species varies very considerably. In different countries, it has become modified by cultivation. The Green and Black Teas, formerly supposed to be produced by different species, are obtained from the same bushes, but subjected to different processes.
Less-known species are: drupifera, lanceolata, rosaeflora, and Sasanqua.
The true species are rarely seen in cultivation. The following is a selection of the best forms of C. japonica; the list is a limited one, and is capable of great extension:
ALBA PLENA,* double white; ARCHIDUCHESSE AUGUSTA, petals deep red, veined with blue, a white band; ARCHIDUCHESSE MARIE,* flowers bright red, banded with white, imbricated; AUGUSTE DELFOSSE, bright reddish-orange, stripes down the centre of petals; AUGUSTINA SUPERBA,* flowers clear rose, free bloomer; BEALII ROSEA, one of the best and latest deep crimson varieties known; BICOLOR DE LA REINE, white and rose; BONOMIANA,* ground colour white, banded with intense deep red; CARYOPHYLLOIDES,* white, marbled with rosy-carmine, flowers very large; CHANDLERII ELEGANS,* flowers large, light rose; COMTE DE GOMER,* petals soft rose, striped with crimson, beautifully imbricated; COMTE DE PARIS, rich pink, large and full; CONTESSA LAVINIA MAGGI, pure white, broadly flamed with rosy-cerise; CONTESSA LAVINIA MAGGI ROSEA, flowers rich rosy-red, fine form, a superb variety; CORRADINO, rose, veined with salmon, centre delicate blush pink; COUNTESS OF DERBY,* beautifully imbricated, white, striped with rose; COUNTESS OF ELLESMERE,* colour varying from pure white to flesh, streaked with carnation; COUNTESS OF ORKNEY, pure white, striped with carmine, sometimes pink, shaded with deep rose; CUP OF BEAUTY,* Pure white and rose, a beautifully imbricated flower; DAVID BOSCHI, clear pink, shaded with deep rose; DE LA REINE, petals white, striped with carmine; DONCKELAARII,* large flowers, semi-double, rich crimson, marbled white; DUCHESSE DE NASSAU,* flowers light pink, very large, and of superb form; DUCHESS OF BERRY, pure white, and cupped, beautifully imbricated, one of the most beautiful of all the double whites; EMPEROR OF RUSSIA, large crimson; FANNY BOLIS, white, striped and splashed with deep crimson; FIMBRIATA ALBA,* similar to Alba plena, outer petals notched at the edges; GENERAL CIALDINI, beautifully imbricated, bright carmine, flaked with red; HENRI FAVRE, flowers rosy-salmon, finely imbricated; HOVEY, C. H.,* bright crimson, well imbricated; HOVEY, C.M.,* deep velvety crimson, darkly shaded, very distinct; HOVEY, MRS.,* delicate pink, very smooth in outline, medium size; IL CYGNO, flowers pure white, petals Ranunculi-formed and imbricated; IL 22 MARZO, clear rose, the petals sometimes banded with white; IMBRICATA, deep carmine, occasionally variegated; JARDIN D'HIVER, a fine variety, flowers beautifully imbricated, colour bright rose: JEFFERSONII, fine crimson; JENNY LIND,* flowers imbricated to the extreme centre, broad, and of good substance, white, striped and marbled with rose; JUBILEE,* flowers very large, with broad, round, imbricated petals, white, marbled with rose, centre pure white; LADY HUME'S BLUSH,* flowers flesh-colour, and of excellent form; LA MAESTOSA, rose mottled with white; LEEANA SUPERBA, flowers salmon-red, very fine; LEON LEGUAY, rich crimson; MADAME AMBROISE VERSCHAFFELT,* white, shaded with blush, and dotted with red; MADAME LEBOIS, bright rose, finely imbricated, and of good form; MATHOTIANA,* flowers brilliant red, and beautifully imbricated, extra fine; MATHOTIANA ALBA, flowers large, finely imbricated to the centre, pure white; MONTIRONI,* a fine pure white flower; MRS ABBEY WILDER, ivory-white, striped with rose, well imbricated; MRS. COPE,* white delicately shaded with pink, and striped with rose; MRS. DOMBRAIN,* shape and substance excellent, colour beautiful soft pink; NAPOLEON III., flowers rose, beautifully veined with deep rose, and edged with pure white; PRINCE ALBERT, white, beautifully flaked with carmine; PRINCESS BACCIOCCHI,* rich velvety carmine; PRINCESS FREDERICK WILLIAM,* flowers white, tipped with bright carmine; QUEEN OF ROSES, flowers delicate rose; REINE DES BEAUTES,* very delicate clear rose, fine form, extra fine variety; REINE DES FLEURS,* finely imbricated, petals of good substance and perfect symmetry, colour vermilion-red, flaked occasionally with white; RUBENS, deep rose-white stripes; SACCOIANA,* a finely imbricated flower, colour very variable, occasionally clear rose, at other times spotted with pure white; SARAH FROST, flowers bright red; STORYI, outer petals bright rose, centre almost white; TARGIONI, flowers beautifully imbricated, pure white, striped with cerise; TEUTONIA, flowers sometimes red, at other times white, but occasionally half red and half white; THOMAS MOORE,* flowers 4 1/2in. across, perfectly round, and well imbricated, petals also round, and well filled up in the centre, colour rich carmine, shaded with crimson; TRICOLOR DE MATHOT, flowers red, marbled with white, semi-double; TRICOLOR IMBRICATA PLENA, blush white, flaked with carmine and rose; VALTEVAREDA, colour bright rose, often spotted with snowy white; WILDERII,* soft rose, of excellent form.