The elegant camellia belongs to the family Theaceae and is a cousin of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The leaves are glossy, pointed and slightly serrated along the edges and the branches are pliable.

The flowers range from pristine white to all shades of pink and flower between September and April. The six standard terms used to describe the different forms of the blossoms are single, semidouble, anemone, peony, rose form double, and formal double.

There are about 200 species of camellias. The three that are of major importance to North American gardens are the Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua and Camellia reticulata.

The web site of the American Camellia Society is instructive.