Elina Cascade Camellia. Introduced by Mr. Akari Shibamichi in Japan, this small leafed Camellia has a spreading, weeping cascading growth habit. Individually, the flowers are not very showy, but in mass, they are overly impressive. There is also Camellia rosthorniana 'Elina'. Barry Yinger says, "These two species are recognized as different by Chinese botanists, but the differences are minor. Don't know what state of taxonomy of these plants are today, but when they were patented, they were recognized as different. The obvious differences between the two varieties is habit, although this is not so obvious on young plants." They are of questionable hardiness in areas colder than zone 8, but for us, this selection survived the polar vortex of December, 2023. One will be overly impressed with the grace of this plant with is weeping form and massive floral display. A true charmer. Sorry, I didn't have any pictures with open flowers. Maybe this coming spring.
Zones 7-9
