Camellia Garden

The Theaceae family consists of around 30 genera with over 500 species.  Its plants are mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs distributed across the tropics and subtropics.  Their leaves are simple and alternate; the flowers are bisexual, either solitary or in clusters; the fruits are capsules.

Camellia is an extensive genus in the Theaceae family.  More than a dozen Camellia species are commonly found in Hong Kong.  In this garden you will find some 30 species, including local ones such as Crapnell’s Camellia (Camellia crapnelliana), Grantham’s Camellia (C. granthamiana) and Hong Kong Camellia (C. hongkongensis), as well as rare exotics like Yunnan Camellia (C. reticulata) and Golden Camellia (C. nitidissima and C. euphlebia).

Most Camellias flower in winter and spring and are popular as ornamentals.  Some species are of high economic value, with leaves suitable for brewing tea and seeds with a high content of oil which can be extracted for cooking or industrial purposes.