Evaluation of flowering time and ornamental characteristics in autumn camellias

Autumn camellias (Camellia spp.) flower in a particular season of the year, when few plants are in bloom. Furthermore, unlike Camellia japonica cultivars, autumn camellias are winter hardy and their flowers are fragrant. These characteristics give them high ornamental value, especially in a temperate climate. In the present study, 56 cultivars (40 C. sasanqua Thunb., 7 C. ×vernalis Makino, 7 C. ×hiemalis Nakai and 2 C. hybrida) were collected (3 specimens for each cultivar) and characterized by filling in specific identification cards. The observed ornamental traits were: flower (form and size), petals (colour, form, surface, margin, and colour variegation), bud (position and distribution), and leaf (size and colour). The presence of peculiar characteristics, such as the persistence of stamens, was also recorded. Moreover, historical and bibliographical information referred to place and year of origin, name of the breeder, previous descriptions and quotations were included. In addition to flowering time, flower density and longevity were investigated. Data were recorded twice a week, for 2 years (autumn-winter 2005-2006 and 2006-2007). According to the flowering time, the cultivars were sorted in 6 classes (early, medium-early, middle, middle-late, late flowering and extended). Most of the camellias produced 30-40 flowers but results were quite different according to the year of observation. Similar results were obtained in autumnwinter 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 for flower longevity, which ranged from 10-15 days to 25-30 days depending to the cultivar. Therefore, environmental conditions seem to influence flowering time and the number of flowers produced but not the flower life on the plant. The obtained information could be useful for optimizing breeders’activities in order to produce new improved cultivars.