Camelia occurs as genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, native to eastern & southern Asia from the Himalaya east to Japan and Indonesia. Different plant scientist deviate in the total of mintage considered distinct, by using anything from either 100–250 mintage existence accepted.

It is evergreen shrubs and small trees from Two–20 m tall. A leaves are alternately arranged, elementary, midst, toothed, ordinarily glossy, & Three–17 cm hanker. A flowers are big & blatant, One–12 cm across, sustaining (inside natural conditions) Five–9 flower petal; colour varies from either white to pink & red, & yellow within two or three mintage. A fruit is a dry capsule subdivided into 1–Five compartments, to each one containing One–8 seeds.

A genus is usually adapted to acidic soils, and doesn't develop swell in chalk or other calcium-rich soils. Virtually all metal money besides have a high rainfall requirement and might non tolerate drought.

Cultivation and uses
Camellia sinensis is of major commercial importance because tea is made from either its leaves. Tea oil is a sweet seasoning & cookery oil manufactured by pressing a seeds of Camellia sinensis or even Camellia oleifera.

Numerous more camelia come grown when cosmetic plants for their flowers; all about 3,000 cultivars and hybrids have been selected, numerous by having double flowers, when in the photograph left. Camellia japonica (typically only known as Camelia) is the virtually all large coinage inside cultivation, sustaining concluded 2,000 known as cultivars; next come 100. reticulata, using concluded 400 known as cultivars, & C. sasquana, by owning assibilate 300 known as cultivars. Popular hybrids include C. × hiemalis (C. japonica × C. sasquana) & C. × williamsii (C. japonica × C. salouenensis). It is extremely valued within Japan & elsewhere for their super early flowering, typically among a 1st flowers to pop up in the late wintertime. Late frosts can damage the flowers.

Camellia japonica is the state flower of Alabama.