Yuletide Camellia – Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’. Sometimes referred to as Christmas camellia, it is native to the coastal forests of southern Japan and China. It is an evergreen shrub growing to 5 m tall usually found growing at altitudes of less than a km. The leaves are broad and elliptical with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are crimson and up to 7 cm in diameter. In USDA Hardiness Zones 7 and above, this camellia starts producing bright red blooms from November that can continue through March.
The first record of this plant was in Japan before 1733. 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 was used for lighting, lubrication, cooking, and cosmetic purposes.
It was introduced by Dutch traders into Europe in 1869. Yuletide is a chance seedling of Kanjiro and originated at Nuccio’s Nurseries in Altadena, CA.
