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Camellia

More than 1,700 camellia plants in the collection

Norfolk Botanical Garden is home to more than 1,100 types of camellias, making it one of the largest collections in the Southeastern U.S. While camellias can be found throughout the Garden, the majority are located around Mirror Lake and in the Hofheimer Camellia Garden.

Designated an Official North American Collection by the North American Plant Collection Consortium (NAPCC) in 1997, the collection is maintained to national standards and supports research, conservation, breeding, and education.

The collection is also recognized as an International Garden of Excellence by the International Camellia Society (ICS) and is a destination on the American Camellia Trail.

Camellia Flowers

In the wild, the flowers of camellia species are single. Over the years, however, many forms of camellia flowers have been selected, both from wild populations and through hybridization, causing the need to classify them for horticultural identification.

Semi-double – two or more rows of petals with conspicuous stamens.

Rose-double – overlapping or layered petals, showing stamens in a concave center when fully opened.

Formal double – many rows of petals with hidden stamens.

Peony – a deep rounded flower with a mixture of loose petals and intermingled stamens, sometimes intermingled petals, petaloids, and stamens in center.

Anemone – one or more rows of large outer petals in the center of a convex mass of intermingled stamens and petaloids.

Camellia Species

Commercially important plants include the tea plant Camellia sinensis, the source of green and black tea, and the tea oil plant Camellia oleifera, which produces oil used in cooking, cosmetics, medicine, and industry. Camellia japonica, C. sasanqua, and C. reticulata are prominent ornamental species, with most garden camellias being cultivars and hybrids derived from these plants.

Other species offer unique traits and valuable material for hybridization. C. lutchuensis is the most fragrant camellia; C. cuspidata has unusually narrow foliage; C. brevistyla has distinctive bark; and C. saluenensis features unusual foliage, prolific blooms, and crosses readily with other species. The large-flowering but tender C. granthamiana was first imported into the U.S. by Norfolk Botanical Garden’s Fred Heutte.

Look for these species in the garden:

  • Camellia brevistyla
  • Camellia chekiangoleosa
  • Camellia cordifolia
  • Camellia gaudichaudii
  • Camellia grijsii
  • Camellia lutchuensis
  • Camellia pitardii
  • Camellia saluenensis
  • Camellia yuhsienensis

Cultivars and Hybrid Camellias

There are about 200 different species of camellias, including this one; camellia sinensis.Cultivars are plants selected for specific desirable qualities. Camellia cultivars must be propagated through grafting, cuttings or layering. Hybrids are crosses between two species, two cultivars, two other hybrids or a combination of these to create a new plant with its own unique traits.

Camellia X Hiemalis and Camellia X Vernalis Hybrids

These two groups are very old hybrids thought to be developed in Japan and China . They are probably crosses between Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua. The hybrids tend to flower slightly later than Camellia sasanqua varieties and several are spreading or prostrate growers.

Caellia X Williamsii Hybrids

The williamsii hybrid group originates from the cross of Camellia saluenensis and Camellia japonica produced by J C Williams in the early 1930s. With their smaller tougher leaves, they are remarkably hardy and produce an abundance of flowers that tend to drop neatly as soon as they finish blooming.

Ackerman Hybrids

This group of cold hardy hybrids was developed by Dr. William Ackerman at the National Arboretum. He crossed Camellia oliefera with other species and hybrids, including Camellia sasanqua, Camellia japonica, Camellia x hiemalis and Camellia x williamsii. Many of the Ackerman hybrids can be found in a planting bed near the entrance of the Hofheimer Camellia Garden.