White Camellia Shrubs

Geography and Size

• Camellia crapnelliana is a Hong Kong native growing to the size of a very large shrub or a small tree. Camellia furfuracea, native to Laos, Vietnam and southern China, develops to between 6 and 9 feet tall. April Dawn and April Snow are two cultivars of Camellia japonica, a shrub of China, Korea and Japan; both grow to 8 feet high. Camellia sinensis, also known as tea, most likely originated in China. This camellia variety with white flowers grows to 10 feet. Tea-oil camellia, also known as Camellia Oleifera and hailing from China and Indonesia, grows to between 10 and 20 feet while Camellia transnokoensis, from Taiwan, matures to 6 to 10 feet high.

Suitable USDA Zones

• April Snow and April Dawn, bred to exhibit more cold hardiness than most camellias with white flowers, grow into zones as cold as USDA plant hardiness zone 6b. Camellia sinensis and Camellia oleifera are cold hardy only to zone 7. Zone 8 is the chilliest zone for Camellia furfuracea, crapnelliana and transkoensis. April Dawn and April Snow, as well as Camellia sinensis, grow into USDA zone 9, while Camellia furfuracea, oleifera, crapnelliana and transkoensis tolerate the climate of zone 10.

Blooming Period

• Camellias featuring white flowers are not blooming from May through September. The largest of these shrubs, Camellia crapnelliana, flowers from October into December. Camellia furfuracea flowers from December into March. April Dawn and Snow take their names from when they bloom. Camellia sinensis blooms from October through December. Camellia transnokoensis is in flower from December through March. Camellia oleifera flowers in March in the cooler parts of its growing range but from October through January when planted in hot regions.

Flower Facts

• Camellia transnokoensis has flowers with five or six white petals centered around a yellow group of stamens, with a single red spot on the outermost petals. The white flowers have a musky fragrance on Camellia crapnelliana. Those of Camellia furfuracea are an inch wide and have eight petals. April Snow and Dawn possess flowers with 2-inch diameters. Camellia sinensis has flowers shaped like cups that hang from its branches.