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Webster 1913 Edition


Camellia

Ca-mel′li-a

,
Noun.
[NL., after
Georg Josef
Kamel
, or
Camelli
, a Jesuit who is said to have brought it from the East.]
1.
(Bot.)
An Asiatic genus of small shrubs, often with shining leaves and showy flowers.
Camellia Japonica
is much cultivated for ornament, and
Camellia Sassanqua
and
Camellia oleifera
are grown in China for the oil which is pressed from their seeds. The tea plant is now referred to this genus under the name of
Camellia Thea
.