Here is the difference between camellia and Camellia japonica in plain terms. Camellia is a big plant group with over 200 types in it. Japonica is one member of that big group. A japonica is always a camellia too. But a camellia is not always a japonica. It works like dogs and beagles in your head. All beagles are dogs, but not all dogs are beagles.
You will find many camellia species when you start looking into this group. Sasanqua gives you fall blooms. Sinensis makes tea for you. Reticulata grows the biggest flowers of the bunch. Clemson Extension covers five main species that you should know about. Vela et al. 2013 showed that japonica has over 32,000 named types of its own. That huge count proves how much gardeners love this one species above all the rest.
I grow japonica, sasanqua, and sinensis plants next to each other in my garden. You can spot the gaps fast when they sit side by side. My japonica has thick, glossy leaves about 4 inches long with a deep green shine. The sasanqua leaves run smaller and thinner with a matte look to them. My sinensis leaves look the plainest of the three. But I pick them young in spring and brew a nice cup of fresh tea from those leaves.
All camellias belong to the Theaceae family. That is the tea plant family. This is why sinensis gives us the tea you and I drink every day. One key split between japonica and sasanqua is how their flowers fall apart. Japonica drops the whole flower at once in a soft thud. Sasanqua sheds one petal at a time in a slow scatter. In Japan, samurai stayed away from japonica. They said the falling bloom looked like a dropped head. Sasanqua had no such bad link tied to it.
You will face the camellia japonica vs sasanqua pick at the nursery often. Here is how you tell them apart fast. Check the bloom season on the tag first. If it flowers in October or November, you have a sasanqua in your hands. If it blooms from January through March, that is a japonica. Then check the flower size. Japonica blooms run bigger and showier. Sasanqua flowers stay smaller and have a more simple look to them.
Your plant's growth habit gives you another solid clue. Japonica grows upright and compact with a tighter shape. Sasanqua tends to spread out and works as a ground cover in some types. I once bought what I thought was a japonica at a local plant sale. It bloomed a full two months before I expected flowers to show. Turns out it was a sasanqua the whole time. When I first started growing these plants, I made mistakes like this all the time. Now I always read the species name on the tag before I put any plant in my cart.
Your best move at any nursery is to check three things on the label: species name, bloom month, and mature size. This tells you what you have and where to put it in your yard. Both types make great garden plants for you. They just fill different roles. Use japonica where you want bold winter color from January through March. Use sasanqua where you need a fall hedge or a plant that takes more direct sun. You can even plant both types and enjoy blooms from October all the way through spring.
Read the full article: Camellia Japonica: A Complete Guide
