By Mr. William Beattie Booth. 



535 



1. Camellia Japonica alba plena. 



Double White Camellia. 



The Double White, or as it has been sometimes called, 

 the " Bourbon Camellia," is one of the firjst that was brought 

 to this country, and although later importations have greatly 

 increased the number of varieties, still there is none of them 

 which surpasses the present one in the beauty and the regular • 

 formation of its flowers. The plant is of a peculiar habit, and 

 not very vigorous in growth, occasioned by its being such an 

 abundant flowering kind compared to many of the others. 

 It usually comes into blossom early in the season, and con- 

 tinues a long time in perfection. 



The leaves are about 4 inches long, and rather more than 2 inches broad, 

 slightly convex, and undulated with numerous small sharp serratures, and a long 

 narrow point ; of a pale shining green colour, and strongly reticulated, and giving 

 to the plant an unhealthy appearance. Petioles about half an inch Jong, rounded 

 on the lower side, and slightly flattened above, considerably paler in colour than 

 the leaves. Flower-buds often in clusters at the extremity of the shoots ; at first 

 somewhat pointed, gradually becoming oval until at last, when the flower is about 

 opening, they are almost round. The scales are of a pale green colour, tinged 

 with brown at the. edges, and slightly pubescent. The Flowers are from 3 to 4 

 inches in diameter, extremely regular in their appearance, the petals being dis- 

 posed in circles from the circumference to the centre, and lying particularly flat 

 and even one above another. They are of a pure white colour, excepting a 

 few of the centre petals, which frequently have a very delicate yellowish tinge at 

 their base. Each of the exterior petals is about an inch broad, roundish and 

 reflexed, gradually diminishing in size the nearer it approaches the centre of the 

 flower, where it becomes small, erect, and pointed, and in some flowers has 

 the edges very finely cut or ciliated ; when not numerous the centre is pitted or 

 hollowed, in which a few- imperfect stamina may sometimes be observed, but 

 generally the whole are transformed into petals. The flowers of this variety are 

 at all times the most regularly formed of any of the Camellias ; many of them 

 have the petals slightly involute on first opening, but afterwards they become 

 quite flat. 



It was first imported in 1792, by Captain Connor, of the 

 Carnatic East Indiaman, for the late John Slater, Esq. of 



