Camellia (Camellia) - Camellia

Japanese: ツバキ(椿) - ツバキ

An evergreen tall tree of the Theaceae family found throughout Japan except Hokkaido, as well as in China and the Korean peninsula. It is a representative flowering tree of Japan, with over 500 horticultural varieties, and is also cultivated as a garden tree in many parts of the world. Three species are known to grow wild in Japan: Yabutsubaki (also known as Yamatsubaki), found in coastal regions; Yukitsubaki, found in the mountains in snowy areas from Tohoku to Hokuriku; and Apple camellia (Yakushima camellia), found on Yakushima Island. The tree is generally conical, with smooth, grayish-white bark and many thick branches. The leaves are short-stalked, elliptical, dark green, glossy, and finely serrated. They usually flower from February to April, but early blooming can occur from November, and late blooming can occur in May. The wild flower is red and half-open with 5-9 petals, the base of which in the Yabutsubaki is fused and attached to the stamens with white filaments, whereas in the Yukitsubaki the fused part of the petals is short, the stamens open without forming a tube, and the filaments are yellow. The Yakushima camellia is similar to the Yabutsubaki, but its fruit is larger, 5-7cm in diameter. It is thought that the foundations of horticultural varieties were established during the Muromachi period, and their production became active during the Edo period. Flower colors range from white to deep red, and some have white and red vertical stripes or spots, and flower types include single, semi-double, double, thousand-fold, peony, lion, two-tiered, Karako, and embracing, and there are many variations in the combinations of flower color and flower type. Higo camellias are a group of regional cultivars with single flowers whose stamen arrangement resembles that of plum blossoms. Wabisuke, with its small, half-open flowers, and Uraku (also called Tarokaja), with its fragrant flowers, are horticultural cultivars of unclear lineage. In recent years, the cultivation of cultivars by crossbreeding with the Chinese native Camellia repens and Salween Camellia has become popular. Many cultivars have also been developed overseas by crossbreeding between species of the same genus. Camellias can be propagated from seed, but horticultural species are mainly propagated by cuttings and grafting. They grow slowly, but are not very picky about soil type, and do well in fertile, partial shade. In addition to being used for decoration, camellia oil is extracted from the seeds, and the wood is used for folding rules, musical instruments, agricultural tools, etc.
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Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

北海道を除く日本全土と中国，朝鮮半島に分布するツバキ科の常緑高木。日本の代表的な花木で，500余りの園芸品種があり，庭木として世界各地でも栽植されている。日本に自生するのは，海岸地方に分布するヤブツバキ（ヤマツバキとも），東北〜北陸地方の多雪地帯の山中にはえるユキツバキ，屋久島などにはえるリンゴツバキ（ヤクシマツバキ）の３系統が知られる。　樹形は一般に円錐形になり，樹皮はなめらかで灰白色，枝は太く多い。葉は柄が短く楕円形，濃緑色で光沢があり鋸歯(きょし)は細かい。花期は普通２〜４月だが，早咲は11月から，おそ咲は５月に至る。野生種の花は紅色で半開し，花弁は５〜９枚で，その基部がヤブツバキでは癒合して白色の花糸のおしべと合着しており，ユキツバキでは花弁の癒合している部分が短く，おしべは筒形にならず開き，花糸は黄色である。ヤクシマツバキはヤブツバキに似るが，果実が径５〜7cmと大きい。　園芸品種は室町時代に基礎がつくられ，江戸時代に作出が盛んになったと考えられる。花色に白〜濃紅，また白と紅のたて絞りや斑紋が入ったもの，花型には一重・半八重・八重・千重(せんえ)・牡丹(ぼたん)咲・獅子(しし)咲・二段咲・唐子(からこ)咲・抱(かかえ)咲等があり，これらの花色と花型の組合せで多くの変異がみられる。肥後ツバキはおしべの配列がウメの花に似た一重咲の地方的な品種群。半開小輪の花の〈佗助(わびすけ)〉や花に芳香のある〈有楽(うらく)〉（〈太郎冠者〉とも）は，系統のはっきりしない園芸品種である。近年は中国原産のトウツバキやサルウィンツバキとの交雑による品種育成も盛ん。また，外国で同属の異種間交雑によって作出された品種も多い。ツバキの繁殖は実生(みしょう)にもよるが，園芸種では挿木，接木が主。生長は遅いが土質をさほど選ばず，肥沃な半日陰地がよい。観賞用のほか，種子からツバキ油をとり，材は折尺や楽器，農具等にする。
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