the camellia journal

 When asked, Stephanie said, “Yes”!

New camellia species are unexpected finds, right? The accidental discovery of a new species in 1955 with

4.5” to 5.5” white blooms on a mountainside in Hong Kong was indeed special. This new species was named

C. granthamiana for Sir Alexander Grantham, the Governor of the Colony of Hong Kong. As interesting as

this is, learning that one of the first plants in the United States was in Louisiana was incredible.

It started when Hunter Charbonnet, President of the North Shore Camellia Club, suggested that a member might volunteer each month to read through an old American Camellia Society yearbook or journal and give a book report on stories that would interest members, most of whom did not have collections of all the old publications. When asked, Stephanie said, “Yes”! Stephanie proceeded to do reports month after month, as no one else volunteered, and usually previewed her newly acquired information by reading the articles to me while we were driving. In the 1956 American Camellia Society Yearbook, she found an article “A New Camellia from Hong Kong.” It was growing on the highest mountain in Hong Kong Territory, Tai Mo Shan, just 3.5 miles from Kowloon City at an elevation of 2,000 feet. This was interesting but of no special local interest until teamed up with articles in the American Camellia Quarterly (forerunner of the American Camellia Society Journal). The January 1958 issue showed a floral arrangement with C. granthamiana blooms. Ralph Peer, President of ACS at the time, described it as follows: “The bloom is the largest found on any species camellia.”

Okay, still not “that” special to the club members; however, the April 1959 Quarterly was the “icing on the cake.” Scions of this new species had been obtained by William G. Smart of Covington, Louisiana, from Ralph Dean, Head of the Hong Kong Garden Department, immediately after its discovery, and one of his four grafts was reported to be the first blooming plant in the South. In fact, it was one of the first of the species in the country and one of the few known in the world. Where was this plant? How large was it now? How great was it for this plant to be in the home of the North Shore Camellia Club?

We tracked down the family and located Lane Ford Smart (Lanie)—Mrs. William G. Smart, Jr. Winding through the streets of old downtown Covington, we found a driveway that appeared to be going nowhere until it opened to a lawn of large camellia plants. We may have found the right place. We left a note, as no one was home, and stated our purpose of finding the historic C. granthamiana. Lanie called, and we made an appointment to return. A gracious lady invited us in, and we talked camellias for hours. Then we set out to meander through the camellias to the site of the C. granthamiana. When not in bloom, the tree is not spectacular, looking like a somewhat sparsely leaved sasanqua but with an “alligator skin” appearance of the foliage. It truly shines when it is blooming with its large blossoms exploding from its modest greenery. Of course, its nearly golf ball-sized seeds are also eye-catchers.

As part of the Bicentennial Celebration of Covington’s founding in 2013 (as the town of Wharton – renamed in 2016), the Keep Covington Beautiful organization held a contest in order to identify its most historic trees (most of which would be its huge and ancient large live oaks of enormous size). We decided to inquire if Lanie would allow the C. granthamiana to be entered. When asked, Lanie said, “Yes!” She beamed at the awards ceremony as she received runner-up for the most interesting story for her historic entry. A top winner was the “hanging oak” on Military Road, where, according to legend, Andrew Jackson, on his way to fight the British at the Chalmette Battlefield, hung two traitors.

The C. granthamiana is alive and well 66 years after it arrived in Louisiana soon after its discovery by the world. Its seeds, spread by birds, have spawned at least 2 seedlings (one died when its removal was attempted). This unique find in Louisiana attests to the area’s dedicated camellia enthusiasts and the American Camellia Society leaders from this state who traveled the world and bought or obtained rare camellias for their collections.