For almost two centuries, the camellia has been an object of passionate adoration throughout much of the Western world.
The Colour Dictionary of Camellias deals with almost 2,000 species and cultivars from many times and many places, describes over 1,000 of the in detail, and illustrates more than 400 in rich, lifelike colour. It traces the history of camellias from their original habitat in the mountains of southern China, through a chequered history in Japan’s warlike Middle Ages. The race to import them in Europe is described, and also their subsequent spreads to the antipodes and the New World.
