King of Camellias

The King of Camellias

The King of Camellias

In Xuanhua Village, Xinglong Township, located 30 kilometers southeast of the city, there stands a rare camellia tree. It is 10 meters tall, has a trunk diameter of 0.55 meters, a crown spread of 100 square meters, and is over 300 years old. It was introduced by the ancestors of the Li family. Typically, camellias bloom most profusely from New Year’s Day to after the Spring Festival, lasting until at most the Qingming Festival, which is about four months. But this particular camellia starts blooming every winter and only gradually withers by the third lunar month of the following year, making its blooming period as long as five months. It produces tens of thousands of large, double-petaled, bright red flowers—truly a rare gem among camellias. When in full bloom, tens of thousands of vivid crimson blossoms, each as big as a rice bowl, emerge amid glossy green leaves, making the entire tree look like a huge, fiercely burning fireball—so bright and dazzlingly red. Although camellias are not particularly delicate, they are very particular about soil and climate. If the soil is too alkaline, their leaves will turn pale yellow and may even fall off; high temperatures can cause the flowers to drop, and they are also highly susceptible to pests. One such pest is the borer, and if just one bores into the tree, the affected flower will wither. The local temperature and soil conditions here are perfectly suited—truly ideal—and thanks to the Li family’s careful preservation and meticulous care of this treasured heirloom, it has grown into a massive plant with the longest blooming period, ranking among the rarest and most magnificent camellias in China—the King of Camellias.

During the 1999 Kunming International Horticultural Exposition, someone offered 400,000 yuan to buy the tree, and later another offer of 500,000 yuan was made, but the owners refused both.