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SASANQUA edited by Xu BiYu, Lin Tian, Li Tian Fei and Louh Shiao Min
The new camellia reference book, SASANQUA, edited by Xu BiYu, Lin Tian, Li Tian Fei and Louh Shiao Min is written in Chinese. The book has 134 pages with vivid pictures covering sasanquas in their origin, history, characteristics, classification, horticulture value, cultivation, propagation, disease and pest control, application and hybridization. It is an excellent reference for the growing number of Chinese gardeners, nursery owners, flower merchants, landscape designers, among others. It is also of some value for non-Chinese speakers for its photos of Chinese-originated sasanquas, many of which have not been shown in other sources before. Chinese Sasanqua origin was tied with Lut- Chuen Island ( Okinawa). The island people travelled each year to Beijing with gifts for the emperors, until 1879. Sasanqua has been cultivating in China for 1,200 years. Writing documentations were dating back in 618 AD. Most Chinese Sasanqua cultivars are in double forms, with only a few single form flowers. Some popular Chinese cultivars are ‘Small Rose’, ‘Pink Rose’, ‘ White Hibiscus’, and ‘Two-colored Rose’. A yellow-centered Chinese cultivar called ‘Jewellery in Yellow Sea’ was sent to Japan in 1859. Noteworthy is a new Chinese cultivar developed in Jinhua City (home of the Chinese Species Garden, and the Chinese Camellia Cultural Park, an International Camellia Garden of Excellence) in 2005 called ‘Hanxiu’ : a formal double, rose red with nice fragrance. In recent years, China has collected many sasanqua cultivars from Japan, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. Most southern areas in China are well-suited to growing sasanquas, particularly to meet the huge Chinese demand for landscaping plants. It is likely that many new sasanquas and their hybrids will be developed following the establishment of the Chinese Camellia Hybridization Group in 2006. reviewed by John Wang, California Title: "Sasanqua" |
