Camellia (Camellia japonica) — Plotwright

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Camellia

Habit (mature) · Reggaeman / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Limited coverage

Camellia

Camellia japonica

A broadleaf evergreen shrub from Japan, China, and Korea, grown for showy 3-5 inch winter-to-spring flowers in white, pink, red, yellow, and lavender against glossy, leathery, dark green leaves. The most widely cultivated camellia, with thousands of named varieties and a single straight-species form whose broad overlapping petals surround a dense boss of golden-yellow stamens. Winter hardy only to USDA zones 7-9, it needs moist, acidic, organically rich soil and the shelter of part shade.

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: narrow (24/100)

Focal point

Structure

Light

Part shade

Water

Consistent moisture

Mature size

84-144" tall · 72" apart

Hardy in zones

7a-9b

cold to frosty winters

Summer heat range

Warm-Hot

warm to hot summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

No

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Won't grow here

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✕→✓

Out of range today, but newly possible by 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 39 ecoregions — 35 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today · 3 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Atlantic coastal pine barrens

Blue Mountains forests

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central Tallgrass prairie

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Chilean Matorral

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Camellia (Camellia japonica). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/camellia

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Botanical research database

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

Growth stages

Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY-SA 3.0

Backs 1 field

Image

NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

University extension service

Community photos

The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.

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