When I review the photos of camellia I took in the past, I found that many of the photos are camellia japonica especially many mixed-color ones. I am always attracted by their uniqueness unconsciously. Each flower seems like it was created by the hands of an artist. I will dedicate several posts to this species. The following photos used as an introduction are the unknown cultivar of camellia japonica.
當我回顧過去我照的茶花照片，我發現許多照片都是山茶花，尤其是許多混色的茶花，我總是不自覺的被它們的獨特性吸引住，每一朵都好像出自藝術家之手。我會用好幾篇文章來整理這個品種。以下先用不知什麼品種的山茶花來作引子。
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Notes
- Camellia japonica, known as common camellia, Japanese camellia, or tsubaki in Japanese. Sometimes called the rose of winter.
- The genus Camellia was named after a Jesuit priest and botanist named Georg Kamel. The specific epithet japonica was given to the species by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.
- There are more than two thousands of cultivars of C. japonica in cultivation, with many colors and forms of flowers.
- 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 300–1,100 meters (980–3,610 ft).
- It is the official state flower of the US state of Alabama.
- Camellia japonica has appeared in paintings and porcelain in China since the 11th century.
- Camellias are seen as lucky symbols for the Chinese New Year and spring and were even used as offerings to the gods during the Chinese New Year. It is also thought that Chinese women would never wear a Camellia in their hair because it opened much later after the bud formed. This was thought to signify that she would not have a son for a long time.
- The first records of camellias in Australia pertain to a consignment to Alexander Macleay of Sydney that arrived in 1826 and were planted in Sydney at Elizabeth Bay House. In 1838 six C. japonica plants were imported by the botanist, horticulturist and agriculturist William Macarthur. During the years that followed he brought in several hundred varieties and grew them at Camden Park Estate.
- The camellias of Campo Bello (Portugal) are the oldest known specimens in Europe, which would have been planted around 1550. The oldest trees of Camellia japonica in Europe can be found in Campobello (Portugal), Caserta (Italy) and Pillnitz (Germany). These were probably planted at the end of the 16th century.
- In the U.S., camellias were first sold in 1807 as greenhouse plants, but were soon distributed to be grown outdoors in the south. In Charleston, South Carolina, the estate garden of Magnolia-on-the-Ashley introduced hundreds of new Camellia japonica cultivars from the 19th century onwards.
- The leaf of the Camellia japonica is rich in anti-inflammatory terpenoids such as lupeol and squalene.
- 山茶花，在日本被稱為普通山茶、日本山茶或椿。 有時被稱為冬天的玫瑰。(註:根據維基百科, 山茶花古名海石榴。有玉茗花、耐冬等別名，日語稱作椿，在韓語中也被叫做冬柏花)。
- 茶花屬是以耶穌會神父和植物學家喬治·卡梅爾 Georg Kamel 的名字來命名。 卡爾·林奈Carl Linnaeus 在1753年將種小名山茶花給了這個品種。
- 在兩千多種日本山茶花栽培品種中，它的花有許多不同顏色和形式。
- 野生種可在中國大陸（山東，浙江東部），台灣，韓國南部和日本南部看得到。 它生長在海拔約300–1,100公尺（980–3,610英尺）的森林中。
- 山茶花是美國阿拉巴馬州的州花。
- 自11世紀以來，在中國的繪畫和瓷器上可看得到山茶。
- 茶花被視為農曆新年和春季的幸運標誌，甚至在農曆新年期間被用來祭神。 據說中國婦女不會在頭髮上戴山茶花，因為山茶花在花蕾形成後很晚才開花，表示她會有很長一段時間都不會有兒子。
- 澳大利亞最早的山茶花記錄是與一批於1826年運往雪梨 Alexander Macleay 所托運的貨物有關，這批山茶花種在雪梨的伊莉莎白海灣宅邸。1838年植物學家、園藝家和農業學家 William Macarthur 進口了六種日本山茶花。 在隨後的幾年中，他帶來了數百種品種，並種在 Camden Park Estate。
- 葡萄牙的坎波貝洛 Campo Bellos 山茶花是歐洲已知最早的樣本，大約在1550年就栽種了。最早歐洲的山茶花可以在葡萄牙的坎波貝洛 Campobello，意大利的卡塞塔 Caserta 和德國的皮爾尼茨 Pillnitz 看得到。 這些可能是在16世紀末種植的。
- 在美國山茶花於1807年最初作為溫室植物出售，但很快在南方便在戶外種植。自19世紀以來在南卡羅來納州的查爾斯頓，Ashley木蘭莊園推介了數百種新茶花栽培品種。
- 茶花的葉子富含抗發炎的萜烯類化合物，如羽扇豆醇和角鯊烯。
References
- Wikipedia: Camellia japonica
- Monaco Nature Encyclopedia: Camellia japonica
- 維基百科: 山茶花
Plants Posts 植物的帖子