THEA chinensis pimentae jamaicensis folio, flore roseo. _Pet. Gaz. t.
33. fig. 4._
[Illustration: 42]
This most beautiful tree, though long since figured and described, as
may be seen by the above synonyms, was a stranger to our gardens in the
time of MILLER, or at least it is not noticed in the last
edition of his Dictionary.
It is a native both of China and Japan.
THUNBERG, in his _Flora Japonica_, describes it as growing
every where in the groves and gardens of Japan, where it becomes a
prodigiously large and tall tree, highly esteemed by the natives for the
elegance of its large and very variable blossoms, and its evergreen
leaves; it is there found with single and double flowers, which also are
white, red, and purple, and produced from April to October.
Representations of this flower are frequently met with in Chinese
paintings.
With us, the _Camellia_ is generally treated as a stove plant, and
propagated by layers; it is sometimes placed in the green-house; but it
appears to us to be one of the properest plants imaginable for the
conservatory. At some future time it may, perhaps, not be uncommon to
treat it as a _Laurustinus_ or _Magnolia_: the high price at which it
has hitherto been sold, may have prevented its being hazarded in this
way.
The blossoms are of a firm texture, but apt to fall off long before they
have lost their brilliancy; it therefore is a practice with some to
stick such deciduous blossoms on some fresh bud, where they continue to
look well for a considerable time.
PETIVER considered our plant as a species of Tea tree; future
observations will probably confirm his conjecture.
[43]
~Cistus incanus. Hoary, or Rose Cistus.~
_Class and Order._
~Polyandria Monogynia.~
_Generic Character._
_Corolla_ 5-petala. _Calyx_ 5-phyllus, foliolis duobus minoribus.
_Capsula_.
_Specific Character and Synonyms._
CISTUS _incanus_ arborescens exstipulatus, foliis spatulatis tomentosis
rugosis inferioribus basi connatis vaginantibus. _Lin. Syst. Vegetab.
p. 497._