>>Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2000 08:49:10
>From: Ron Rovansek
>Subject: camellias and sasanquas
>
>Arlene,
>Camellias ( camellia japonica) and sasanquas
(camellia sasanqua)
>are members of the same genus (camellia). They
are both evergreen
>shrubs/small trees, and are both grown as
ornamental plants in the
>southern US. Both are native to Asia.
>Both of these plants exist in numerous varieties
with flowers ranging
>in color from white to red, and both single and
double flowered
>varities of both are common. "Single flowered"
means that each
>flower has single row of petals around an open
center which is
yellow due to the yellow stamens and pistils,
instead of many rows
>of petals found in "double flowered" varieties.
>For camparison, single flowered corresponds to
wild rose flowers
>while double corresponds to the flowers of
hybrid garden roses.
>Camellias usually grow to about 10 feet tall,
sasanquas can get
>to about 25 feet. Both tend to bloom in the
winter, and will
>bloom even after a freeze when few other plants
are left blooming.
>Their winter blooming, large size, numerous
flowers, and evergreen
>foliage makes them good hummingbird attractors.
On a flower-by-flower
> basis I don't think they are really very good at
attracting hummingbirds
>- at least not compared to many salvias, abutilons,
etc., but they often
>harbor winter hummers. There is sometimes a fair
amount of nectar in some
>of the flowers. I think most humnetters would
agree that sasanquas and
>camellias with open-centered flowers are better
for hummers than the
>"double" flowered camellias. Both plants grow
rather slowly, but are
>long lived. Both do well in the shade of taller
trees. I think they
>will grow north into zone 7, but I don't know if
they can survive
>farther north.
>
>I can usually tell sasanquas from camellias by
their leaves.
>Sasanquas have smaller more toothed leaves than
most camellias,
>which have larger, shinier, mostly untoothed
leaves. This may
>not be a fool-proof way to tell them apart, and
there may exist
>hybrids of the two species.
>
>Ron Rovansek
>
>Arlene wrote:
>...For those of us who don't know, could you
explain the difference
>between camellias and sasquanas.
>
>========================================

Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 06:28:03 -0700
From: Ron Rovansek <ron@NVWETLANDS.COM>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Camellia Sasanqua and Bougainvillea

Jonathan,
Hummingbirds visit many different kinds of flowers, but only a relative few
types of flowers are really favored by hummingbirds. Furthermore, in a given
setting a flower that under more typical circumstances might not be used much
may become a favorite. For example, camellia sasanqua is used by hummingbirds
at
times. In the winter in Louisiana sasanqua can be regularly visited for nectar
and insects, and can be a favorite hang out due to its dense foliage. However,
this does not mean that sasanqua will be a favorite of hummingbirds when there
is a selection of flowers available. Part of the reason sasanqua gets as much
use by winter hummingbirds as it does is that in Louisiana, where there are a
lot of hummingbirds in the winter, the weather is just harsh enough many
winters
to eliminate most other flowers, leaving sasanqua as the only game in town.
Also, sasanqua grows into a nice dense little tree, and provides excellent
cover, and it is often found in heavily-planted gardens, which are favored by
hummingbirds in the winter. So, do hummingbirds feed on sasanqua? Yes. Is
sasanqua the plant I would recommend to attract hummingbirds? not really. It is
a great plant to add to your garden, but there are many other flowers which are
generally used more than sasanqua.

There are many varieties of sasanqua, some of which are better for hummers than
others. Generally the old-fashioned varieties and those with "single" blossoms
rather than "double" blossoms are favored. The same goes for many other plants
-
there are better varieties, and varieties that are not so good.

Many hummingbird flower lists appear to me to be rather uncarefully put
together. I have seen many flowes listed on plant lists that, in my experience,
are not at all used by hummers. Part of this confusion is caused by
hummingbirds
investigating and trying to find food almost anywhere. If you have enough
hummers, you will eventually see them try to feed at every flower in the yard.
It takes more careful observation to realize that only certain plants are
really
used as nectar sources. If a plant is in a favorable location (such as near a
feeder), it might regularly be checked out by hummingbirds - this still doesn't
make it a good hummer plant, just a lucky one due to location. Such a plant
might appear on a list of hummer flowers, yet not really be much good for
hummingbirds.

Ron Rovansek
Reno, NV

===============================================

Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 14:28:36 -0500
From: MiriamLDavey <athena@INTERSURF.COM>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] camelias

> I heard that there were certain species of camellia that nectar and
>bloom in winter. Can someone send me their names and where I can get
>some in Louisiana? Thanks, Pam pamartin@acadiacom.net

Pam,

'Maiden's Blush'. Probably it can be had mail-order--it's an old variety
and also used as rootstock for more recent varieties, according to a Texas
grower met at a camellia show.

MiriamLDavey
BatonRougeLA