Camellia japonica Camellia PFAF Plant Database

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Camellia japonica - L.

Common Name

Camellia

Family

Theaceae

Synonyms

Thea japonica.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Woods in hills and down to sea level near the coast in C. and S. Japan[58].

Range

E. Asia - Japan, Korea.

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics

Camellia japonica is an evergreen Shrub growing to 10 m (32ft) by 8 m (26ft).
It is hardy to zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf 12-Jan It is in flower from Apr to June, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.

Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camellia_japonica_SZ82.jpg

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Habitats
Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Flowers; Oil; Oil. Edible Uses: Oil; Oil; Tea. An edible oil is obtained from the seed[11, 61, 105]. It is called 'tsubaki oil'[183]. Dried flowers - cooked[105]. Used as a vegetable or mixed with gelatinous-rice to make a Japanese food called 'mochi'[183]. The leaves are a tea substitute[142, 177, 178, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Astringent; Cancer; Haemostatic; Salve; Tonic.

The flowers are astringent, antihaemorrhagic, haemostatic, salve and tonic[178, 218]. When mixed with sesame oil they are used in the treatment of burns and scalds[218]. The plant has shown anticancer activity[218].

Other Uses
Dye; Oil; Oil. A non-drying oil is obtained from the seed - used as a hair-dressing[46, 61]. The oil consists mainly of olein it is not subject to polymerize or oxidize, nor does it form solids at low temperatures[174]. A green dye is obtained from the pink or red petals[168].

Cultivation details

Prefers a woodland soil but thrives in a warm open well-drained loam if leafmould is added[1, 11, 200]. A calcifuge plant, preferring a pH around 5[11, 200]. Prefers the partial shade of a light woodland[200], it also grows well on a north-west aspect[11] and on sunless walls[202]. This is a very cold hardy plant, but it cannot tolerate cold winds[11]. Plants should be given a position shaded from the morning sun in order to protect the flowers from late frosts[219]. Prefers a wet summer and a cool but not very frosty dry winter[200]. Plants are not very self-compatible, self-fertilized flowers produce few seeds and these are of low viability[200]. A very ornamental plant[11]. A large amount of named forms have been developed, mainly for their ornamental value[11, 200]. Many of them tolerate full sun[182, 200]. Camellias are a valuable commercial crop in Asia, where they are cultivated for the oil obtained from their seed. Many of the cultivars grown in Britain do not set seed, unfortunately. The following cultivars have been seen with good crops of seeds:- 'Alba Simplex'; 'Coppelia'; 'Guillio Nuccio'; 'Jupiter'[K].The sub-species C. japonica macrocarpa. Masam. has larger fruits than the type, looking like small apples. The sub-species C. japonica rusticana (Honda.)Kitamura. is a hardier form from N. Japan where it grows at higher altitudes than the species and withstands long snowy winters[11, 219].

Propagation

Seed - can be sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[113]. 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[78, 113, 138]. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 23°c[138]. 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[K]. Cuttings of almost ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, August/September in a shaded frame. High percentage but slow[78]. Cuttings of firm wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, end of June in a frame[11, 78]. Keep in a cool greenhouse for the first year[11]. Leaf-bud cuttings, July/August in a frame.

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Expert comment

Author
L.

Botanical References
1158200

Links / References

[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956

Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.

A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.

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.

[58]Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation)

The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.

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.

[78]Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers.

A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.

The most comprehensive guide to 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.

[113]Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation.

A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[138]Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3.

Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[142]Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man.

Readable but not very comprehensive.

[168]Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants.

A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[174]Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.

A good Japanese herbal.

[177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.

An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178]Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica.

A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[182]Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos.

Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.

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.

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[202]Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs.

Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.

[218]Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China

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.

[219]Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls

A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

Readers comment

Elizabeth H.
marina markolefas	Fri Aug 27 08:56:47 2004

beautiful plant i am having fun researching on it for an assignment. gorgeous.

Elizabeth H.
sandra	Wed Nov 7 2007

you should put more info like why is this plant endangered and how often does it reproduce? how many are left?

Elizabeth H.
katherine	Thu Mar 9 2006

how do the camellia japonica grow?

Elizabeth H.
ymzx	Sat May 27 2006

Katherina grow in wild ? see http://www.toshimamura.org/04kankou01.html

Elizabeth H.
colin turnbull	Thu Jan 4 2007

i have recieved what i think to be a camellia japonica for xmas. was wandering if anyone could help me since purchasing the leaves are turning purple and starting to fall off plant has been well watered and fed. any info would be appreciated

Elizabeth H.
Mrs J Hunter	Mon Jul 2 2007

Thanks for your information. My camellia bush has a single fruit, and I wanted to know about it. I might try to grow more from the seed.

Elizabeth H.
Vivienne Vidal	Fri Oct 12 2007

Can anyone tell me if one can use the yellow fruits to make jam or jellie Mrs Vidal 12th october 2007

Elizabeth H.
Kevin Feinstein	Sun Nov 25 2007

Has anyone eaten the flowers? Can they be eaten raw? Can you cook them fresh? Here in the Oakland, CA, they are everywhere. It seems nearly every house has one growing! Does anyone recommend harvesting strategies for the tea?

feralkevin's permaculture and edible wild foods edible wild foods, rewilding, and permaculture

Elizabeth H.
s.taylor	Sat Apr 26 2008

my camellia flowers and buds have just dissapeared there one day gone the nex do you know anything that eats them ? regards s. taylor

Elizabeth H.
david	Mon Aug 17 2009

I'm also interested in eating the flowers, (the fact that the plant takes full shade makes it interesting) but am nervous I cant find anything else on the net or in books about their edibility, also one of the only two sources listed here is at times "dubious". I've nibbled a few fresh, seem very inoffensive, pleasant bland, swallowed a tiny amount. That there is a somewhat more documented tradition of their use medicinally suggests they are safe, I found one Asian commercial supplier of petals for medicinal use which is encouraging. There is "Studies on the Constituents of the Flower of Camellia japonica (2)", from googling the identified chemicals all seem to be beneficial, anti-cancer and anti-depressant for instance, or occuring in commonly eaten foods, but I'm no chemist. It's possible they are dried simply for convenience not safety.

Elizabeth H.
Sam	Mon Oct 19 2009

One of my horticulture instructors recommends Camellia oil for lubricating pruners. It is available for sale at a Japanese tool store in California (hidatool.com) The most common cultivar I've seen does not produce seeds. It has a mutation that turns the reproductive parts into additional petals. Pretty, but less useful.

Elizabeth H.
kelly jones	Mon Nov 2 2009

taurus rising black tea from camellia japonica

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