Yuhsienensis Fragrant Camellia. I was introduced to this Camellia species by Jamie Blackburn of the Atlanta Botanical Garden. He had acquired a seedling of this selection from Camellia Forest Nursery, Chapel Hill, NC. He had picked through a number of seedlings to find this one which he thought was the best. The foliage is very similar in size to that of C. japonica. But its most endearing characteristic is its abundant display of 2.5-3.75" white flowers with yellow stamens. The flowers are produced in such profusion that it will blow your mind. When in full flower from November to January and beyond, one can see that the foliage is almost hidden by the abundant fragrant flowers. Camellias are not well known for their fragrance, but this one is outstanding. I have seen multiple flower buds at each node! It has a very dense habit and will mature at 10' but can be kept much smaller with some judicious pruning. This is one of the parents to Camellia 'Yume' and has passed its fragrance over to this cultivar. This species is principally grown in China as an oil-producing species, where some studies have shown that the oil from this species to be among the best of the edible oil Camellia species. I can't imagine what a production field of this species must look like in China when it is in full flower. The monograph on the genus Camellia, COLLECTED SPECIES OF THE GENUS CAMELLIA, states that C. odorata and C. yuhsienensis should be considered synonymous.
Zones 7-9
