Archive for the 'Species' Category
Below is the scan of the first book I ever read about Camellias. The book was called “Travels with houseplants”, it was written by Mykola Verzilin and published in 1973 in Kiev, Ukraine in Ukrainian language. This chapter was describing both tea plant and decorative camellias.
Continue reading ‘The first book I ever read about Camellias was published in Ukrainian language’
Russian weekly “Novoye Vremya” (The New Times) published my article about the culture of tea in China and Japan. To write this article I asked several question one of the leading experts on genus Camellia – Professor Gao Jiyin from from Fuyang Institute of Subtropical Forestry, China.
Российский журнал “Новое Время” (The New Times) опубликовал мою статью о культуре чая в Китае и Японии. Для написания статьи я задал несколько вопросов одному из ведущих специалистов по ботанике чайного куста из Исследовательского института субтропической растительности в провинции Чжэцзян на юго-востоке Китая.
http://archive.newtimes.ru/magazine/2009/issue106/doc-60764.html
To read this article in English using automatic translation by Google Translate, you can click here – http://tinyurl.com/d6eues
Traditional Chinese – http://tinyurl.com/cggt7p
Simplified Chinese – http://tinyurl.com/cf7v35
Japanese – http://tinyurl.com/cf5lso
Религия чая. В Европе и Америке чай — всего лишь напиток. В Китае и Японии, откуда он пришел, — это великая культура и фантастически интересная история. Чем объясняются романтические чувства к чаю у китайцев и японцев — узнавал The New Times
Continue reading ‘The religion of tea in China and Japan’
Camellia Forest Nursery is a nursery in North Carolina managed by Kai Mei and David Parks. Kai Mei is a wife of Dr. Clifford Parks (one of the authors of “Collected Species of the Genus Camellia”, 2005) and David Parks is their son.
Mieko Tanaka
The most interesting sasanqua hybrid offered this year is a true red ‘Mieko Tanaka’. Almost all previous “red” sasanquas were actually dark pinks (for example ‘Bonanza’ and ‘Reverend Ida’). The only previous true red was ‘Yuletide’, a chance seedling of Hiryu, originated in Nuccio’s Nurseries back in 1963.
The basic problem with red color is that wild C. sasanqua has no red (or pink) pigment – anthocyanin.
According to Dr. Takayuki Tanaka and other researchers, all pink sasanqua cultivars probably originated from an ancient C. japonica x sasanqua hybrid approximately 400 years ago almost definitely in Japan. The estimation 400 years comes from chloroplast genome DNA (cpDNA) analysis. Additionally, athocyanin chromatography demonstrates that all pink sasanquas (together with x hiemalis and x vernalis hybrids) share the form of anthocyanin with C. japonica and does not have pigments specific for C. reticulata and C. saluensis.
Based on this information, Dr. Tanaka was working on sasanqua-japonica hybridization and finally he developed a cultivar ‘Mieko Tanaka’ (C. x vernalis ‘Gaisen’ x C. japonica).
Plain Jane, O’Nishiki, Winter’s Rose and Winter’s Red Rider
Another important cultivar now available for sale in Camellia Forest Nursery is C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’. This plain white flower has two distinctive quantities.
First of all, it is one of the most cold-hardy camellias, used by Dr. William Ackerman for his cold-hardiness hybridization program. For example, Dr. Ackerman claims that his cultivar ‘Winter’s Rose’ (C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ x C. x hiemalis ‘Otome’) can survive winter temperatures down to -15 F / -26 C.
Second, according to Dr. Ackerman, ‘Plain Jane’ may be used to create dwarf cultivars that are useful as patio and bonsai plants. Particularly, ‘Winter’s Rose’ is also a dwarf camellia. When Dr. Ackerman crossed ‘Plain Jane’ with C. sasanqua ‘O’Nishiki’, he got 3:1 mendelian ratio between normal and dwarf seedlings. This suggested that both ‘Plain Jane’ and ‘O’Nishiki’ carry heterozygous alleles of a dwarfiness gene. (Yes, I know that both plants are hexaploids – so an additional explanation from Dr. Ackerman is needed).
Luckily I got cuttings of ‘O’Nishiki’ last Summer from Mr. Garet Uemura who lives in Hawaii. Thank you, Mr. Uemura!
Continue reading ‘A new catalog from Camellia Forest Nursery, Fall 2008 – my review’
This month The International Camellia Society put two of my camellia photo pictures to the front page of their website. One is a picture of Camellia japonica ‘Kamo Honnami’ (see their website), and another is a picture of Camellia grijsii, a species related to C. sasanqua:
C. grijsii
Camellia grijsii (长瓣短柱茶 in Chinese) Hance (1879) is a wild species of section Paracamellia. It is related to C. sasanqua, C. oleifera and C. kissii. It was collected in 1861 in Fujian by C.F.M. de Grijs. It is distributed in China (Fujian, Hubei, Sichuan, Guangxi) and used for a high-quality oil production. C. grijsii is closely related to another species – C. yuhsienensis, that is a parent of a popular cultivar ‘Yume’.
I got my two plants of C. grijsii from Nuccio’s Nurseries. The first one (shown above) has single white flowers and the second one is a double-flowered Chinese cultivar called ‘Zhenzhucha’:
Camellia grijsii ‘Zhenzhucha’
Camellia grijsii has great hybridizing potential. Two plants in my garden have small leaves with impressed veins and very columnar shape. I believe there are also varieties with larger leaves, but I am specifically interested in small-leaved cultivars.
Another great feature of C. grijsii is its cluster-flowering habit. However in my garden C. grijsii flowers from January to March, so it will be a challenge to cross it with Fall-flowering sasanquas. Probably I will have to store some pollen from sasanquas in refrigerator for a couple of months.
Another problem is chromosome number. According to Kondo and his associates it has a variety of chromosome numbers 2n = 30, 60, 75 and 90 (see the reference in Collected Species of the Genus Camellia, an Illustrated Outline by Gao Jiyin, Clifford R. Parks and Du Yuequiang).
Continue reading ‘Camellia grijsii’
I got two awards on 2008 National Camellia Show at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. I took part in photography competition.
The first photo picture is of species Camellia puniceiflora from section Paracamellia:
Camellia puniceiflora (粉红短柱茶 in Chinese) Chang 1981. A wild species distributed in China: Zhejiang, Hunan. Small leaves, grows up to 2 m (6 f) high.
The second photo picture is of sasanqua cultivar called Chojiguruma:
Chojiguruma, 丁子車 in Japanese. Means “a wheel of anemone” in Japanese. Introduced in 1789. Originated in Kansai, spread to many places. This anemone form is very rare for C. sasanqua cultivars.
The complete list of all results of the Camellia Photography Show is below:
Continue reading ’2008 National Camellia Show at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania’
1. Introduction
Yuri Panchul Garden
2. Wild form
↑ Camellia sasanqua, selection ‘Shikoku Stars’. Thunberg 1784. Native to southern Japan: southern Shikoku, Kyushu, Ryukyu islands. Thought to be a geographical variant of C. oleifera native to China. Grows up to 26 ft (8 m) Flowers early fall to mid-winter. Chromosome numbers: 2n = 90 (wild forms), 45-120 (cultivars) (Kondo, 1977).
3. Big white single
↑ Narimugata. Japan, introduced 1898. Originated in Tokyo, spread to Saitama. Name means “Narumi Bay”. Pentaploid, very vigorous, was crossed with C. reticulata to get ‘Girls’ group of hybrids.
4. White double
↑ White Doves. The Japanese name is ‘Mine-no-yuki’ meaning “Snow on the Ridge”. Introduced in 1898.
5. Single pinks
↑ Hugh Evans. Originated in Coolidge Rare Garden Plants, California in 1943.
6. Double pinks
↑ Shishigashira. C. x hiemalis. Means “Lion’s Head” in Japanese. Originated and spread in Kansai and Chubu. First mentioned in Engeikai Zasshi in 1894. Called ‘Kan-tsubaki’ in Kanto area since 1933.
7. Semi-formal pinks
↑ Enishi. Means “Charming Appearance” in Japanese. Originated in Kumamoto. A seedling of a seed given to Kiyofusa Saito by Shigeru Sugiyama. This cultivar is recognized by Higo Sasanqua Society.
8. Peony pinks
↑ Rosette. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1980.
9. Anemone pinks
↑ Chojiguruma. Means “a wheel of anemone” in Japanese. Introduced in 1789. Originated in Kansai, spread to many places.
10. Dark pinks
↑ Bonanza. C. x hiemalis, seedling of ‘Crimson Bride’. Originated by Tom Dodd Jr, Semmes, Alabama in 1962.
11. Yuletide and Hiryu
↑ Yuletide. C. x vernalis. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1963. A seedling of ‘Hiryu’.
12. Bicolor
↑ Navajo. Imported from Japan by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1956. The original name is lost.
13. Egao group
↑ Egao. C. x vernalis. Name means “smiling face” in Japanese. Originated in Kurume or Fukuoka. Imported to the United States by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in either 1972 or 1977 (?).
14. Oleifera and Ackerman hybrids
↑ Winter’s Rose. C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ x C. x hiemalis ‘Otome’. William Ackerman. Survives very low winter temperatures – down to -15 F / -26 C.
15. Other species and hybrids
↑ Stars’N'Stripes. A chance seedling of ‘Christmas Rose’ (Williams’ Lavender x Shishigashira). Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California.
16. Low growing and small foliage
↑ Starry Pillar (N#9820). A chance seedling, might be a sasanqua-tenuiflora hybrid. Columnar habit. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries.
17. Foliage
↑ Silverado. Light gray green small leaves. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California.
18. Credits
All photo pictures © Yuri Panchul.
Text information is compiled from the following sources:
Ackerman, William L. 2007. Beyond the Camellia Belt. Breeding, Propagating, and Growing Cold-Hardy Camellias. Batavia, Illinois: Ball Publishing.
Ackerman, William L. 2002. Growing Camellias in Cold Climates. Baltimore, Maryland, Noble House.
Camellia Forest Nursery Catalog. Fall 2007. Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Chang Hung Ta and Bruce Bartholomew. 1984. Camellias. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press.
Gao Jiyin, Clifford R. Parks and Du Yueqiang. 2005. Collected Species of the genus Camellia. An illustrated outline. China.
Japan Camellia Society. 1999. The Nomenclature of Japanese Camellias and Sasanquas (Nippon Tsubaki . Sasanqua Meikan). English Translation supervised by Thomas J. Savige.
Macoboy, Stirling and Roger Mann. 1998. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Camellias. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press.
Nuccio’s Nurseries Catalog. 2007-2008. Altadena, California.
Sealy, Robert J. 1958. A Revision of the Genus Camellia. London: The Royal Horticultural Society.
Trehane, Jennifer. 2007. Camellias. The Gardener’s Encyclopedia. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press.
↑ Camellia sasanqua, selection ‘Shikoku Stars’. Thunberg 1784. Native to southern Japan: southern Shikoku, Kyushu, Ryukyu islands. Thought to be a geographical variant of C. oleifera native to China. Grows up to 26 ft (8 m) Flowers early fall to mid-winter. Chromosome numbers: 2n = 90 (wild forms), 45-120 (cultivars) (Kondo, 1977).
↑ Camellia sasanqua, selection ‘Shikoku Stars’. Thunberg 1784. Native to southern Japan: southern Shikoku, Kyushu, Ryukyu islands. Thought to be a geographical variant of C. oleifera native to China. Grows up to 26 ft (8 m) Flowers early fall to mid-winter. Chromosome numbers: 2n = 90 (wild forms), 45-120 (cultivars) (Kondo, 1977).
↑ Camellia sasanqua, selection ‘Shikoku Stars’. Thunberg 1784. Native to southern Japan: southern Shikoku, Kyushu, Ryukyu islands. Thought to be a geographical variant of C. oleifera native to China. Grows up to 26 ft (8 m) Flowers early fall to mid-winter. Chromosome numbers: 2n = 90 (wild forms), 45-120 (cultivars) (Kondo, 1977).
↑ C. miyagii. Gen-ichi Koidzumi, Makino and Nemoto (1931). Ryukyu islands, Japan. Sometimes treated not as a separate species, but as a regional variety of C. sasanqua. Chromosome number: 2n = 90 (Kondo, 1977).
↑ C. miyagii. Gen-ichi Koidzumi, Makino and Nemoto (1931). Ryukyu islands, Japan. Sometimes treated not as a separate species, but as a regional variety of C. sasanqua. Chromosome number: 2n = 90 (Kondo, 1977).
↑ C. miyagii. Gen-ichi Koidzumi, Makino and Nemoto (1931). Ryukyu islands, Japan. Sometimes treated not as a separate species, but as a regional variety of C. sasanqua. Chromosome number: 2n = 90 (Kondo, 1977).
↑ C. oleifera. Abel 1818. Southern China, south of Yangtze River, Shanxi and Vietnam. Cultivated for oil production, used for cold-hardy hybrids, grows to 23 ft (7 m) hight, flowers in fall. Chromosome number: 2n = 30, 60, 90 (Kondo, 1977).
↑ Seedling of C. oleifera. Abel 1818. Southern China, south of Yangtze River, Shanxi and Vietnam. Cultivated for oil production, used for cold-hardy hybrids, grows to 23 ft (7 m) hight, flowers in fall.
↑ Winter’s Rose. C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ x C. x hiemalis ‘Otome’. William Ackerman. Survives very low winter temperatures – down to -15 F / -26 C.
↑ Winter’s Rose. C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ x C. x hiemalis ‘Otome’. William Ackerman. Survives very low winter temperatures – down to -15 F / -26 C.
↑ Winter’s Rose. C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ x C. x hiemalis ‘Otome’. William Ackerman. Survives very low winter temperatures – down to -15 F / -26 C.
↑ Winter’s Rose. C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ x C. x hiemalis ‘Otome’. William Ackerman. Survives very low winter temperatures – down to -15 F / -26 C.
↑ Winter’s Rose. C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ x C. x hiemalis ‘Otome’. William Ackerman. Survives very low winter temperatures – down to -15 F / -26 C.
↑ Winter’s Rose. C. oleifera ‘Plain Jane’ x C. x hiemalis ‘Otome’. William Ackerman. Survives very low winter temperatures – down to -15 F / -26 C.
