Bright and Cheery for a Winter's Day

This little camellia is classed as a miniature and is deep red with white petaloids named Tinsle (Bokuhan). It is from the Japonica and Hybrid Camellias. I have had it many years and it doesn't seem to grow much but is very pretty.

I haven't gone out walking since Friday as I am getting rather paranoid on what will happen next.. well not really just have been catching up on things around the house. Do hope next week well be accident and mishap free!

Camellia japonica (the Japanese camellia) is one of the best known species of the genus Camellia. Sometimes called the Rose of winter, it belongs to the Theaceae family. It is the official state flower of Alabama.

In the wild, it is found in mainland China (Shandong, east Zhejiang), Taiwan, southern Korea and southern Japan. It grows in forests, at altitudes of around 300–1,100 metres (980–3,610 ft).

Camellia japonica has appeared in paintings and porcelain in China since the 11th century. Early paintings of the plant are usually of the single red flowering type. However, a single white flowering plant is shown in the scroll of the Four Magpies of the Song Dynasty.

Camellias are seen as lucky symbols for the Chinese New Year and spring and were even used as offerings to the gods during the Chinese New Year. It is also thought that Chinese women would never wear a Camellia in their hair because it opened much later after the bud formed. This was thought to signify that she would not have a son for a long time.
For more information on the Camellia, japonica.