Today camellias are grown as ornamental plants for their flowers; about 3,000 cultivars and hybrids have been selected, many with double or semi-double flowers. C. japonica is the most prominent species in cultivation, with over 2,000 named cultivars. Next are C. reticulata with over 400 named cultivars, and C. sasanqua with over 300 named cultivars. Popular hybrids include C. × hiemalis ( C. japonica × C. sasanqua) and C. × williamsii ( C. japonica × C. saluenensis). Some varieties can grow to a considerable size, up to 100 m 2, though more compact cultivars are available. They are frequently planted in woodland settings, alongside other calcifuges such as rhododendrons, and are particularly associated with areas of high soil acidity, such as Cornwall and Devon in the UK. They are highly valued for their very early flowering, often among the first flowers to appear in the late winter. Late frosts can damage the flower buds, resulting in misshapen flowers. [16] Li, S.; Liu, X. Cold-pressed oil extraction of camellia seeds. In Proceedings of the 2011 International Conference on New Technology of Agricultural, Zibo, China, 27–29 May 2011; pp. 135–138. [ Google Scholar]

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Mainly due to habitat destruction, several camellias have become quite rare in their natural range. One of these is the aforementioned C. reticulata, grown commercially in thousands for horticulture and oil production, but rare enough in its natural range to be considered a threatened species. Shi, T.; Wu, G.; Jin, Q.; Wang, X. Camellia oil authentication: A comparative analysis and recent analytical techniques developed for its assessment. A review. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 2020, 97, 88–99. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef]Wang, X.; Zeng, Q.; Verardo, V.; del Mar Contreras, M. Fatty acid and sterol composition of tea seed oils: Their comparison by the “FancyTiles” approach. Food Chem. 2017, 233, 302–310. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] Zhong, H.; Bedgood, D.R.; Bishop, A.G.; Prenzler, P.D.; Robards, K. Effect of added caffeic acid and tyrosol on the fatty acid and volatile profiles of camellia oil following heating. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2006, 54, 9551–9558. [ Google Scholar]