Camellia flower symbolic colour meaning
Queens of the winter flowers, camellias are bright, bold and beautiful! Blooming from late October to the spring months, they’ll bring colour and life to any garden and bouquet. These flowers can actually grow in areas that are typically too cold for other plants to bloom. So they’re super tough and persistent.
If you’ve ever wondered where camellias came from in the first place, then we’ve got you covered. Here, we’ll explore their interesting history, symbolism and colour meaning so you’ll know everything there is to know about them and impress all of your green-fingered friends.
The history behind camellia flowers
Native to Eastern and Southern Asia, camellia flowers grow wild in parts of China, Japan, Korea, India and Indonesia. If you’re visiting these countries during the spring months, you might even see entire fields covered in colourful camellias. How amazing would that be? For centuries they’ve been bred and domesticated across Asia. And, traditionally, they were used a lot to make tea or oil.
Western explorers discovered the camellia flower in the early 1700s and brought it over to begin cultivating them in the 1730s. The flower especially loved living in England thanks to the cold, wet weather. Needless to say, they’ve been popular and loved all over Europe ever since!
It’s widely believed that the flower was named after botanist Georg Joseph Kamel, who had been practising botany for pharmaceutical reasons in the 1600s. He actually helped develop the modern form of botany, which is the science that finds, identifies, describes, classifies, and names plants, that's still used today. So, the name honours his discovery. But, because it also has a lyrical ring to it, many people use it as a baby girl's name too, which we think is very cute!
What do camellia flowers mean?
Step aside roses because camellias are one of the most romantic flowers around. They have a very deep meaning of romantic love, devotion, adoration and care. In China, this flower symbolises two lovers where the petals represent the woman, and the calyx (the green leafy part) represents the man.
These two parts are joined together, even after the flower withers. Normally, when the petals start to fall the calyx will stay intact. But, with camellias, the petals and the calyx both fall together. So, it also represents eternal love and long-lasting devotion. If that’s not the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard, then we don’t know what is!
Different coloured camellia flower meanings
Red camellia flower meaning
If you’re giving a bouquet of camellia flowers as a gift to someone, it’s important to know what each colour means, so you convey the right message. Red camellia flowers have a meaning of passionate and romantic love. They’re known to symbolise deep desire, so if you’re trying to win someone over, then sending a bouquet of red camellias will do the trick.
White camellia flower meaning
White camellia flowers symbolise adoration and care but without any romantic interest. This makes it a great flower to send to a friend who has been there for you recently or are going through a tough time themselves, to show that you appreciate them and will be there whenever they need.
Pink camellia flower meaning
Pink camellia flowers are known to express longing. This makes them perfect to give to someone you may be missing. Whether it’s a friend who you haven’t seen in a while or a romantic partner working away for a few days, pink camellias can be sent to both platonic and romantic relationships.
When to send camellia flowers
As camellia flowers are mainly for lovers, we think it’s best to send them as special anniversary flowers. Or if you want to make a big gesture, or for romantic occasions, such as Valentine’s Day, after a first date, or to celebrate making things official with a new partner.
Fun facts about camellia flowers!
Want to learn even more about camellias? Here are some super fun facts that you can throw out to impress your friends!
Camellia flowers are commonly seen in tattoo designs to symbolise someone’s love and devotion for another person.
It is the state flower of Alabama.
They are evergreen shrubs that will bloom from winter to spring.
Camellias represent the number 11.
There are 300 known species and thousands of hybrids.
Interested in finding out more about the symbolic meaning and language of flowers throughout time? Then read all about modern floriography!
And, if you’ve ever thought that camellias look similar to roses, you’re not alone. Discover other beautiful flowers that look like roses.