camellia

noun

1. any of several shrubs of the genus Camellia, especially C. japonica, native to Asia, having glossy evergreen leaves and white, pink, red, or variegated roselike flowers.

noun

1. any ornamental shrub of the Asian genus Camellia, esp C. japonica, having glossy evergreen leaves and showy roselike flowers, usually white, pink or red in colour: family TheaceaeAlso called: japonica

n.

1753, named by Linnæus from Latinized form of Georg Joseph Kamel (1661-1706), Moravian-born Jesuit who described the flora of the island of Luzon.