Camellia sasanqua & cvs.  Sasanqua Camellia

Theaceae

From Asia (China and Japan). Moderate growth evergreen shrub. Design height is 4', design spread 10'. Mature height is 15', mature spread 20'. Simple/alternate 1" to 3"-long/1" to 1 1/4" wide dark green and glossy leaves, serrate and elliptic, ovate. 2-3" variable color round flowers (solitary), in January-February, and October through December. 1" capsule fruit, green when immature and brown when mature. Hardy to 10 degrees F. Prefers part sun, high to moderate water; loam. Susceptible to aphids. Propagate by cuttings, budding and grafting. Pruning: blooms on old wood, head back, prune after bloom, stump sprouts, tolerates clipping. Use in a container, for cut flowers and foliage, espaliered, at foundation, as a ground cover, as an informal hedge, for massing/bedding, for an oriental effect, as a specimen, on a trellis, or cascading over a wall. Many cultivars. Photos taken in Berkeley's Uplands neighborhood.