Camellia Fruits (Camellia Japonica and Camellia Sasanqua) 椿と山茶花の実

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Camellia trees in my neighborhood have started fruit and one of the differences between the Camellia japonica and the Camellia sasanqua is the fruit. 

Japanese people love Camellia so much that they talk a lot about how to distinguish between "japonica" and "sasanqua." One way to tell is to look at the size and skin of their fruits. Also, a Camellia japonica fruit is bigger (i.e., about 5 cm in diameter) with a glossy skin while a Camellia sasanqua one is about 3 cm and hairy.

The seeds of both Camellia fruits can produce oil (i.e., tea seed oil), which has been used for skin and hair in Japan for a long time. How long? The Shoku Nihongi, i.e., an imperially-commissioned Japanese history text, says that Japan gave the oil to an ambassador sent from Balhae, a multi-ethnic kingdom in Manchuria, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East, in 777. Wow!

Camellia japonica and sasanqua are both the prefectural/city/town flower of many prefectures and municipalities in Japan, and the Camellia japonica is surprisingly the Alabama state flower.

If you're interested in another (easy!) way to tell the Camellia japonica from the Camellia sasanqua, read THIS post, too!!  

2025/7/10 Camellia japonica

2021/8/5 Camellia JAPONICA, no hair, 5 cm in diameter
椿の実はツルツルで直径5センチ

 2021/8/5 Camellia SASANQUA, hairy, 3 cm in diameter
山茶花の実は毛深くて直径3センチ 

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近所のツバキが実を付け始めました。椿と山茶花を見分ける方法の一つが実です。つやつやの赤で大きいのが椿。毛があって小さいのが山茶花です。両方ともおいしそうですが、生食用には適しません。でも椿油の歴史は古く、777年には渤海国からの国使に贈ったという記録も残っています。

どちらも今は多くの県や市町村の花にもなっており、椿は何とアラバマ州の州花です。

椿と山茶花の花のもう一つの（簡単な）見分け方にご興味ある方はこちらもお読みください！

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