Flowering shrub

Sasanqua camellia

Camellia sasanqua

Sasanqua camellia (Camellia sasanqua) is a shrub in the Theaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states.

🌷 Flowering shrubIntroduced in the lower 48

Sasanqua camellia is a popular flowering shrub. It's on our flower lists for 19 states.

4states where USDA records it

19Bloomipedia state lists include it

37U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Our state lists also include states where people grow it in gardens, so they can outnumber USDA's wild-plant records. Planted garden shrubs are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington

Quick look

Camellia sasanqua, with common name Sasanqua camellia or Christmas camellia, is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the genus Camellia, section Oleifera of the family Theaceae. It is native to southern Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. It has a long cultivation history in East Asia, used both as an ornamental plant and for seed oil extraction and leaf tea.
From Wikipedia's article Camellia sasanqua, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Theaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 10 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #148 among the 183 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 9 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #131 among the 167 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 6 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #137 among the 171 flowers on our South Carolina list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (4 records)

Bloom time in the 19 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Georgia	🌷 Garden	few records (2)	10
Alabama	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	9
South Carolina	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	6
North Carolina	🌷 Garden	few records (1)	4
Mississippi	🌷 Garden	few records (1)	3
Florida	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	2
Louisiana	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	2
Maryland	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	1
Arkansas	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
California	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Delaware	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
New Jersey	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
New York	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Oregon	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Pennsylvania	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Tennessee	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Texas	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Virginia	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Washington	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)

Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}

NatureServe global

GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 13 of our 19 states.

See each state

Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Maryland: Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). NatureServe has no Maryland rank for it. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe has no California rank for it. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Delaware: Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe has no Delaware rank for it. ^{DE rare plants 2024}
New Jersey: Not listed Not on New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1). NatureServe has no New Jersey rank for it. ^{N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1}
New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). NatureServe has no New York rank for it. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Oregon: Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe has no Oregon rank for it. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
Pennsylvania: Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe has no Pennsylvania rank for it. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe has no Tennessee rank for it. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe has no Texas rank for it. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Virginia: Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). NatureServe has no Virginia rank for it. ^2VAC5-320-10

Alabama

No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe has no Alabama rank for it.

South Carolina

No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in South Carolina.

Mississippi

No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe has no Mississippi rank for it.

Louisiana

No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe has no Louisiana rank for it.

Arkansas

No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe has no Arkansas rank for it.

Washington

No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead. NatureServe has no Washington rank for it.

Rare elsewhere

No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 23, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Camellia japonica (“Camellia”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records sasanqua camellia in 4 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina.

Names, range and relatives

Other Camellia on Bloomipedia (1): Japanese camellia.

More from the Theaceae family (3 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Japanese stewartia, Franklin tree.

More Georgia flowers

Japanese stewartia

Stewartia pseudocamellia

🌷 Flowering tree

🌷 Grown in Georgia gardens

Franklin tree

Franklinia alatamaha

🌷 Flowering tree

🌷 Grown in Georgia gardens

American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: June–August

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CASA26.
iNaturalist, Camellia sasanqua: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 23, 2026.
Wikipedia, Camellia sasanqua (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
State rare and invasive plant lists (30):
Show all 30 state lists
- Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
- Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
- South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
- North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
- North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
- Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
- Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
- Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
- Maryland: Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08).
- Maryland: Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List (COMAR 15.06.04.06; MDA, updated July 2026).
- Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
- California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
- California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
- Delaware: Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list).
- Delaware: Delaware Invasive Plant List (3 Del. Admin. Code § 806-3.0).
- New Jersey: New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1).
- New Jersey: New Jersey prohibited invasive plant species (Invasive Species Management Act; propagation banned from Jan 1, 2027, sale from Jan 1, 2030).
- New York: New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3).
- New York: New York prohibited and regulated invasive species (6 NYCRR Part 575).
- Oregon: Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070).
- Oregon: Oregon noxious weed quarantine, A and B weeds (OAR 603-052-1200).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023).
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List (3 Pa.C.S. § 1519, PA Dept. of Agriculture) (PDA's page spells garlic mustard “Allaria petiolata”; we match it as Alliaria petiolata).
- Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
- Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- Virginia: Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10).
- Virginia: Virginia noxious weeds (2VAC5-317-20, Tier 1, 2 and 3).
- Washington: Washington State noxious weed list (WAC 16-750-005, -011, -015).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 23, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Camellia sasanqua (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
Photo: Kim via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.