To-tsubaki
Camellia reticulata
Family: Theaceae
What it is like
Camellia reticulata is an evergreen Shrub growing to 10 m (32ft) by 5 m (16ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower in March, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
Sparse forests, open pine forests, scrub and thickets on dry often stony hillsides, 1800 - 2700 metres in Yunnan.
E. Asia - S.W. China in Yunnan.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, China,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
An edible oil is obtained from the seed. This is a particularly good oil-bearing species.
Oil: Oil
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 1
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
How it is grown
Prefers a woodland soil but thrives in a warm open well-drained loam if leafmould is added. A calcifuge plant, preferring a pH between 5 and 7. Prefers the partial shade of a light woodland, but established shrubs do well in full sun. They require protection from cold winds. A very ornamental plant but it is only hardy in mild areas of Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -10°c. Prefers a wet summer and a cool but not very frosty dry winter. Plants are not very self-compatible, self-fertilized flowers produce few seeds and these are of low viability. This species was named after the cultivated garden form, the true wild form is C. reticulata simplex. Sealy.
Propagating it: 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. This species does not strike from cuttings. Cuttings of firm wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, end of June in a frame. Keep in a cool greenhouse for the first year. This species does not strike from cuttings. Leaf-bud cuttings, July/August in a frame. This species does not strike from cuttings.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 7-10
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist