Camellia spotlight

Jan. 7 was Camellia Day in Alabama. The Alabama Legislature chose the date to coincide with beginning of the prime blooming season for C. japonica camellia. Camellias are native to Southeast Asia and were imported to the Unites States beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries. They made their way to Alabama in the 1800’s. In China and Japan the camellia is a symbol for love. It is also the birth flower for November and sometimes called the Japanese rose. The Norfolk Botanical Garden websites states there are over 200 species of camellias. It adds, “Commercially important plants include the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), the source of green and black tea, and the tea oil plant (Camellia oliefera), from which oil is extracted and used for cooking, cosmetics, medicine and industrial purposes. Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua and Camellia reticulataare are prominent ornamental species used in the landscape. The majority of garden camellias are cultivars and hybrids developed from these plants”. The Pink Empress camellia bloom featured today was found in a wooded area at the residence of Richard Branum on Fort Dale Road. (Bruce Branum | The Standard)