(C.japonica) Siebold & Zuccarini, 1835, Flora Japonica; Berlèse, 1835, Annales de la Société

d’Horticulture, Paris, 16:33; Berlèse, 1841, Iconographie, vol.1, pl.3: Flowers 9-10 cm

across, semidouble, pure white background, striped all along the length of the petals with

several lines, some soft rose, some blood red. Mertens & Fontaine, Collection de cent

espèces.....camellia, 1845, pl. 2. Puddle and Hanger, 1960, RHS., The Rhododendron and

Camellia Yearbook, No 14, p.160: Semi-double of 14-20 petals orbicular, 4.5 cm long x 4.5

cm wide, margins notched at apex. Petals form a cup-shaped bloom, but spread almost flat

with age. Stamens in a central column, often intermingled with a few petaloids. Flower

diameter 7-9 cm. Colour very variable but was originally white striped with Neyron rose, 623.

Leaves bright medium green, lanceolate, apex long acuminate, margins strongly and coarsely

serrate, undulate and twisted at the centre with a tendency for the margins to roll under. It

forms a well-clothed, dense spreading bush. This is a most variable cultivar and not only has

produced a number of sports but the type itself is variable in background colour, from white

through the pale shades of pink, and the number of petals can vary considerably on the one

plant, occasionally producing single blooms. The Japanese name for this cultivar is

‘Ezo-nishiki’, (Brocade of Hokkaido). In Japan the earliest date of valid publication for

‘Ezo-nishiki’ yet located, is in Kasuya, Kamegorô, 1859, Tsubaki Irohanayose Irotsuki, which

leaves Tricolor as the prior, valid name. However it is obviously much older than this as it

was one of the camellias brought to Europe from Japan in 1829 by Dr Frans von Siebold. In

USA considerable confusion occured due to its erroneous equation with the Japanese cultivar,

Wakanoura. This spilt over into the naming of the various mutations which occured in the

“Tricolor” group. These are: Lady de Saumarez (‘Aka-ezo-nishiki’), Lady Mackinnon,

Fred Sander, Fred Sander Variegated, Cinderella, Raspberry Ice, Tricolor White

(Shiro-ezo-nishiki), Tricolor Pink, Dainty (California), Jewel Bowden, Chalk Pink,

Nishiki-gasane, Miyako-no-nishiki. Also in the 160 years since its importation to Europe it

has accumulated an impressive list of synonyms and orthographic errors which include:

‘Tricolor Sieboldii’, ‘Tricolor de Sieboldii’, ‘Seiboldii’, ‘Sieboldiana’, ‘Tricolor Siebold’,

‘Tricolor’(Siebold), ‘Tricolor Sieboldii Vera’, ‘Tricolor Sieboldtii, ‘Tricolour’, ‘Seiboldtii’,

‘Tricolor de van Siebold’, ‘Siebold’, ‘Tricolor Sieboldii Variegated’, ‘Siebold Wakanoura

Variegated’, ‘Tri Color’, ‘Wakanoura’, ‘Wakanoura Variegated’, ‘Siebold’s Tricolor’,

‘Cooper Variegated’, ‘Tricolo de Sieboldii’, ‘Peppermint Stick’, ‘Tricolor’ (Wakanoura),

‘Variegated Tricolor’, ‘Tricolor de Siebold’, ‘Quartette’. For colour plates and descriptions

see: Urquhart, 1956, The Camellia; Tuyama, 1966, Camellia Cultivars of Japan, pl.8 and

Andoh, 1971, Tsubaki, Meika no Shôkai to Saibai, pl.129, p.43 as ‘Ezo-nishiki’. Floricultural

Magazine, 1839, p.229; Berlèse, 1841, Iconographie, vol.1, pl.3; Encyclopedia of Camellias

in Colour, vol.I, 1972, pl.343, p.342; Seibundô Shinkôsha, 1979, Senchinshû, pp.23, 203.

Verschaffelt, 1844, Catalogue, No.50, p.24: The camellias “Tricolor” and “Decipiens” are

identical and able to bear entirely red flowers; the first obtained from a graft of “Decipiens”

of which the flowers are variegated. It thus appears the “Decipiens” is the same as Lady de Saumarez (‘Aka-ezo-nishiki’).

Tricolor Angela Cocchi. I Giardino, giornal d’Horticulture, 1857. Synonym for Angela Cocchi.

Tricolor Angelo. Companhia Horticolo-Agricola Portuense Catalogue, No.29, 1895-1896, p.56. Synonym for Angela Cocchi.

Tricolor Blush. Cannon, 1969, ACS., The Camellia Journal, vol.22, No.1. Orthographic variant for Blush Tricolor.

Tricolor Bolen’s Late. Vanderbilt, 1940, Camellia Research, p.7. Synonym for Lady de Saumarez.

Tricolor Bolen’s Red. Vanderbilt, 1941, Camellia Research, II, p.7. Synonym for Lady de

Saumarez.

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