''Camellia petelotii'' is a species of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

in the family

Theaceae Theaceae (), the tea family, is a family of flowering plants comprising shrubs and trees, including the economically important tea plant, and the ornamental camellias. It can be described as having from seven to 40 genera, depending on the sour ...

. It is found in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(endemic in the

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ( Hà Giang, Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, and Quảng Ninh Provinces) and the ...

in southern China) and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. It is known as the golden camellia for its distinctive yellow blossoms. Synonyms include ''C. chrysantha'' and ''Camellia nitidissima''. The golden camellia originated 170 million years ago, and is a first-class nationally protected plant in China. The golden camellia is extremely demanding on the growth environment, its genes are extremely difficult to replicate, and, once transplanted, it is known to die or genetically mutate. It is also threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

. Therefore, in 1986, the Golden Camellia National Nature Reserve was built in Fangcheng,

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

, with a total area of 9195.1 hectares. In southern China and Vietnam where the golden camellia originates, it has been used to make tea, and in addition has been propagated as a garden plant for its waxy yellow flowers, which are notably unusual for a member of the ''

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...

'' genus. The plant is endangered in the wild, but is widely favored in gardens.

Description

''Camellia petelotii'' is a shrub or small tree growing up to 5 meters in height.

Uses

With Golden Camellias, Chinese experts have been conducting experiments to create new varieties of the flower. Experts have found a few and named them, "''Nayue Hongyan''", "''Liaoyan Beauty''", "''Xinhuang''" and other names, which have contributed to the new tea market. According to the research and experiments of The Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (China)-Guangxi Branch and some other Chinese medicine research institutions in Guangxi, Golden camellia tea has the functions of preventing cancer, inhibiting tumor growth, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood lipids, lowering cholesterol, preventing atherosclerosis, delaying aging and other health effects as improve the body's immune.

Gallery

File:金花茶 Camellia petelotii 20221114215806 01.jpg File:金花茶 Camellia petelotii 20221114215806 03.jpg File:金花茶 Camellia petelotii 20221114215806 04.jpg File:金花茶 Camellia petelotii 20221114215806 07.jpg

References

External links

* petelotii Vulnerable plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Theaceae-stub

Description

Uses

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links