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Asakura – a Japanese sasanqua with large flat semi-double white flowers and upright growing habit

Yuri Panchul — Sun, 23 May 2010 04:16:08 +0000

Asakura (朝倉, あさくら) is a Japanese sasanqua cultivar with large, relatively flat semi-double white flowers and has a relatively vigorous upright growing habit. Asakura flower frequently has a pinkish edge early in the flower development. The stamens are relatively well developed, comparing to full double forms. It blooms relatively early. According to the book “Nippon Tsubaki – Sasanqua Meikan” (日本ツバキ・サザンカ名鑑), Asakura originated in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and was named by Shunsuke Hisatomi. It is available in the United States from Nuccio’s Nurseries.

Asakura’s main “competitors” are Narumigata and White Doves (Mine-no-yuki). All three are fast growing with large white flowers.

Asakura versus Narumigata.

Narumigata flower is single, Asakura flower is semi-double.
Narumigata grows faster than Asakura, although Asakura is also a relatively fast growing.
Both Narumigata flower and Asakura flower have pink edges in the early stages of the flower development.

Asakura versus White Doves (Mine-no-yuki).

White Doves flower is fully double, Asakura flower is semi-double.
Asakura flower has a pinkish edge in its early stages, White Doves is completely white.
Asakura plant has a vertical habit, while White Doves is spreading.
Asakura flower is somewhat larger, more rounded, relatively more symmetrical and more flat than a typical flower of White Doves.

Comparing Asakuras with other sasanquas:

Asakura versus Kira Shiro Kantsubaki.

Asakura flower is larger, more rounded and more flat than the flower of Kira Shiro Kantsubaki.
Asakura has more pink on during early stages than the flower of Kira Shiro Kantsubaki.
Asakura’s branches are more flexible than branches of Kira Shiro Kantsubaki.
Asakura grows faster and has larger leaves than Kira Shiro Kantsubaki.

Asakura versus Leslie Ann and Little Pearl.

Asakura flower is larger, more rounded, relatively more symmetrical and more flat than the flower of Leslie Ann or Little Pearl.

Asakura versus Paradise Little Lianne.

Paradise Little Lianne is a miniature.
Asakura has much larger leaves, much faster growth and more vertical habit.
Asakura flower is more rounded, more flat and more symmetrical than the flower of Paradise Little Lianne.

Asakura versus Silver Dollar.

Asakura grows faster than Silver Dollar.
Asakura petals are straight, while Silver Dollar petals are wavy.
Asakura flower has a pink edge in its early stages, Silver Dollar flower is pure white.
Asakura flower is larger than the flower of Silver Dollar.

Asakura versus T.S. White (from Nuccio’s Nurseries).

Asakura petals are straight, while T.S. White petals are wavy.
T.S. White may have more petals than Asakura.
Asakura flower is larger than the flower of T.S. White.
T.S. White has undeveloped stamens, Asakura frequently has well-developed stamens.

Asakura versus White Dwarf Shishi.

White Dwarf Shishi is slow growing, Asakura is relatively fast growing.
Asakura has significantly larger leaves.
Asakura flower is more flat.
Asakura stamens are better developed.

Camellia grijsii

Yuri Panchul — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:25:20 +0000

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).

C. grijsii

Camellia grijsii ‘Zhenzhucha’

White double

Yuri Panchul — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:08:23 +0000

↑ White Doves. The Japanese name is ‘Mine-no-yuki’ meaning “Snow on the Ridge”. Introduced in 1898.

↑ Little Pearl. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California.

Double pinks

Yuri Panchul — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 02:46:56 +0000

↑ 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.

↑ Kanjiro. C. x hiemalis. Introduced by Takii & Co. Ltd., Japan in 1954. Originated in Aichi Prefecture. The original tree was raised in Inazawa City. Sometimes single, sometimes semi-double. Very vigorous, widely used for rootstock.

↑ Jean May. Originated by Ralph May, Gerbing’s Camellia Nursery of Fernandino, Florida in 1951. The flower has a very special shade of light pink.

Bicolor

Yuri Panchul — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:14:38 +0000

↑ Navajo. Imported from Japan by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1956. The original name is lost.

↑ Old Glory

↑ Double Rainbow. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California.

Egao group

Yuri Panchul — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:19:28 +0000

↑ 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 (?).

↑ Grady’s Egao. C. x vernalis. A sport of Egao.

Oleifera and Ackerman hybrids

Yuri Panchul — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:30:34 +0000

↑ 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.

Other species and hybrids

Yuri Panchul — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:48:37 +0000

↑ C. kissii. Wallich 1820. Was callected by botanist named Kiss. Wide range in Southeast Asia – SE China (Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan), Myanmar, Bhutan, northern India, Kampuchea, Laos, Nepal, Sikkim, Thailand and Vietnam. Highly variable, flowers have creamy yellowish tint, flowers in winter.

↑ Buttermint. A hybrid of C. kissii. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1997. Keeps creamy yellowish tint, inherited from C. kissii parent.

↑ C. grijsii. Hance 1879. Was collected in 1861 in Fujian by C.F.M. de Grijs. Distributed in China: Fujian, Hubei, Sichuan, Guangxi. Tidy upright bushes, impressed veins, related to C. yuhsienensis that has larger flowers, there is a double form called ‘Zhenzhu Cha’. Grows to 11 ft (3 m) high, flowers winter to spring. C. yuhsienensis. Hu 1965. Discovered on the mountain Yuh Shan (You Xian) in Hunan in 1960s. Distributed in China: Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Guangdong. Best quality oil of any species, grows to 11 ft (3 m) high, flowers winter to spring, parent of ‘Yume’. Chromosome numbers: 2n = 30, 45, 75 and 90 (Gu, et al., 1988; Kondo, 1990; Xiao, et al., 1991).

↑ Yume. C. x hiemalis ‘Shishigashira’ x C. yuhsienensis. The name means “Dream” in Japanese. The flower has a very unusual alternation of white and pink petals. Originated in Japan.

↑ C. puniceiflora. Chang 1981. Distributed in China: Zhejiang, Hunan. Small leaves, grows up to 2 m (6 f) high.

↑ C. brevistyla form. rubida. C. brevistyla (Hay.) Cohen Stuart (1916) form. rubida P. L. Chiu (1987). Distributed in China in hilly areas of Longquan in Zhejiang Province. Chromosome number: 2n = 30 (Kondo, 1977).

↑ Gingetsu Perkins. A misnamed cultivar, sent to Nuccio’s Nurseries, California. Possibly a sasanqua-reticulata hybrid.

↑ Kai Mei’s Choice. C. sasanqua x (C. sasanqua x C. reticulata). Originated in Camellia Forest Nursery, North Carolina.

↑ Stars’N'Stripes. A chance seedling of ‘Christmas Rose’ (Williams’ Lavender x Shishigashira). Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California.

Low growing and small foliage

Yuri Panchul — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:38:09 +0000

↑ Dwarf Shishi. A seedling of ‘Shishigashira’. Originated by Toichi Domoto, California in 1988.

↑ Jewel Box

↑ Twinkle, Twinkle. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California.

↑ Sasanqua Compacta. Very short leaf internodes. From Nuccio’s Nurseries, California.

↑ Slim’N'Trim. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California.

↑ Starry Pillar (N#9820). A chance seedling, might be a sasanqua-tenuiflora hybrid. Columnar habit. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries.

↑ Tanya. Introduced by Coolidge Rare Plants, east Pasadena, California in 1937. Produced from a seed imported from Japan in 1927.