Camellia rosthoriana Cupido

With its upright and compact habit and delicate branches, 'Cupido' Camellia is a highly elegant bush. Adorned with young shoots coloured red and deep pink flower buds that open into delicate white flowers tinged with pink-red from the end of winter onwards. With its beautiful dark green evergreen foliage, this bush is decorative all year round. Its modest growth is well-suited for small gardens or container cultivation on the terrace. These qualities earned it the Bronze Medal award at Plantarium in 2012 in the Netherlands.

This horticultural variety is derived from the Camellia rosthorniana, an evergreen botanical species originating from China (Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces). This variety was discovered in 1991 in a Japanese nursery. Like all camellias, it belongs to the family Theaceae. 'Cupido' has a distinctly upright habit, taller than it is wide, and slightly loose growth with flexible, upright branches at a 45-degree angle. Its growth is moderate: at the age of 10, it will reach approximately 1.50m (5 ft) in height and 80cm (31.5 in) in width. At full maturity, it can reach about 3m (10 ft) in height and 2m (6 ft 7 in) in width. It blooms from February to March in mild climates, with the peak of flowering ocurring in April and May. This variety produces buds of a vivid pink-red colour. They open into single flowers with 5-7 petals which are quite large for the species, measuring about 2.5 to 3cm (1 to 1.2 in) in diameter. The undersides of the outer petals are dotted with pink-red along the edges against a white background. Its young leaves are tinged with reddish-violet, then mature to a dark green colour. They are simple, entire, and elliptical in shape. Smaller than those of the botanical species, they measure about 2.5 to 4.5cm (1 to 2 in) in length and 1 to 2cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) in width, and are slightly shiny on the upper side. Hardy down to -12°C, this variety prefers partial shade and protection from cold winds. It thrives in acidic, humus-rich, moist, and light soils.

Plant 'Cupido' Camellia in a beautiful pot on your terrace, or in an ericaceous bed alongside dwarf rhododendrons, azaleas, Skimmia, Japanese quince and heathers. Plant it in autumn with some spring bulbs: tulips and narcissus for a magnificent and colourful display. Place it on a partially shaded terrace, along a path, or next to a wall exposed to the evening or morning sun (not full), protected from cold and drying winds.

The name Camellia was attributed to the plant in 1735 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Von Linnaeus, in honour of Georg Josef Kamel (latinised as "Camellus"), an apothecary in the service of the Jesuits in the Philippines at the end of the 17th century. It was not until 1792 that the Camellia arrived in Europe.