A BRIEF (VERY BRIEF) HISTORY OF CAMELLIAS
So we are traveling all the way to Japan because of camellias. Outside the small universe of camellia lovers this may seem eccentric. Inside that small universe it makes perfect sense.
Camellia sinensis, the “common tea plant,” was known for centuries before Carolus Linnaeus gave it the name Thea sinensis in 1753. Chinese legend credits the discovery of tea as a beverage to Nung who lived from 2737 to 2705 B.C. Due to rules of nomenclature we won’t get into here the plant is now known as camellia sinensis. The spread of tea (and the camellia plant) was slow at first. Sinensis apparently did not get to Japan until after 618 A.D.
Unconfirmed reports say that one of the species known for its flower (camellia japonica) was introduced in Europe by the Portuguese. Camellias made their first appearance in Western literature in 1702 when a British apothecary named James Petiver published a description of c. japonica with a drawing of a twig with leaves, buds and flowers. Gradually the plants spread over Europe and other varieties were introduced.
Tea first came to America with the Dutch in 1650. A camellia plant to be grown for flowers first arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1797 or 1798. The first listing of camellia plants for sale in a catalog in the United States was in William Prince’s Linnaean Botanic Garden in Flushing, New York in 1822. Camellias were introduced to California by James L. L. F. Warren (a man with too many middle initials) who ordered plants from Boston that were delivered to Sacramento February 3, 1852. Camellias became quite popular in Sacramento (and coastal California). In 1910 Sacramento became the “Camellia City.”
Today there are camellia enthusiasts in every part of the USA that has a climate in which the plant can thrive (essentially that means coastal areas). Shows are held when the plants are blooming in the early part of every year. A camellia show is quite a sight as literally hundreds of blossoms with astounding variety compete for awards. There are local, national and even international organizations devoted to the appreciation of this plant and its flowers.
