Red Camellia

Red Camellia

Uncover Hidden Flowers meanings

Camellias on their own can mean riches. 

But if red camellia is given out, it’s a message saying that “you’re the love of my life”. It can also mean warmth and beauty. Camellias also symbolize excellence – so camellias in red mean unpretending excellence.

If it’s your wish to give someone you care about red camellias, you have a wide range of choices.  There is the Bonbon red camellia which has miniature blooms – its lack in size doesn’t diminish its meaning of telling the other person that “you’re the flame of my heart”.  If you’re looking for flowers with a deep red shade, you can get the Miss Charleston variety that comes in semi double blooms of red. Does a darker red hue camellia mean deeper love than the lighter shade of red? Not really!

  • Name:  Red Camellia
  • Color:  Camellias are plants with flowers that come in various shades of red.  It can be brilliant and fiery or light with a touch of orange.
  • Shape: One thinks mostly about cups looking at the red camellia.  In the perfect setting, camellias have a distinct cup shape which then opens wider and bigger as the flowers bloom.
  • Fact:  When camellias, red or otherwise, were unheard of in Europe, countries like China and Japan have been cultivating them in specialized gardens for centuries. It became the official State flower of Alabama in 1959 (in place of the Goldenrod flower). The change was spawned by strong movement by the women of Butler County as they deem necessary that Alabama deserves a more admirable State Flower – they believe that lowly Goldenrod wildflower is not worthy of representing the State.
  • Poisonous:  Nothing about the red camellia is poisonous. 
  • Number of Petals:  The standard number of petals for red camellias is five but there are some that bloom with as many as nine petals.
  • Victorian Interpretation:  Flowers used to serve as a tool of communication for people living in the Victorian age.  Red camellias meant “you’re the flame in my heart”.
  • Blossom Time:  Red camellias are well in bloom from winter to the middle of spring. It brings color and vividness during the drab winter season – as most flowers has dried out.  

Superstitions: 

Superstitions and beliefs about the red camellia vary depending on the side of the world you’re in.  In the west, red camellias translate to the message of someone being the flame of your heart.  In the East, particularly in Japan, red relates to the ink used for printing funeral notices and it also considered as flowers for funerals.

  • The Shape: The shape that red camellias take on when they’re in bloom is a cup shape.  However, if you look at it from the front when it’s fully bloomed, it can look just like a disk of red with delicate ruffles on it.
  • Petals: Camellias, just like any kind of flower has delicate and beautiful petals that give it its character.  The petals in camellias are usually five but they can also have as many as nine petals.  Five or nine red petals (or any number in between), camellia symbolizes a flame.
  • Numerology: Camellia, as a general type of flowering plant is seen in numerology as the number 11.  It speaks of intuition as well as idealism.  The number 11 gives red camellias a mystic awareness and a connection to the good and the bad.
  • Color: Camellias can mean so many different things to many people.  It’s usually because of the color of the petals that a particular symbol or message is attached to it.  For its red shade (be it light or deep) it resembles a burning flame and so it means “you’re the flame in my heart”.

Herbalism and Medicine:  

Since there aren’t any toxic properties in them, red camellias are used for tea, oil and other kinds of medicinal products.  Using camellia, you can gain benefits like weight loss, alertness, antibacterial benefits and also cardiovascular benefits.

By Flo Saul
Aug 17, 2012