In an earlier entry I wondered at the name and origin of a tree flower seen all across the mountains here on the island. Now I present the answer plus more than you ever wanted to know!
Camellia japonica cultivar ashiya is 雪椿 yukitsubaki!
A friend of mine over in Europe identified this as a Camellia with a nifty link to Wikipedia, which has an even niftier and very detailed breakdown of each species. This is Camellia japonica Cultivar Ashiya and in Japanese it’s known as 椿 tsubaki, subspecies 雪椿 yukitsubaki (Snow Camellia).
The Japanese Camellia is native to Japan, Korea, and China, and oddly it’s been the national flower of Alabama since 1959 due to the ladies of Butler County and their distaste for the goldenrod wildflower. Oh, you southern ladies.
The flower is also known as the “rose of winter” in English. In Chinese they are called 茶花 cháhuā (literally “tea flower”) and in Korean 동백꽃 dongbaek-kkot.
Many millions of people in Southern China use a product of processed Camellia leaves as their primary cooking oil. Camellia Oil 椿油 (tsubaki abura) is also a product of the Goto Islands of Nagasaki Prefecture and Izu Islands of the Tokyo Metropolitan Region.
It’s also known as “tea seed oil” in English, and is good for its low content of saturated fats and high content of Vitamin E. Purdue University seems to think it’s also good for cosmetics, boosting your immune system, and repelling pests.
Bet you didn’t know all that.
The Camellia is more widely known and used to make several varieties of tea such as oolong and green teas. It’s also bred for different flavours to make Darjeeling, Assam, and Nilgiri teas in India. Dericious!
Recent Comments