Genus of the Week
Week of December 7-13
This page has been created for people who want to learn more about plants, especially in the
context of their taxonomy (Latin names, etc.). This is by no means an exhaustive list of
all available Web resources for a particular genus.
If you like this page, you should also visit the Land of the Glandular Trichomes
, a microscopic look at plants in the Lamiaceae family.
This week's genus:
Camellia
Subclass: Dicotyledoneae
Superorder: Dilleniidae
Order: Theales
Family: Theaceae
Tribe: Camellieae
Number of Species: At least 260, with many economic and ornamental varieties.
Root: Linnaeus named this species after a Moravian Jesuit called "Kamel". Kamel was known
for describing the flora of Luzon, the largest island in the Phillippines.
Camellia is the genus to which the plant that gives us both black and green tea,
C. sinensis, belongs. This genus is also a source of timber, important oils, and of
course, the beautiful flower Camellia.
Here are a few links to images and descriptions of different Camellia species:
- This site, sponsored by the Stash Tea Company, is loaded with information about the tea
we drink. Click here to find out about the history of
tea, tea market updates, and tons of facts about tea!
- There is also a similar and well-designed site from
The Tea Council of London, England.
- Glasshouse Works, a rare plant nursery in Ohio, has a web site with an image and growing
tips for C. japonica, an ornamental species.
- This Japanese site, from the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, has several
photos of the flowers and leaves of
several ornamental Camellia species, part of a GeneBank Project started in 1986. (Scroll down to
the Theaceae.)
- Plant Viruses Online lists the
known susceptibilities of the genus Camellia.
- Also be sure to visit the
International Camellia Society, whose homepage is geared mainly towards gardening.
References:
- Heywood, V.H., ed. Flowering Plants of the World. New York, Oxford University Press: 1993.
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