CAMELLIA JAPONICA EXIMIA.
Ch a n d le r's Choice-flowering Camellia.
TH E variety which, it appears, may be obtained from seed, of this
beautiful trib e of plants, is almost endless. This is clearly proved by
the number which have been added to our Collections during the last few
years, from the successful exertions of several distinguished cultivators,
among whom we may particularly notice the Hon. and Rev. William
H e rb e rt; Messrs. Chandler, of th e Vauxhall Nursery ; and Mr. Joseph
Knight, of the Kin g ’s Road. The difficulty now is, to make a judicious
selection o f such kinds only, as are of first-rate excellence, and worthy
of being placed in th e same class with those well-known and admired
varieties, which have been imported from China. The present, we
th in k , will be universally allowed to rank in this class, and, in our
opinion, is not surpassed b y any already belonging to it. We first saw it
in flower in March last, in the extensive collection of Messrs. Chandler,
Vauxhall, who raised it from seed in 1819.
W ith its hab it we are not sufficiently acquainted as to be able to
speak with accuracy ; but, from what we have seen, we consider it to be
of free growth, resembling, in some respects, the Waratáh, from wliich
it is believed to have been raised. A few years hence, when it shall
have become more generally known, we have not the slightest doubt,
b u t it will be found to possess obvious characters peculiar to itself, that
will readily distinguish it from an y of the other seedling varieties.
The branches are erect, and of a pale brown colour. The leaves are
large and flat, about four inches long, and two inches b ro ad ; ovate
acuminate, sharply serrated, tapering towards the base and point, which
is moderately long, naiTow, and recurved. They are of a very deep
shining green, similar to th a t of the V^aratáh, b u t more marked with
pale-coloured veins on the upper side. The footstalks are round and
slender, about an inch in length, and of a dull green colour, a little
tinged with brown near the base of the leaf.