Dia da Mulher

Dia da Mulher (C. japonica), European Reg. No 180. Originated and introduced by Rodrigo Paulo Leitão, at Viveiro das Camélias, of Penafiel, Portugal. Seedling of C. japonica ‘Dr. Tinsley’ (ICR-4271) by unknown pollen in 2000, first bloomed 2008. Plant: growth habit upright, growth rate medium; blooming in Portugal from March to May. Flower: medium 8,4 x 4,7 cm, semi-double, occasionally rose form with pink petals streaked white (32-40); stamens split with occasional light pink petaloids (1-9); outer petals round to elliptical, notched, and flat, with darker pink than the inner, some central petals irregular. This cultivar may have some rose-form flowers. Blooms fall whole when spent. Leaf: medium 7 x 4,6 cm, light green elliptic and flat, serrate margin, acuminated apex, and obtuse base. Other data: named to celebrate International Women's Day (Dia da Mulher), as the first flower opened on March 8. Colour plate in Garrido, 2014, Camélias Portuguesas - História e Formosura, p 154.