A Detailed Introduction to the Camellia Variety 'Shiba Xueshi'

When it comes to camellias, everyone knows something about them, but how much do you really know about the camellia 'Shiba Xueshi'? Today we will introduce the camellia 'Shiba Xueshi' to you.

An Introduction to the Camellia 'Shiba Xueshi'

The camellia 'Shiba Xueshi' is a treasure among camellias, deeply loved by people. It has a graceful tree form and a uniquely structured flower. Its blooming period is January to February, with small to medium-sized flowers. The flowers are double, composed of more than 70-130 petals forming a hexagonal pagoda-shaped corolla, with distinct layers arranged in an orderly manner, very beautiful. The flower shape is elegant and refined, with rich colors and dense blooming; sometimes a single plant can simultaneously produce flowers of different colors such as pink, red, white, white with red stripes, and red with white stripes. The plant grows with a slightly upright habit, has a good natural crown, dark green leaves with high surface brightness and gloss, well-proportioned leaf shape approaching oval, and plump leaf texture. It prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment.

The camellia 'Shiba Xueshi' is a treasure among camellias; the name refers to the number of petal whorls rather than the number of flower colors. The flower is composed of more than 70-130 petals forming a hexagonal pagoda-shaped corolla, with about 20 whorls of petals arranged at two adjacent angles, mostly 18 whorls, hence it is called 'Shiba Xueshi' (Eighteen Scholars).

It has a graceful tree form and a uniquely structured flower, composed of more than 70-130 petals forming a hexagonal pagoda-shaped corolla, with distinct layers arranged in an orderly manner, very beautiful. Its common flower colors include vermilion, scarlet, pink and pure white.

The varieties of the camellia 'Shiba Xueshi': there are three types, Pink Shiba Xueshi, Red Shiba Xueshi and White Shiba Xueshi, all of which are single-color lines.

Growth Habits of the Camellia 'Shiba Xueshi'

This variety fears wind and loves sunlight. It should be planted in sandy loam, loess or humus soil with good air circulation, warmth and humidity, good drainage and loose fertility. A pH of 5.5-6.5 is optimal. The suitable temperature is between 20-32°C; growth stops above 29°C, and leaves will show scorching at 35°C. A certain temperature difference is required. Environmental humidity should be above 70%. It can tolerate a low temperature of -8°C (natural overwintering; Yunnan camellias are slightly less cold-tolerant). In areas south of the Huai River it can generally overwinter naturally. It prefers acidic soil and requires good air permeability. To favor root hair development, peat, decayed sawdust, red soil, humus soil, or a mixed substrate of the above can usually be used for cultivation. In spring, autumn and winter, camellias can go without shading; in summer, 50% shading can be used.

Propagation Methods of the Camellia 'Shiba Xueshi'

Cuttings

In the rainy season of May-June, select a young mother tree and cut a one-year-old tender branch from the top, about 10 cm long. Remove the lower leaves, flatten the cut below the node with a blade, and keep one terminal bud and one lateral bud at the top, with 2-3 leaves. Insert it into a medium of river sand or gravel, with an insertion depth of 1/3-2/3. After insertion, cover with straw curtains for shade, increase foliar spraying, and maintain air humidity in the cutting bed to promote rooting. To improve the survival rate of cuttings, the cuttings can be soaked in a 50-100 ppm ABT rooting powder solution for 8-12 hours.

Grafting

Select a robust seedling or a camellia variety that roots easily from cuttings as the rootstock, cut it off at 4-5 cm from the ground diameter, split it through the pith about 1.5 cm deep, and use a 1-2 year old branch as the scion. Keep 1-2 leaves on the upper part of the scion, cut the lower part into a wedge shape, insert it into the split opening of the rootstock, ensuring the cambium layers of both sides closely meet, then bind tightly with plastic tape. After grafting, cover the scion with a plastic bag and tie it below with a string, but not too tightly, so that water droplets form inside the bag and continuously drip onto the rootstock. Then add a paper bag outside the plastic bag to shield from direct sunlight.

Bud Cuttings

Take each bud node as a section, keep one leaf, about 1.5 cm long, cut the lower part diagonally, then insert it into the medium, with the depth just covering the branch. This method can make full use of branches and is suitable for large-scale propagation needs.

That is all for today's introduction to the camellia 'Shiba Xueshi'. I hope the above content has been helpful to everyone!