Camellia L.

Perennial shrubs or trees. Leaves evergreen, serrate, coriaceous or membranous. Flowers axillary, solitary or fascicled, sessile or shortly stalked, bracteolate. Sepals 5 - 6, unequal, imbricate, graduating from bracts towards petals. Petals 5 or more, shortly connate at base, imbricate. Stamens numeorus, unequal, outer stamens partially connate to form a tube or ring, 5 - 12 inner ones free, adnate to the base of petals; anthers versatile. Ovary 3 - 5 -loculed, ovules 3 - 4 (- 8) in each locule; styles 3 - 5, free or partially connate. Capsules woody, usually short, loculicidally dehiscent with a persistent central axis. Seeds usually 1 in each locule, subglobose or angular, exalbuminous; embryo straight, thick; radicle short, superior.

In S. and S. W. China extended over S. E. Asia from Nepal to Vietnam, ca 200 species; 5 in India.

Literature. SEALY, J.R (1958). A revision of the Genus Camellia, RHS. London. CHANG, H. (1981). A taxanomy of the genus Camellia, Sun Yatsen University, China.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Flowers nodding, bracteolate; sepals persistent

2

b. Flowers erect, perulate (bracteoles and sepals not distinguished); sepals deciduous or subpersistent

3

2a. Branchlets pubescent; leaves membranous; stamens hairy; capsules always 1-seeded

1. Camellia caudata

b. Branchlets glabrous; leaves coriaceous; stamens glabrous; capsules 1 - 3-seeded

5. Camellia sinensis

3a. Perules deciduous; styles 3-fid at apex

2. Camellia kissi

b. Perules persistent in young fruits; styles 3, free

4

4a. Shrubs, ca 3 m high; stamens 4 - 5 mm long

3. Camellia lutescens

b. Small trees, ca 5 m tall; stamens ca 10 mm long

4. Camellia siangensis

List of Lower Taxa