Flowers

Camellias the tea plant, is of major commercial importance because tea is made from its leaves. While the finest teas are produced by courtesy of millennia of selective breeding of this species,

many other camellias can be used to produce a similar beverage. For example, in some parts of Japan, tea made from leaves is popular.

Tea oil is a sweet seasoning and cooking oil made by pressing the seeds and to a lesser extent other species such as relatively little-known outside East Asia,

it is the most important cooking oil for hundreds of millions of people, particularly in southern China.

Camellia oil is commonly used to clean and protect the blades of cutting instruments.

Camellia oil pressed from seeds has been traditionally used in Japan for hair care

Camellias were cultivated in the gardens of China and Japan for centuries before they were seen in Europe

Today camellias are grown as ornamental plants for their flowers; about 3,000 cultivars and hybrids have been selected, many with double or semi-double flowers