Tsubaki is a flower that has been popular among Japanese people as it is sung in Manyoshu. The single flower vase of the Toko-no-ma and of the tea room are symbols of Japanese culture. Red flowers are common, but there are also white camellias, white camellia with red spots, pink, and even black camellias. However, in 1965, a yellow camellia was found deep in the mountains of Yunnan, China, which was a big news. It was named “Kinkacha (Golden Camellia)” . And it was designated as a Chinese natural monument and was temporarily prohibited from taking it out of the country. The yellow camellia first came to Japan in 1980, and it quickly spread among connoisseurs. Originally it is a single bloom that makes bright yellow flowers bloom, but now the variety improvement has progressed, there are various yellow camellias such as “Yellow”.

椿は万葉集にも歌われているほど、日本人には親しまれてきた花です。床の間や茶室の一輪ざしは日本文化の象徴です。赤い花が普通ですが、白い椿もあり、白地に赤の斑入りもあったり、ピンク色、更には黒椿もあるほどです。しかし、1965年に中国雲南省の山深くに黄色い椿が見つかり、一大ニュースになりました。「金花茶」と名付けられた金椿は、中国の天然記念物にも指定され、一時は国外への持ち出しは禁止されました。日本へ渡来したのは１９８０年で、瞬く内に好事家の間に広まりました。元は鮮やかな黄色い花を咲かせる一重咲きですが、今では品種改良が進み、「黄凰」を始め、様々な黄色椿があります。