Plural of camellia: flowering shrubs with glossy leaves and showy flowers, often grown as ornamental plants.
From Camellia, named after Georg Joseph Kamel, a Jesuit lay brother and botanist who worked in the Philippines in the 17th century. The Latin name was formally established by Linnaeus in 1753.
In Japanese culture, camellias are called 'tsubaki' and symbolize perfection and the samurai spirit—so revered that dropping petals was historically seen as bad luck! They've inspired poetry, paintings, and even Alexandre Dumas wrote 'The Lady of the Camellias,' making these flowers central to romantic literature.
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