Cliveana (Gerbing)

Thomasville Catalogue, 1935, p.7, with colour photo on p.6; Gerbings Azalea Gardens Catalogue, 1939: Semi-double, light pink flowers of large size; round, dull green foliage; mid-season bloomer. Very fast, upright growth. This appears to have originated in USA and the name has sometimes also been spelt ‘Cliviana’. See black and white photo, Hertrich, 1955, Camellia in the Huntington Gardens, vol.II, p.72, 75 with the description: Flower: semi-double, to incomplete double predominantly; Spinel Red 0023/self-/1 (rose red), darker venation; 9 cm broad by 4 cm deep. Petals up to 12 sub-cordate segments, 4.5 cm long x 4.2 cm wide, firm substance, tendency to incurve or, towards the centre, to inroll, shallow, if any, notching. Centre of flower, a few incomplete petals and small petaloids intermingled with stamens, white filaments, yellow anthers, Buds, near globular. Leaves, elliptic-lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, tending to cup towards underside, 7-8 cm long x 4-4.5 cm wide, dark, glossy green, thin, leathery texture, broad, coarse serrations; apices long pointed. No relationship with the European cultivar of the same name.