Vasilis Teodoridis:
Theaceae | Camellia
95. Camellia oleifera C. Abel; Narr. Journey China. 174. 1818.
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Camellia oleifera var. monosperma Hung T. Chang; C. drupifera Loureiro f. biflora (Hayata) S. S. Ying; Thea biflora Hayata; T. oleifera (C. Abel) Rehder & E. H. Wilson; T. podogyna H. Léveillé; T. sasanqua (Thunberg) Cels var. loureiroi Pierre.
Shrubs or trees; 1-5(-8) m tall. Young branches grayish brown; current year branchlets reddish brown; pubescent. Petiole 5-10 mm; pubescent; leaf blade elliptic; oblong-elliptic; or obovate; 3-10(-12) x 2-4(-5) cm; leathery to rigidly leathery; abaxially pale green; sparsely pilose along midvein or glabrous; and becoming yellowish green when dry; adaxially dark green; shiny; and hirtellous along midvein; midvein raised on both surfaces; secondary veins 5-8 on each side of midvein; abaxially obscure; and adaxially raised; base broadly cuneate to cuneate; margin serrate to serrulate; apex acute to acuminate and with an obtuse tip. Flowers axillary or subterminal; solitary or paired; 4-6 cm in diam.; subsessile. Bracteoles and sepals 8-11; caducous; outer bracteoles and sepals lunate to semiorbicular; scalelike; 1-3 mm; glabrous or subglabrous; inner bracteoles and sepals obovate to suborbicular; 0.9-1.2 cm; outside yellow tomentose; inside glabrous; margin membranous and ciliolate. Petals 5-7; white; nearly distinct; obovate; oblong-obovate; or oblanceolate; 2.5-3.5(-4.5) x 1.5-2.5(-3) cm; apically 2-parted. Stamens ca. 1.5 cm; glabrous; outer filament whorl basally connate for ca. 5 mm. Ovary globose; 2-3 mm in diam.; white tomentose; 3-loculed; style 0.8-1.2 cm; glabrous or base tomentose; apically 3-lobed to 3-parted. Capsule globose to ellipsoid; 2-4 cm in diam.; 1-3-loculed with 1 or 2 seeds per locule; pericarp 3-6 mm thick; villous; splitting into 2 or 3 valves. Seeds brown to reddish brown; globose to semiglobose; 1.5-2 cm in diam. Fl. Dec-Jan; fr. Sep-Oct. 2n = 30; 45; 60; 90.
Forests; thickets; (200-)500-1800 m. Anhui; Fujian; Guangdong; Guangxi; Guizhou; Hainan; Henan; Hubei; Hunan; Jiangsu; Jiangxi; S Shaanxi; Sichuan; Yunnan; Zhejiang [N Laos; N Myanmar; N Vietnam].
This species is extensively cultivated as an oil seed. Because of its long cultivation in China; it is often difficult to know if particular collections are wild; cultivated; or escaped. For this reason the original wild distribution is uncertain although it is possibly in the region of S Qin Ling to the Huai He valley. Camellia oleifera is the hardiest species in the genus and has the farthest north distribution.