Leping Camellias

Leping Camellias

　　   Leping has a long history of cultivating camellias, with a rich variety of over 64 cultivars. The main types include Camellia japonica (also known as Mandala), Chidan, Xishi Mian, Meicha, Shizitou, Red Peony, and Gongfen, each with its own distinctive features. Among these, Chidan, Xishi Mian, and Meicha are rare and precious varieties in China. At the first national camellia exhibition (held in Hangzhou), Leping's large camellia potted plant "Red Crown with Embroidered Ball," submitted for display, won the Outstanding Exhibition Award for its “ten excellences,” including lush branches, dense foliage, and brilliant blooms. Leping Garden produces tens of thousands of camellia seedlings annually, which are sold to cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. The camellia varieties cultivated by Leping Gardening and Flower Company are diverse, comprehensive in type, well-preserved in parent stock, and have a long cultivation history. They have been recognized by domestic camellia experts as a gathering place for East China camellias. Leping camellias, along with Lushan orchids, Jinggang azaleas, and Dayu golden-edged tangerine osmanthus, are listed as one of Jiangxi’s four famous specialty flowers, and were also chosen as the city flower of Jingdezhen. They won a Science and Technology Award at the second China Flower Expo and a Silver Award at the first Jiangxi Provincial Flower Expo in 2002.