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Camellia japonica [Japanese Camellia]


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Butorsky, I. (2014) Camellia japonica C. Linnaeus (Theaceae) Japanese Camellia. Flowers photographed in ultraviolet and visible light. http://www.ultraviol...anese-camellia/

 

Brandon, Mississippi, USA (Google map: http://goo.gl/maps/PGByh)

24 March 2014

17:25 Central Standard Time

Cultivar in home garden

 

Synonyms:

  • Rose of Winter
  • Japanese Camellia

Comments:

C. japonica is a mid-winter to early-spring bloomer, especially well-adapted to the southern region of the United States, although its native (wild) origins are of mainland China (Shandong, east Zhejiang), Taiwan, southern Korea and southern Japan.[1] Sometimes informally called "The Rose of Winter" (because of its very welcome rose-like winter blooms, as stand-ins for warmer-season roses), it is particularly popular in home gardens and landscapes of the southeastern states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama, of which it just so happens to be the official state flower.

 

The perennial evergreen tree or shrub that this flower belongs to can grow quite tall, usually 1.5–6 metres (4.9–19.7 ft) tall[2], but occasionally up to 11 metres (36 ft) tall. Although it is generally hardy, as well as cold/frost resistant, it will not tolerate excessively deep and extended sub-freezing temperatures associated with more frigid and severe northern winters (Ex: Restricted to growing in Zones: 7 to 9, only, with respect to the United States.)[3]

 

UV-A Appearance:

When white-balanced against PTFE ("virgin-white Teflon"), the petals of C. japonica will typically appear in a striking silvery/off-white color indicative of high UV reflectivity, while the stamens evidently exhibit a UV-dark/absorptive scheme (black). The individual filaments atop which the stamens sit are rendered in a pleasing, pale-indigo coloration.

 

References:

1. Botanica. "The Illustrated AZ of over 10,000 garden plants and how to cultivate them", p 176-177. Könemann, 2004.

2. eFloras.org http://www.efloras.o...on_id=200014034

3. Missouri Botanical Garden (2014) Camellia japonica http://www.missourib...kempercode=b546

 

-----------------------------------------------

 

- Camera: Panasonic Lumix G5 (full-spectrum converted)

 

- Lens: Super Lentar 35mm F/3.5 (Kyoei / Kuribayashi 35mm F/3.5 optical variant; 46mm filter thread, 23mm front element diameter, 11.5mm rear element diameter, M42-mount adapter over T-mount base, Serial # 37200), adapted to Micro-4/3 mount, via commonly-available adapter.

 

- Settings for visible exposure: ISO 160, Aperture F/8, Shutter 1/250 sec, S8612 (2mm thick) filter, white balance set to in-camera default "flash" scheme, color-cast corrected in post-photo editing.

post-34-0-75125300-1395707146_thumb.png

 

- Settings for UV-A exposure: ISO 160, Aperture F/8, Shutter 3 sec, U-340 (2mm thick) and S8612 (2mm thick) filter stack, in-camera CWB (custom-white-balance) set to PTFE (virgin-white polytetrafluoroethylene).

post-34-0-95835500-1395707161_thumb.png

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Thanks, Col!

 

Here are a few more, that I just got done processing ...

 

These are overhead shots, and cropped quite a bit.

post-34-0-61522700-1395721447_thumb.png

post-34-0-18554800-1395721456_thumb.png

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The first set is quite nice, Igor.

The bees would see this Camellia as their bee colour B+UV because it would stimulate the blue and UV visual receptors.

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The first set is quite nice, Igor.

The bees would see this Camellia as their bee colour B+UV because it would stimulate the blue and UV visual receptors.

 

Thank you, Andrea!

 

Yes, that seems to be the case ... as evidenced in real-world observation. These Camellias have proven to be quite the "bee magnets." In fact, at any given moment, there are at least a dozen of bees swarming around a bush.

 

In one particular observation, I sat on a recliner for a full hour ... and noticed that one particularly aggressive male was sticking around the same bush, the entire time, and chasing off any other insects and even some other bees. This leads me to conclude that there are some males in a colony that are employed as "guards" and "claimers" of a colony's rights. Sort of like "planting a flag on the planet" to claim territory, after landing there first. I watched that same exact bee stick around the same bush, for the rest of the entire day, doing nothing but buzzing every other competing insect off ... while permitting only certain bees to land.

 

It's pretty neat, to observe these types of hierarchies.

 

(The species observed in particular, was Xylocopa virginica, a type of "carpenter' bee. They are quite common, in these parts where I live ... and they are around almost the entire year, 10 out of 12 months, given the warm sub-tropical climate of south-central Mississippi.)

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Here's a shot I have of Xylocopa virginica, from last year. Collecting nectar (and hence, rubbing up some of the pollen in the process) from a Zinnia flower. This one is a female (the male "drones" in particular, have larger eyes - more rounded rather than oblong / flattened - and a light-colored patch on the forehead.)

 

This happens to be a "full spectrum" shot (no attenuating filters).

 

1390611_10152754246054625_823834144_n.jpg

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Yep, we have those big old Carpenter Bees here too. Shiny black abdomens. One of them drilled a hole in the porch once. Very interesting - and no real harm done. I found a little mound of sawdust on the floor and looked up, saw the hole.

It would be fun to make a UV movie of the bee with your Lumix. :D

 

*****

 

Igor, you do not have to do what I am about to suggest. But if you edit the very first post into the Formal Presentation format, I will move this Camellia thread to the botanical Cultivar section. It is a nice photograph.

 

There isn't too much to do to make the first post into a formal presentation. Here is a link to one of mine which you can emulate: http://www.ultraviol...g-island-daisy/

OR, you can use the style that Bjørn/Nico/DaveO use - which is arranged just slightly differently from mine.

 

You would need a one sentence comment about your Camellia - like when they bloom in Mississippi or something. And give a one sentence description of its UV appearance. Then find some nice reference link. For Cultivars I suggest looking for a reference at http://www.missourib...calgarden.org/.

 

******

 

I have an ongoing 'art' series called Candyland which made with unfiltered broadband cameras. Unfiltered we are basically recording some(Vis) + much(IR) so you get an interesting look which can be amped up or toned down.

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Andrea,

 

Yes, I would love to participate in the botanical database building on UVP.

 

And I accordingly edited my first post (in this thread) to reflect your required filing conventions / rules.

 

However, I do not understand what goes in the space which I marked with "?????" (on the first line).

 

(I sent you a PM, about help on this). Thanks!

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Have replied to your PM about the botanical Authority for Camellia japonica and about other stuff.

 

After uploading your photos you can place them anywhere in the post.

Go to: Edit > Full Editor

Place your cursor in the text where you want to place the photograph,

then click the "Add to Post" link beside the listing for that uploaded photograph.

This way you can place the Visible photograph, for example, directly after the "Settings for visible exposure" data.

And so on.

 

I will check back later this evening. Your edits are looking good so far for placement of this thread onto the Cultivar board.

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