MONOGRAPHY 



GENUS CAMELLIA. 



CHAPTER FIRST. 



Section 1 . — The Origin and Botanical Characteristics of the Camellia. 



The name of Camellia, first given, by Forskal, to Ruellia grandi flora, 

 was immediately applied by Linnaeus, to the beautiful shrub, which is. the 

 subject of this work. 



Linnseus conferred upon it this name, as a testimony of gratitude to 

 father Camelli, a Jesuit, who, in 1739, imported it from Japan, into Europe. 



The following are the botanical characteristics of this plant. 



Perianth double: calyx, formed by the union of imbricated, squamose, 

 rounded, concave, coriaceous and caducous bractesj corolla, of from five to 

 seven petals, — rarely nine, equal in number to the bractes, which they ex- 

 ceed much in size, alternating with them, and often united at the base by 

 their claws j stamens numerous, hypogynous, disposed in the form of a 

 crown, filaments filiform, polyadelphian, and sometimes monadelphian, at 

 the base surrounded by ellipsoidal movable anthers j ovary one, ovalj styles 

 three to six, more or less connected} capsule trilocular, opening by three 

 valves, trispermus} valve partitioned, debiscent, one triquetrous axis; seeds 

 rare, fleshy, plump, attached to the interior coat of the petitions. 



The Camellias are shrubs or trees, indigenous to China, Japan, Cochin 

 China, and the Indies; they are glabrous, evergreen, and eminently remark- 

 able for the beauty of their flowers. 



This plant, heretofore placed near the orange, by M. De Jussieu, is now 

 the type of a new family, formed by M. Candolle, the elder, under the name 

 of Camellias, which is composed of the genera camellia and thea; and 

 which that learned naturalist places between the ternstrsemia and olacinia, — 



D. H. HILL LIBRARY 



North Carolina State College 



