Camellia plant named ‘CAM130’

A new and distinct cultivar of Camellia plant named ‘CAM130’ is disclosed, characterized by a distinctive compact, habit. Foliage is dark green and plants have been observed to have good disease resistance. The new cultivar is a Camellia, suitable for ornamental garden purposes.

Latin name of the genus and species:Camellia sinensis.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program by the inventor. The open-pollination resulting in the new variety was made August of 1998, at a nursery in Kulnura, Australia. The seed parent is the unpatented proprietary varietyCamellia‘CamG1’. The pollen parent is unidentified. The inventor discovered this new variety at the same nursery in August of 2002.

After identifying the new variety as a potentially interesting selection, the inventor first propagated plants of ‘CAM130’ by semi-hardwood vegetative cuttings during January of 2005 at the same commercial nursery in Kulnura, Australia. The inventor continued confidential, controlled testing and propagation (via semi-hardwood cuttings), assessing stability of the unique characteristics of this variety. Multiple generations have been reproduced and have shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar ‘CAM130’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, day length, and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype. The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘CAM130’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘CAM130’ as a new and distinctCamelliacultivar:1. Compact habit.2. Dark green foliage.3. Good disease resistance.

COMPARISON TO PARENT VARIETY

‘CAM130’ is similar in most horticultural characteristics to the seed parent varietyCamellia‘Buttons’. Plants of the new cultivar ‘CAM130’ however, differ in the following:1. The new variety has darker green leaves (near Yellow-Green 147A) compared to the seed parent (near Yellow-Green 146A).2. ‘Cam130’ has a different leaf cross section (flat—slightly concave) compared to seed parent (concave).3. Plants of the new variety are more compact than plants of the seed parent.

COMMERCIAL COMPARISON

‘CAM130’ can be compared to the commercial varietyCamellia‘Yabukita’, unpatented. Plants of the new cultivar ‘CAM130’ are similar to plants of ‘Yabukita’ in most horticultural characteristics, however, plants of the new cultivar ‘CAM130’ differ in the following:1. ‘Cam130’ has a shorter leaf blade (75-80 mm) than ‘Yabukita’ (95-110 mm).2. ‘Cam130’ has a more narrow leaf blade (av. 30 mm) than ‘Yabukita’ (av. 40 mm).3. ‘Cam130’ has shorter laterals (av. 30 cm) than ‘Yabukita’ (av. 50 cm).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart 2007 except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe ‘CAM130’ plants grown outdoors in the Summer, in Kulnura, Australia. Plants are approximately 12 months old, in 250 mm pots. The average day time temperature is around 22° C., average night temperature is around 13° C. Plants were grown under 30% shade cloth in a pine bark based potting media. Measurements and numerical values represent averages of typical plant types.Botanical classification:Camellia sinensis‘CAM130’.

PROPAGATION

Typically by semi-hardwood cuttings in Spring and Summer.Time to Rooting: 28-70 days at approximately 25° C.Time to produce a rooted young plant: About 4 months.Root description: Fleshy, new roots colored RHS White 155D.

PLANT

FOLIAGE

FLOWER

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

Disease and pest resistance: Good resistance toCamelliarelated leaf diseases such asPestalotiopsis. Neither resistance nor susceptibility to normal pests ofCamelliaobserved.Temperature tolerance: Cold tolerance to Zone 7. Heat tolerance to at least 35° C.Fruit/seed production: approx 3-4 seed per capsule, brown (near RHS N200), rounded approx 1 cm in diameter.