Korea
中文“Spring is here on the flowering Dongbaek island, but…” it is a good thing that spring is here, but the ending of “but” evokes sadness. The sight of it flowering from a blistering cold kingddom is pitiful, which is why the flamboyant camellia is often expressed with sadness. The legend of the flower is the same.
Stilleben mit Kamelie. 1938. Öl auf Leinwand
A long ago, a king with a violent temper worse than Emperor Nero or King Yonsan, lived. This king did not have a successor so he had no choice but to leave the throne to the two sons of his brother. However, the greedy king did not want to see his brother’s son happy so he devises a plan to murder his nephews. His brother found out and sends his sons far away and instead puts child on the throne who resembles his son. A young nephew in the name of country, he wasn’t king sejo who killed danjong, but it seems that human greed has no limits. The king found out the truth and captured the sons who was sent away and said, “you must kill them with our own hands. Since they have nothing to do with you.” the helpless, miserable brother killed himself on the spot, and the sons who were killed by their uncle transformed into birds and flew away. The sad story says that a long time later a red camellia sprouted where the brother died, and two birds landed on the spot.
Flore des serres et des jardins de l’Europe
Camellia trees grow in Jeonbuk, Gochang, Haenam, Jeonnam, Wando, Gangjin, Yeosu, Gwangyang, Geoje, South Gyeongsang province, Namhaean, and Jeju Island. It is around 15 meters tall, has a 50 centimeter diameter, and the surface of the leaf is bright green. In October, the fruit’s seed shell opens when it is about 3-5 centimeters in diameter. Good for ornamentation, the camellia seed is also used for medicine.
Scientific name / Camellia Japonica
Flowering period / December – following April
Propagation / Seed, cutting, grafting
Family / Tea family
Distribution region / Korea
