Welcome, you can leave a message here. I am looking for the following species and cultivars: Camellia microphylla, Bonsai Baby, Paradise Petite, Paradise Little Liane, Camellia oleifera ‘Jaune’. If you want to use any of my photo pictures please let me know.

Yuri Panchul

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’

Camellia grijsii ‘Zhenzhucha’

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:

Dear Exhibitors,
Here are the results of the Camellia Photography Show at Longwood Gardens this weekend.

Focus on Color: Class I

Red.

1. Dianne Schilling
2. Ashley Higgenbotham
3. Fred Shermer

White

1. Manisse Newell * Best in Show *
2. Joanne Rosen
3. Jane Ruffin
4. Mary Wood

Pink

1. Jane Ruffin
2. Penny Ross
3. Don Bergamini
4. Yuri Panchul

Bicolor

1. Ashley Higgenbotham
2. Suzanne P Hyatt
3. Phyllis Reynolds
4. Deane Hall

Elegant Beauties:

Class A

1. Joanne Rosen
2. Marnah Lund
3. Don Bergamini
4. Jane Ruffin

Class B

1. Phylllis Reynolds
2. Fred Schermer
3. Yuri Panchul
4. Ashley Higgenbotham

It was a beautiful exhibit, staged at the entrance to the main conservatory, and much admired by the public. Our thanks to everyone who sent entries: Your participation is what made the show a success.

By foliage this cultivar is similar to ‘Jewel Box’ and ‘Twinkle, Twinkle’. The habit is columnar and resembles ‘Slim’N'Trim’ and C. grijsii. The flower resembles C. grigsii species. A description from 2006-2007 Nuccio’s catalog:

STARRY PILLAR (N#9820) - Small single white, occasional tint of pink on edge and on bud. Small dark green foliage. Medium growing, columnar habit. (There are several features of this chance seedling that lead us to believe it may well be a Sasanqua-Tenuiflora hybrid.)

Presentations:

John Wang. Bark Grafting.
John Wang. My Thoughts and Discipline on Camellia Breeding.
Gene Phillips. The Importance of Tea in our Gardens.

Demonstrations:

Clayton Mathis. Techniques of Rooting Cuttings and Air Layering Camellias.
Tom Nuccio. Techniques of Rooting Cuttings and Grafting.
John Wang. Bark Grafting Techniques from China and Taiwan.

Displays:

Neiman Marcus, Amorepacific beauty products made with Camellias
Megiston Health Foods, Madeline Lee, Organic tea oils made with Camellias

John Wang:

Gene Phillips:

Tom Nuccio:

Brenda Litchfield:

Barbara Tuffli and others:

Tom Nuccio and others:

Tom Nuccio and others:

Tom Nuccio and others:

Seedlings from Nuccio’s Nurseries:

Tom Nuccio and others:

Filoli Garden:

“The Nomenclature of Japanese Camellias and Sasanquas” ( 日本ツバキ・サザンカ名鑑 , Nippon Tsubaki　・ Sasanqua Meikan) is another “must have” book for any serious sasanqua lover. This book was published in 1999 by the Japanese Camellia Society ( 日本ツバキ協会編 , Nippon Tsubaki Kyoukai Hen) and Seibundo Shinkosha Co. Ltd. (　誠文堂　新光社　). This book is a work of more than 50 people who collected high-quality photo pictures and information on more than 2200 japonica and 200 sasanqua cultivars.

The book consists of two volumes - a volume in Japanese with pictures and a volume with English translation, created under the supervision of Thomas J. Savige. Note that in the book “The Japanese Camellia Society” is referred as “The Japan Camellia Society”.

The book has a short preface (4 pages), telling the history of the Japanese Camellia Society and the history of the book publication.

The Japanese Camellia Society was formed after the WWII, shortly after the formation of the International Camellia Society in 1953. It was the time of worldwide surge of interest in camellia growing and hybridizing.

The first nomenclature publication “Japanese Camellias, a Collection of 1000 varieties” (　日本の椿、千品種　, Nippon no tsubaki, Senhin-shu) was published in 1980, but it included only Camellia japonica ( 椿, tsubaki ) and had no infomation about sasanqua ( 山茶花 , sazanka).

After the International Camellia Society published a monumental International Camellia Register in 1993 with 22,000 cultivars, it became obvious that the Japanese nomenclature publication has to be updated. However, according to the Japanese Camellia Society, during the economic boom time, no Japanese publisher wanted to publish a camellia book, because of its low profitability - there were plenty of more profitable books around. So Japanese camellia lovers had to wait until the economy goes down!

After the preface, the book presents information about 2400 cultivars. Each cultivar’s information has a photo picture and a 100-Kanji description. Some cultivars have no photo pictures - they are described in the appendix. The description is brief and very informative - it describes the cultivar’s area of origin, color, shape, habit, name of the originator and first mention in the literature. I wish similar American publications (like Southern California Camellia Society) use the same style.

Finally, after more than 300 pages of cultivars, the book has a chapter about the camellia history (3 pages), an afterword (1 page), a translator’s note (1 page) and an index. I personally like this style because it is down to the point.

The chapter about camellia history is written by the President of the Japanese Camellia Society Dr. Kaoru Hagiya ( 薫屋薫 ). It contains an interesting thought about why Japanese people prefer single flowers while Westerners prefer double formal flowers:　”The fundamental difference is in that the Westerners treat flowers as kinds of decorations, while Japanese take flowers as the symbols of nature”.

The afterword is written by Shuho Kirino (　桐野秋豊　), a member of the editorial committee.

There is a translator’s note from Shigeo Matsumoto ( 松本重雄 ) who is asking forgiveness for his translation errors. I did find some ambiguities - for example, about the origin of ‘Shôwa-no-sakae’. However I personally like his style of translation because it has a feeling of the Japanese character. If the translator would be non-Japanese, the text would be less authentic.

Shigeo Matsumoto was using help from Thomas J. Savige from Australia who suggested to use Hepburn system in the translation according to the International Nomenclature Code. This is very important. Different books use different forms of English transliteration of Japanese names. For example ‘Shôwa-no-sakae’ is written as ‘Showa No Sakae’, or ‘Shishigashira’ is written as ‘Shishi Gashira’ or ‘Shishi Gashira’. It is important to understand that pronouncing “o” instead of “ô” may change the meaning of the word. However we are still using non-accented “o” on our www.sazanka.org web site because of English search engines. But the bottom line - “The Nomenclature of Japanese Camellias and Sasanquas” became for me the main reference for the proper name, pronunciation and the history of Japanese sasanqua cultivars.

Today the newspaper San Francisco Chronicle published my photo picture of the Camellia hybrid ‘Yuletide’. The photo appeared in as an illustration to an article written by Demetra Bowles Lathrop. The name of the article is “Happy blooming New Year! Camellias, hellebores, winter hazel can brighten desolate Bay Area gardens” and it appeared in the gardening section.

You can get the article from the newspaper’s website: http://tinyurl.com/6clpca

Сегодня, 10-го января, газета Сан-Франциско Кроникл напечатала мою фотографии камелии ‘Юлетайд’. Фотография иллюстрирует статью журналистки Деми Латроп про растения, цветущие в области Сан-Францисского залива во время Нового Года.

Yuletide. C. x vernalis. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1963. A seedling of ‘Hiryu’.

Немного про камелию “Юлетайд”. Слово “Юлетайд” означает “Святки”, а точнее период длинной в 12 дней с католического Рождества до 6-го января (в русском православном христианстве с 7-го по 19-е января). Иногда его используют как синоним слова “Рождество”, но на самом деле оно произошло от названия языческого праздника “Юл” (Yule), который праздновали германские и скандинавские племена перед приходом христианства. По-видимому, слово “Юл” происходит от старо-норвежского “Hjól”, “колесо”, и символизирует время года, когда дни снова начинают удлинятся.

Камелия ‘Юлетайд’ цветет в период святок, поэтому некоторые цветочные магазины даже продают деревца камелии ‘Юлетайд’, подстриженные конусом как рождественские елки. Ярко-красные цветы на деревце похожи на елочные игрушки.

Yuletide. C. x vernalis. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1963. A seedling of ‘Hiryu’.

Но это не все, чем интересна камелия ‘Юлетайд’. Обычно в России под словом “камелия” подразумевают камелии японские (Camellia japonica) формально-махрового типа, как например камелия ‘Desire’ (что означает “желание”). Но в роду Camellia существует более 200 видов и десятки тысяч сортов камелий, которые выглядят по другому. Например самим японцам более нравятся камелии Хиго (сорта, созданные самураями клана Кумамото), которые имеют простую немахровую форму и обилие тычинок.

Камелия ‘Юлетайд’ по эстетике подобна камелиям Хиго, а биологически относится не к камелиям японским (Camellia japonica), а к гибридам камелии горной (Camellia sasanqua). Эти виды камелий имеют даже разные иероглифы: камелия японская называется “тсубаки” 椿, а камелия горная называется “сазанка”, 山茶花. В слове “сазанка” иероглифы означают “гора”, “чай” и “цветок”.

Иероглиф “чай” употреблен неспроста, так как чайное дерево тоже является камелией (научное название чая - камелия китайская, Camellia sinensis). А из плодов камелии масляной - Camellia oleifera, близкого родственника камелии горной, получают высококачественное “чайное масло” (”tea oil”), которое в южном Китае используется вместо подсолнечного.

Yuletide. C. x vernalis. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1963. A seedling of ‘Hiryu’.

Yuletide. C. x vernalis. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1963. A seedling of ‘Hiryu’.

Yuletide. C. x vernalis. Originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries, California in 1963. A seedling of ‘Hiryu’.

Уникальность камелии ‘Юлетайд’ заключается в том, что это единственная сазанка, обладающая истинно-красным цветом. Дикая сазанка - это просто цветок белого цвета, а культурные сазанки варьируются от белых до розовых и темно-розовых. Я разговаривал с Томом Нуччио (Tom Nuccio) из семьи Нуччио, которые вывели этот сорт. О питомнике семьи Нуччио можно прочитать в моей статье в журнале “Цветоводство” в номере за ноябрь-декабрь 2006-го года. Том сказал, что ‘Юлетайд’ - это случайный сеянец камелии ‘Хирью’ (Hiryu) (снимок снизу), и что они не знают, какая камелия была мужским родителем, т.е. источником пыльцы. Вполне возможно, что это сложный межвидовый гибрид (в питомнике Нуччио растут и довольно экзотические дикие виды) или вообще естественная мутация (см. мою статью про мутантную камелию Тама-Но-Ура “Радиоактивный мутант из Нагасаки?”).

Hiryu. C. x vernalis. Introduced in Nakayama, Japan in 1847. Originated from Kansai, spread to many places. In Australia it is called ‘Kanjiro’ (the real ‘Kanjiro’ is different). A parent of ‘Yuletide’.

Да и с происхождением самой родительской камелии ‘Хирью’ тоже не все понятно. Раньше ее даже относили к отдельному виду - не Camellia sasanqua, а Camellia vernalis. Сейчас считается, что Camellia vernalis - это очень древние японские гибриды сазанки и тсубаки, т.е. камелии японской и камелии горной. Об этом говорит как то, что у дикой камелии горной просто отсутствует красно-розовый пигмент антоцианин, так и аномальное число хромосом у камелий группы vernalis, которые сейчас обозначаются Camellia x vernalis, чтобы подтвердить их гибридное происхождение.

Все это вызывает большое количество вопросов, так как в естественном состоянии С. japonica и C. sasanqua почти не скрещиваются, цветут в разное время, обладают разным количеством хромосом (30 и 90). По некоторым источникам, ‘Хирью’ - вообще триплоид (45 хромосом). Может древние японcкие самураи изобрели колхицин (сильный яд растительного происхождения, использующися для искуственной полиплоидии)?

Hiryu. C. x vernalis. Introduced in Nakayama, Japan in 1847. Originated from Kansai, spread to many places. In Australia it is called ‘Kanjiro’ (the real ‘Kanjiro’ is different). A parent of ‘Yuletide’.

Hiryu. C. x vernalis. Introduced in Nakayama, Japan in 1847. Originated from Kansai, spread to many places. In Australia it is called ‘Kanjiro’ (the real ‘Kanjiro’ is different). A parent of ‘Yuletide’.

A couple of week ago I got a call from journalist Lili Singer, who needed some information about Camellia sasanqua for her article in Los Angeles Times. Today this article was published. You can see my sasanqua cultivar recommendations in the article.

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

You can get the article from LA Times archive: http://tinyurl.com/64cyo7

THE CALIFORNIA GARDEN

This beauty shows its colors early

It’s not camellias as usual with sasanquas. They bask in the Southern California sun and bloom in the fall, and they ask for so little in return.

By Lili Singer
Special to The Times

November 30, 2006

ON warm autumn days, a fragrance rises from the sunlit crescent of ‘Dwarf Shishigashira’ camellias in Melinda and Allan Siegel’s backyard. The earthy scent is unusual — similar to tea — and it’s subtle, Allan says, just like the season.

Nothing subtle about the flowers, though: Bright rose-pink blooms cascade across the Siegels’ sunny Los Angeles garden.

Wait, you say. A winter-blossoming, shade-loving plant like the camellia flowering in the fall? And in the sun?

Absolutely. These early bloomers are sasanqua camellias, also known as the “sun camellias.”

“Most people don’t realize that they’re camellias,” says Elsie Bracci, a revered camellia devotee who, with husband Sergio, maintains a vast collection with 15 types of sasanqua in their San Gabriel garden. Few plants, the Braccis say, give so much yet ask for so little.

All this group of camellias wants is a good tan. The craving for sun, even inland, is partly what distinguishes sasanquas — the collective term for cultivars of Camellia sasanqua, C. xhiemalis and C. xvernalis — from the common cultivars of C. japonica and C. reticulata.

“Less than half a day of sun, and they won’t flower,” says Julius Nuccio, one of three family members operating Altadena-based Nuccio’s Nurseries, among the world’s premiere camellia growers.

Sasanquas do well with or without regular irrigation, and they live a remarkably long time. David Parks, owner of the Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill, N.C., says specimens have lasted 500 years in the right conditions.

Cultivars with lyrical names such as ‘Mine-No-Yuki’ (which translates to ‘White Doves’) and ‘Hana Jiman’ (’Boastful Flower’) include low spreaders, compact uprights and small willowy trees. All have neat evergreen foliage and amazing pest resistance. Ask the Braccis what they love most, and the couple responds in unison: “No petal blight!” The fungus, which makes other kinds of camellia blossoms turn a sickly brown, has no effect on sasanquas. Flowers also arrive early — and in abundance.

“Sasanquas put on a massive show, then drop their petals for a carpet of white or pink snow,” says David MacLaren, curator of the camellia collection at the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino.

AS enchanting as this scene can be, sasanquas have hardly been a garden staple, here or elsewhere. Though long-valued for oil-rich seeds and hardwood, the plants have fallen in and out of favor with gardeners since 14th century Japan.

The first sasanquas hit Europe in 1869, but most were lost to frost. By the early 1900s, sasanquas were being planted in the southern United States. Given the choice, however, most gardeners and garden show contestants eschewed delicate-looking sasanquas in favor of large-leafed C. japonica and C. reticulata, whose stately blossoms don’t fall apart when cut.

Tastes change, and these days, small and simple are in. Many gardeners want plants that are easy to grow, work in small spaces or simply look different, and sasanquas fit the bill.

“Look at the blotches on this flower,” Elsie Bracci says excitedly, pointing to cloud-white spots on the reddish petals of her favorite sasanqua, ‘Shibori Egao,’ whose name translates roughly to ‘Variegated Smiling Face.’

The ‘Shishigashira’ by the Braccis’ front door is larger than the Siegels’ dwarf cultivar but still a compact marvel, with scores of 2 1/2 -inch-wide flowers, each one a ruffled, rosy pink mane for a cultivar whose name means ‘Lion’s Head.’ The slow-growing bush has taken 12 years to rise to 5 feet.

Similarly, the Siegels’ snail-paced groundcover of ‘Dwarf Shishigashira’ is only 18 inches from front to back after seven years.

“Man, is it slow!” says Marie Gamboa, the Garden Pacific designer who planted the Siegels’ backyard. She backed the ‘Dwarf Shishis,’ as they are often called, with a row of the faster-growing ‘Cleopatra,’ a paler pink sasanqua with stamens that look like long gold eyelashes.

Over at the Bracci home, Elsie’s husband Sergio just pruned the ‘Shibori Egao’ with a chain saw — again — to keep its whip-like branches under their roofline. Whether a sprinter or a slow grower, all sasanquas want to be trees, says Yuri Panchul, a camellia enthusiast who is assembling what he hopes will be a definitive collection of sasanquas at his home in Sunnyvale, near San Jose.

In time, he says, sasanquas can reach 15 to 20 feet. Some are just pokier and more compressed than others.

IN its native habitat, the subtropical forests of southwest Japan, Camellia sasanqua is a variable species that breeds readily with other genetically compatible camellias. Offspring may be horizontal or vertical, compact or open.

Wild sasanqua flowers are typically single and white, sometimes with a blush like plum blossoms — thus the Japanese name sazanka, or “plum-flowered tea.”

During centuries of cultivation, more than 200 types of sasanquas have emerged. Flowers with few petals, flowers with many petals. Cupped like a rose, flat as a daisy. Luminous white, soft pink, the occasional red.

The breeding process is lovingly slow. The progression from seed to flower may take about five years, horticulturists say — “sometimes 14 or 20,” according to Panchul. Only one in 1,000 seedlings will yield qualities distinctive enough to be selected, named, registered and brought to the public.

Even so, many Southern Californians have been growing sasanquas in their gardens for years. They just didn’t know it. Sasanqua seedlings are used for grafting — as root-rot-resistant understock for cuttings of other camellias, says the Huntington’s MacLaren. That Camellia japonica in your garden just may owe its stellar performance to a Camellia sasanqua in an uncredited role.

This time of year, they’re also a reminder of the season’s delicate beauty. In the daytime, gentle bees and the occasional hummingbird hover over the pollen-rich flowers, searching for autumn in a teacup. By nightfall, in the quiet moonlight, you can almost hear the petals drop.

home@latimes.com

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View it, buy it, plant it

Interested in sasanqua camellias? Some ways to learn more:

Seeing: Two of the world’s best camellia gardens are in Southern California.

The Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino has Sasanqua Hillside plus plantings in and around the Japanese garden. Look for ‘Shishigashira’ near the giant bamboo Bambusa oldhamii as well as the ‘Dwarf Shishigashira’ on the opposite side of the road, planted near mondo grass. Information: (626) 405-2100, http://www.huntington.org .

At Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, more than 50 types of sasanquas await beneath oaks in the Camellia forest and in the Japanese garden. Information: (818) 949-4200, http://www.descansogardens.org .

Buying: Nuccio’s Nurseries is a world-renowned specialist in camellias and azaleas. Its catalog lists about 40 sasanqua cultivars. 3555 Chaney Trail, Altadena; (626) 794-3383; http://www.nucciosnurseries.com .

Planting: Plant or move sasanquas in autumn or winter, while they’re dormant. They do best in sunny spots with well-drained soil — no standing water.

Caring: Once established, plants can get by with regular or infrequent irrigation.

Some growers recommend feeding, in the spring through August. Nuccio’s recommends applying cottonseed meal in April, when new leaves appear; in June; and in August, when buds are starting to set. If desired, prune in spring for size or shape. On low, spreading varieties, prune upright branches.

Learning more: Though slightly dated, “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Camellias” by Stirling Macoboy includes more than 100 sasanquas, all with excellent color photos. Another reference: http://www.sazanka.org , the website of amateur grower and hybridizer Yuri Panchul.

— Lili Singer

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Standouts to show off

Fewer than 50 types of sasanqua camellias are grown for the nursery trade. ‘Jean May,’ a popular variety with cupped pink flowers, “is very nice,” sasanqua devotee Yuri Panchul says, “but others are good too.” In no particular order, 10 cultivars that Panchul says are unusual and overlooked:

‘Stars ‘n Stripes’: The first striped sasanqua. Blooms profusely. Nice round, shrubby shape.

‘Dwarf Shishigashira’: Almost horizontal. Very slow-growing.

‘Choji Guruma’: The only anemone-form sasanqua. Fast grower, upright.

‘Little Pearl’: Also recommended by Nuccio’s Nurseries. Pink opening to white.

‘Twinkle Twinkle’: Dwarf with little star-shaped flowers. Good in containers.

‘Yume’: A new hybrid. Unusual color (pink to white) and large, profuse flowers.

‘Egao’ group: Ancient natural hybrids. Large flowers.

‘Narumigata’: Large, flat, white flowers with cupped pink edges. Extremely fast grower — “totally insane,” Panchul says — with branches growing as much as 3 feet in one year.

‘Slim ‘n Trim’: Small leaf, vertical habit. Can be shaped like a small Italian cypress. Flat pink flowers.

‘Baby Jane’: Dwarf. Hybridized for bonsai. Grows only a few inches a year.

— Lili Singer