Camellia chekiangoleosa, Subgenus
Camellia, Sect.Camellia, Subsect. Lucidissima Chang, Acta Sci. Nat.
Univ. Sunyatseni, monogr.ser. 1: 79. 1981. Chang
Hung-ta and Bruce Bartholomew (1984). Camellias,p.104:
Camellia chekiangoleosa Hu, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 10: 131. 1965. [Description]Bracts
and sepals 14-16, petals7, ovariesglabrous. Fruit oblate, 3-5-locular,
3-8 seedsper locule. This species is veryclose to C. japonica except the
latter has only 10 bracts and sepals, petals5-6, seeds smaller.
Gao Jiyin, Clifford R. Parks, Du Yueqiang, 2005, Collected Species of
the Genus Camellia an Illustrated Outlineļ¼p.36-37. Flowers are red,
7.7-12.0 cm in diameter, borne singly at the tips of shoots and in leaf
axils. Perules 10-16, persistent, outside silver-white-tomentose, inside
glabrous with tomentose tip. Pet-als 6-8,5.9-8.4 cm long, 33-6.7 cm
wide, obcordate, cleft at tip from 5-14 mm, fused with the staminal
column 10-15 mm from the base. Androecium glabrous, 2.7-5.0 cm long, the
outermost stamens fused from the base into a cup of up to 2.0 cm,
approximate number of stamens 150-200. Gynoecium 2.1-5 A cm long, 3-5
styles, glabrous, 25%-93% fused from the base, ovary glabrous. Blooming
season: midwinter to spring.Capsules globose, 4.0-7.0 cm long, 4.0-6.5
cm in diameter, glabrous,3-5 locules, 3-6 seeds per locule, pericarp
thickness 8-15 mm. Seed oil content ranges from 27%-34.1%.Leaves
elliptic in shape, tip strongly acuminate to occasionally cuspidate,
base cuneate to mostly rounded, 6.7-12.5 cm long, 3.0-6.0 cm wide,
margin serrulate, teeth spaced 3-6 mm apart, upper and lower surfaces
glabrous, upper surface smooth, lower surface with raised midvein.
Petiole 5-13 mm long, glabrous.Shrub or small tree up to 7 m tall,
shoots glabrous, young twigs brown becoming tan with age, older branches
smooth and gray in color.Chromosome Number: 2n=30(Huang, et al, 1984;
Gu, et al., 1988).(Data combined from Hu, 1965; Chang, 1998; Ming, 2000;
Parks, unpub.) Distribution: Wenzhou, Lishui, Taizhou, Jinhua and Quzhou
of Zhejiang Province, and in eastern Jiangxi and Hunan Provinces,
northern Fujian Province, southwestern Hubei Province and southeastern
Anhui Province; Elevation: 500-1,300 m; Specific locality: Jingning
Forest Farm, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China.
