Plant Database
Blood of China Camellia
Camellia japonica ‘Blood of China’
The Blood of China Camellia is a breathtaking and historically significant cultivar, celebrated for its large, peony-form blossoms of intense, velvety crimson-red. This classic japonica produces an abundance of striking, medium-to-large flowers featuring broad, wavy petals with visible deep red veining and a prominent central cluster of golden-yellow stamens mixed with petaloids . Blooming in late winter to early spring (typically January to March in California), its dramatic flowers stand out beautifully against the glossy, dark green foliage . Beyond its ornamental value, this camellia is prized for its unique, deeply soothing fragrance—a blend of floral and earthy notes—and has been traditionally valued in balms and salves for its perceived circulatory and anti-inflammatory properties . An upright, rounded, and slow-growing shrub, it is an elegant and romantic choice for foundation plantings, woodland gardens, and as a specimen in containers or the landscape.