Casa do Casal

Casa do Casal (C.japonica), European Reg. No. 132. Seedling of unknown parents.  Grown and named by Clara Gil de Seabra, of Porto, Portugal. Name is that of the home and garden of Eng. José Gil, first ICS Director for Portugal.  Plant first bloomed in 2010 on a plant noticed in 2008.  Plant is spreading, with medium growth.  Flowering occurs in mid-season, over an average period.   Buds are lanceolate, pinkish-white and red.  The large blooms (approximately 12 cm in diameter and 4.5 cm depth) are semi-double, hose-in-hose form, with an average of 10 petals.  The petals are irregular in shape, with wavy petal margin.  Color is white (RHS 155B group), streaked and blotched red (RHS 42A and 48C red groups); some petals are totally red (RHS 42A group).   Spent blooms fall whole. Some flowers show stamens dispensed among petaloids.  Leaves are medium-size, 11 cm long and 5 cm wide, dark green, flat elliptical-to-lanceolate blades, with dentate margins; apex pointed, base acute.   Fruit is green, obovate, some with occasional longitudinal reddish stripes; moderately produced.  The camellia was exhibited at Portuguese camellia shows at Celorico de Basto (2015), Porto (2011 and 2018), and Santo Tirso (2017, 2018).