Herb: Camellia


Latin name: Camellia gracilis


Synonyms: Camellia caudata gracilis


Family: Theaceae (Tea Family)



Edible parts of Camellia:

An oil is obtained from the seed.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
4 m
(13 feet)

Flowering:
October
to January

Habitat of the herb:

Woodlands and thickets, especially by streams at elevations of 400 - 1400 metres in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Taiwan Provinces.

Propagation of Camellia:

Seed - can be sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. 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. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 23°C. 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. Cuttings of almost ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, August/September in a shaded frame. High percentage but slow. Cuttings of firm wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, end of June in a frame. Keep in a cool greenhouse for the first year. Leaf-bud cuttings, July/August in a frame.

Cultivation of the herb:

Woodlands and thickets, especially by streams at elevations of 400 - 1400 metres in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Taiwan Provinces.

Medicinal use of Camellia:

None known

Known hazards of Camellia gracilis:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.