Vasilis Teodoridis:
Theaceae | Camellia
60. Camellia yunnanensis (Pitard ex Diels) Cohen-Stuart; Meded. Proefstat. Thee. 40: 68. 1916.
??? hou zi mu
Shrubs or trees; 1-5(-7.5) m tall. Young branches rusty to grayish brown; year-old branchlets purplish brown; current year branchlets pale brown; pubescent to villous. Petiole 2-5 mm; pubescent to villous; leaf blade ovate; ovate-elliptic; elliptic; long ovate; or ovate-lanceolate; 4-6.5(-11.5) x 1.5-3.5(-4.5) cm; thinly leathery; abaxially pale green and sparsely villous or only villous along midvein; adaxially dark green and hirtellous along midvein; midvein reddish; abaxially elevated; and adaxially slightly raised; secondary veins 5-9 on each side of midvein and raised on both surfaces or adaxially obscure; base broadly cuneate; rounded; or truncate; margin serrulate; apex acute; shortly acuminate; or caudate. Flowers axillary or subterminal; solitary; 3-5 cm in diam.; subsessile. Bracteoles and sepals 9-11; ± persistent after anthesis; green to brown; ovate to suborbicular; 2-12 mm; concave; leathery; outside glabrous; inside white finely sericeous; margin broadly scarious. Petals 7-12; white; broadly obovate to elliptic; 2-4(-5.3) x 1.5-3 cm; inner petals connate for 2-6 mm. Stamens 1.5-2.5 cm; glabrous; outer filament whorl basally connate for 2-5 mm. Ovary discoid; ca. 1 x 3-3.5 mm; glabrous or ± pilose to tomentose; (3-)5-loculed; apically slightly (3-)5-lobed; styles (3-)5; distinct; ca. 1.5 cm. Capsule purplish red but becoming purplish brown when dry; globose to oblate; 4-6 cm in diam.; (3-)5-loculed with 2 or 3 seeds per locule; apex with 5 conic lobes; 5 valves dehiscent; pericarp ca. 1 cm thick and fleshy when fresh; 1-5 mm thick when dry. Seeds brown; globose to semiglobose; 1-1.6 cm in diam.; rufous pilose or glabrescent. Fl. Nov-Mar; fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 30*.
? Forests; thickets; (800-)1100-3200 m. SW Guizhou; SW Sichuan; Yunnan.