Camellia sasanqua StarsnStripes

Camellia sasanqua 'Star's n Stripes' is an autumn camellia selected by Nuccio's Nurseries in Altadena, California, which stands out for the colour of its flowers, beautifully striped and streaked with carmine pink. This is unique colouring in this category of camellias, on a plant that produces many flowers between October and early December. Decorative even when not in bloom, this camellia is adorned with elegant evergreen foliage of dark green lustre. It thrives in partial shade or morning sun, in soil that remains cool in summer and is limestone free. Medium-sized, this variety with a natural habit, both upright and spreading, is perfect for landscaping.

Camellia sasanqua 'Star's n Stripes' is a horticultural hybrid with autumn flowering, of unknown parentage, introduced to the U.S.A in 1999 and still rarely offered in Europe. Like all camellias it belongs to the family of tea plants. It has a medium growth rate and forms a bush that will reach approximately 1.50 m (5 ft) in height after 10 years. The foliage is evergreen and consists of leaves that are 5 cm (2 in) long, ovate and leathery, finely dentate at the edges, and dark green in colour.

Its abundant flowering lasts from October to December, and is longer in mild climates. The flowers are bicoloured, measuring 8 to 9 cm (3 to 3.5 in) in diameter, single, resembling Japanese anemones. Each corolla has 5 to 7 petals in pinkish-red streaked with white, often adorned with a pinkish-red border, surrounding a golden yellow stamen centre. The flowers are ephemeral but continuously renew on the plant, leaving a carpet of petals on the ground, similar to cherry trees in Japan. This camellia perishes below -12°C.

Camellia sasanqua 'Stars'n Stripes' performs better in mild and humid climates than in cold regions, where its hardiness is sometimes lacking and its flowering destroyed. Wherever winter is not too harsh it can be planted in the garden, either alone or in association with other acid-loving plants (Rhododendron, deciduous azaleas, Hydrangea, Hamamelis), in a flowering hedge. Camellia 'Stars'n'Stripes' deserves a prime location not far from the house, at the entrance of the garden or along a pathway. You can also underplant it with autumn bulbs such as colchicums or Naples cyclamens. In cold regions it can be grown on a balcony or terrace, and brought inside a veranda or cold greenhouse during its flowering period. It can also be protected from the cold in a minimally heated apartment provided its foliage is regularly misted and it is watered with non-calcareous water.