Mastiani Rosea

Luzzatti, 1851, Collezione di Camelie, p.26: The form of the Camellia Contessa Mastiani, bright pink in different shades, imbricated. Franchetti, 1855, Collezione di Camelie, p.46: Brilliant shades of pink, imbricated, sometimes the centre is irregular. Originated in Italy.

The Floral Magazine, 1862,plt. 95 as 'Master Rosea' with a note on the name: "So written in the Augers Catalogues. Maester is, however, suggested as the right orthography."  In a visit we paid last autumn to Angers, in France, we visited, amongst other places, the Nursery of Mr. Cachet, where Camellias are grown in greater perfection than it has ever been our lot to witness; of course great advantages of climate and situation were enjoyed by him, but the beauty and health of his plants clearly showed that skill and intelligence had also been brought to bear. Amongst the many varieties cultivated by him, that which he considered in every respect the most desirable is the one we now figure, Master Rosea; a very large portion of his stock of it was purchased by our friend and fellow-traveller, Mr. John Standish, of Bagshot, and from a bloom of one of these plants a drawing was made by Mr. Andrews; it is a large, beautifully-shaped flower, with well-rounded petals, and very full; the petals stiff and not reflexing; the colour a beautiful veined rose; the habit of the plant good; foliage large, and of a rich glossy-green, and indeed it possesses in every respect the properties of a first-rate Camellia; under this name, at any rate, it is, we believe, unknown to English growers, as on inquiry from some of the largest Camellia-growers, we could not find that they had any acquaintance with it, but we saw in a collection exhibited by Mr. William Paul, of the Nurseries, Waltham Cross, at a late Meeting of the Floral Committee, a variety called Elatior, which seems to approach very near to it. From the description above, this cultivar might originated from France, not Italy, need further information.