Taxonomy
The genus Camellia was named after a Jesuit priest and botanist named George Kamel. The specific epithet japonica was given to the species by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 because Engelbert Kaempfer was the first to give a description of the plant while in Japan.
Two varieties are distinguished in the Flora of China:
- C. japonica var. japonica is the form named by Linnaeus, which is grown as a garden plant throughout southern China, Korea and Japan. The flower has a stem (petiole) about 1 centimetre (0.4 in) long and bracteoles and sepals which are velvety (velutinous).
- C. japonica var. rusticana is known only in the wild. The flower has a shorter petiole, about 5 millimetres (0.2 in) long, with fine hairs (pubescent) at the base. The bracteoles and sepals are smooth (glabrous) on the outside.
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