camellia

Definition

Any plant of the genus Camellia, shrubs and small trees native to Asia; Camellia japonica is the most popular as a garden plant; Camellia sinensis is the tea plant.

Etymology

Borrowed from translingual Camellia, named after Moravian botanist Joseph Kamel (‘Camellus’) (1661–1706). The Czech surname Kamel is a variant of Kamil.

Example Sentences

• "Palms towered majestically over the heads of the lower shrubs, and camellias, stephanotis, and many other semi-tropical flowers were growing luxuriantly in the open air."
• "Plucking an occasional camellia, getting a squirt of hot milk from Miss Maudie Atkinson’s cow on a summer day, helping ourselves to someone’s scuppernongs was part of our ethical culture, but money was different."
• "I already hinted at the problem of sea eutrophication (where excess nutrients cause algae to flourish) due to the phosphates that used to be added to washing powder, and, surely, it is not pleasant for plants to find underfoot (or, better, "underroot") those surfactants we use daily at home (please, never pour your dishwater on the roots of a magnificent camellia, even if it is blooming in the garden of a next-door neighbor you cannot stand)."