Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Theaceae
Genus: Camellia
Species: C. sasanqua
Binomial name: Camellia sasanqua
Common name: Christmas Camellia
Sasanqua camellias are native to China and Japan where they have contributed their beauty to gardens for centuries. It is an evergreen shrub growing to 5 m tall. The leaves are broad elliptic, 3-7 cm long and 1.2-3 cm broad, with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are 5-7 cm diameter, with 5-8 white to dark pink petals. It has a long history of cultivation in Japan for practical rather than decorative reasons. The leaves are used to make tea while the seeds or nuts are used to make tea seed oil, which is used for lighting, lubrication, cooking and cosmetic purposes. Tea oil has a higher calorific content than any other edible oil available naturally in Japan.
Camellia sasanqua (January) Lat 39 3'19.854" S Long 174 5'27.708" E Datum WGS 84
Camellia sasanqua nut ( January)
