The Camellia Lineage from Seiohbo
西王母から見る椿の系統
Tokyo, Japan Shinichi Noguchi
Observation of Ovary Hairs
Seiohbo(西王母) is the author's favorite camellia. The best thing about it is that it has a long
flowering period, so each flower can be enjoyed slowly for a long time. From a botanical point ofview, is one of the Japanese camellias are without hair on the ovary, but

Seiohbo was

discovered to have hair on the ovary, and is considered to be a camellia of unknown origin.
Some people believe that it is related to the Wabisuke camellia, which also has a hairy ovary.
Since the history of this variety is not clear as to why the cotyledons are hairy, I think it must be
a very old variety, and I suspect that the name "Hino" (from Camellia japonica illustrated around1700), which is recorded from the early Edo period, may refer to this species. This is because"Seiohbo" looks very similar to the flower depicted in the sketch of the same illustration (seephoto).

The real Seiohbo and Hino in the Camellia Flower Illustrated Book ( 椿花図譜 1700)
I imagine that various camellia species have been introduced to Japan since the earliest
unrecorded times, and that this may have given rise to such mysterious camellia flowers as
Seiohbo. If camellias from other countries were introduced much later, there must be somerecord somewhere of the introduction of a species with hairy ovary. The fact that somehorticultural varieties have hairy seedlings, which have been handed down since ancient times,
is considered as one of the evidences that such an unknown camellia was involved(crossbreeding), even if it is not described in the literature.
Now, there is some disagreement as to whether or not Seiohbo is a wabisuke (wabisukecamellia). This is because the position of researchers and others on how wabisuke should beunderstood is completely different. In horticultural culture, wabisuke originally refers to thesmall butterfly wabisuke（小蝶侘助）, which is considered to be a camellia that produces pollen
and blooms normally. (See the description of Wabisuke in "Hyakka Tsubaki Nayoseirotuki 百花
椿名寄せ色付".) The wabisuke's stamen (wabidium,侘助の花心) is a normal shaped stamen.
This is also evident from the fact that the stamen is depicted in yellow in color drawings in all old
documents from the Edo period (1603-1868).
Now, from a botanical point of view, this does not mean that it is degenerate, since blooming
without producing pollen is explained as male sterility, a kind of deformity in which the stamens
have developmental defects. Even if we consider wabisuke (wabiske) as a species or a variety, if
it degenerates so that it loses its reproductive organs, it is fatal and the species will become
extinct. Male sterility is genetic, but I think it is a mistake to use the word degenerate to describe
the inability to produce pollen (no anthers or stamens), whether it appears in a single flower or a
double flower. In other words, I disagree with the idea that the wabisuke (even as a collectivenoun) must have male-sterile stamens, both in a botanical sense and in a horticultural sense,
as well as with the idea that the wabisuke (even as a collective noun) must have degenerated
stamens(no pollen).
Although this essay is largely concerned with wabisuke as a collective noun, I will not to
use the word "wabisuke" to avoid misunderstanding. Wabiske is originally a botanical variant
name given to the siro-wabisuke(白侘助), and researchers are divided to admit individual
garden varieties, such as Seiohbo and Tarohkaja(太郎冠者), are wabiske or not. Some are
regarding they are different botanical species, others are setting them different horticulturalgroup.
)The horticultural variety that led the author to think about the hairs on the ovary of Seiohbo
isIdaten (韋駄天). Since not much is known about this Edo camellia, an observation drawing

is shown below. And old illustration of Honzouhanamakie 本草花蒔絵（1739）.

野口原図

Idaten drawing
Idaten in Honsouhanamakie
This variety was acquired in the 1980s by the author's father, Shuji Noguchi, the owner of
Noguchi Farm at that time, from an old gardening farmer (Tinkaen 椿花園) in Kawaguchi
City. According to what Noguchi told me, the "Idaten" variety had been temporarily missing

until just before that time, but the garden had records of its previous sales, and the owner
was able to find this variety when he went to the place where it had been delivered, relying
on the sales records. The owner of the garden went to the supplier based on the sales record
and was able to find this variety. (I had seen a variety with a "韋駄天" tag at a botanicalgarden, but it was a double-flowered variety, and the tag was different from the description
in the camellia catalog "Tinkashu" (椿花集 1879、 Early Blooming , White and Single Flower,
Medium Size) in the Meiji era.)
When the author grew this variety, it indeed started blooming in October. The leaves andthe shape of the tree were different from those of similar known white single-flowered
varieties. The flowers are unique, with white stamens (male sterility). I submitted the above
history of this camellia to "Nihon Tsubaki Sazanka Meikan" (1998), as I thought it was a very
important Edo camellia, as the garden had stopped producing camellias after that. I also
submitted it again to the "Latest Japanese Camellia Pictorial Book" with a photo of anotherflower at the beginning of blooming. This was because the explanation I had reported was
not published both times in accordance with the traditions and history. The photo wasadopted, but Noguchi alone claimed to have applied the name Idaten to this variety.
Moreover, it has been determined that this variety is a different one because its
characteristics are at odds with ancient documents. In other words, the flower shape iscompletely different from the description in the "Honzo Hana Makie" (1739). They say that it
is not an old and genuine japonica because it does not "bloom in a vase shape like abellflower(桔梗の如く壺咲き）. They say we use the name of an old variety without a valid
reason.
The figure is shown in the Honzo Hana Makie. The figure is shown below. As you can see,
it is drawn as a normal single flower.
It is true that the same book describes it as "きき屋うのごとくつぼさ起," but the pictureof the open flower does not retain the shape of a bellflower. Usually, when tubular flowers
start to bloom, the petals are folded in the middle to form a bellflower-like shape.
Single-petaled flowers that begin to open all take the shape of a vase, and there is no flower
that does not bloom in such a way. Descriptions in ancient texts depend on how the maker
did describe, looking at them. The same book also describes "Bokuhan,( 卜 伴 )", thedescription of Bokuhan's flower shape also begins with "hanagata tsubosaki hitoe..." . But it
did not say that the petaloid part is also white. It is not unusual for even legitimate varieties
to differ from the current descriptions of their flowers. If we ignore the fact that the othercharacteristics of this variety are consistent with the descriptions of ancient varieties and callit a different variety ,only because the flower shape is described differently, then there is no
one today who calls a vase-flowering variety. This means that the same book's Bokuhan isnot a legitimate variety. Thus, there is no doubt that this variety is an Edo camellia (Edocamellia Iidaten) that has been handed down to the new collection of camellia flowers (新選椿花集) in the Showa period.
The anthers are white at the beginning of blooming, as if it were a large White-wabisuke(白侘助). (See Photo below.) Not only that, but also the ovary have a few hairs on it. (SeePhoto 1)

(Photo 1) Idaten's ovary, hairs on the lower
part of the ovary

しん

子房の下部に毛を持つ、韋駄天の雌蕊と真ぐり（雄性不稔）で咲く花。

Idaten’s Flower 白侘助より花は大きい。
As shown in Photo 1, only the lower part of the ovary has hairs. This point also caught myattention. This is because this type of hair growth on the ovary is very similar to that of Seiohbo.
There were many old garden varieties known in the postwar boom of Edo camellia, but there isno other Seiohbo type variety with hairy ovary like this one. It is a very important old variety from
historical and botanical points of view.
Therefore, I also examined the seedlings of Seiohbo. There are three varieties related to
Seiohbo, one of which is "Ginza" ((Yurisibori x Seiohbo), whose father is Seiohbo, and the otheris "Fubukimyohrenji" (single, shortly striped, large flower, Photo 2) and "Fuyusakura" (see Photo12, below), which were seeded from Seiohbo.

(Photo 2) 吹雪妙蓮寺 (Fubukimyohrenji)

flower shape similar to Akebono and Beni

Myorenji, bowl-shaped, large-flowered, extremely early blooming, selected from naturally
seedlings of Seiohbo. 西王母の自然結実の実生から選別。子房元部のみ毛がある。早咲き。
Two of the three varieties had no hairs on the ovary, but the Fubukimyohrenji variety had
so many hairs that it seemed to have more than the Seiohbo variety. The hairs grow only on
the part of the ovary close to the saucer, exactly the same way as on Seiohbo. There are nohairs above the lateral part of the ovary.
I also examined other Seiohbo seedlings. I found the same type of flowers on theseedlings of three crosses: Seiohbo × Kaga Wabisuke (single pink medium-size , Photo 3),
Seiohbo ×Ohsakazuki (large red double-flowered flower, Photos 4 and 5), andEdithaetsubaki × Seiohbo (single medium-sized pink flower, Photos 6 and 7). All have hairs
growing at the base of the ovary as well.

(Photo 3) Seiohbo × Kaga Wabisuke (peach color, single-layered, medium-sized flower;
photo of flower omitted)

Young fruit hairs (西王母 X 加賀侘助、子房の毛は上部にはない。)
As the fruit fattens up, you can clearly see the hairy parts of the ovary. The hairs on the small
fruit can only be seen as shiny reflections when photographed.

（写真４）西王母（子房元毛）×大杯（子房無毛）（Photo 5）Seioubo × Ohsakazuki 若い果実の花 (Photo 4)

Seioubo × Ohsakazuki)

若い果実の毛、元に生えている（写真６）エディタエツバキ×西王母の花（写真７）エディタエツバキ×西王母（父系）子

枝葉は無毛でエディタエツバキに似ない。

房毛 (Photo 7)(Photo 6)
In all of the crosses, only one seedling has been obtained for each of the combinations,perhaps because of the poor maternal fertility of Seiohbo, and perhaps because thematernal line of Edithae camellia is a double-flowering variety. It is very difficult tocrossbreed. Kaga Wabisuke is a variety with dense hairs on its ovary, and some people
speculate that it is related to Seiohbo. The Ohsakazuki is the first camellia azalea hybrid.
Both camellia azalea and Ohsakazuki have hairless ovary.
The flowers of the double-flowered Edithaetubaki are very similar in shape and color tothose of the old Edo camellia (Camellia japonica 紅車), and it is a unique species from China
with long hairs on its branches and leaves. The calyx is large, dark brown, and does not fall
off even after the flowers have finished. （The sepals holds in the same way when the fruit
matured.) Surprised by the results of the observation of the seedlings( these hybrids of

edithae), I observed the double-flowered form in detail again.
An observation chart is shown below.

Camellia edithae
野口原図
The single-flowered basic species of Editae camellia (Chinese name:尖萼紅山茶) is said to be
missing and is not known. The hairs on the double-petaled seedlings of this species have notbeen studied in detail. The illustration of "A REVISION OF GENUS CAMELLIA" (basic species)
depicts a hairless ovary. The description says that the ovary is "hairy, hairless or slightly
hairy.``
As you can see in the observation drawing, the pistil of this double-flowered species issmall and the pistil is often deformed because it is a double-flowered, and the pistil isdifficult to observe. I observed several flowers and found that the ovary of all flowers hadhairs only slightly growing at the base, the lower part of it. This is the same type as the hairy
Seiohbo.

Types of hairs on the surface of ovary

子房表面毛のタイプ

After continuing our observation from the discovery of the hairs on the ovary of camellias inthis way, we found a number of seedlings with the same ovary hairs as those of Seiohbo. Since
the leaves do not look much like those of Seiohbo, I am not sure if Idaten is directly related to
Seiohbo or not, but I could sense a relationship between the two. In fact, many of thehorticultural varieties known to be Seiohbo's seedlings have hairless ovary, which is notuncommon in my seedlings. This is not surprising to anyone, since it is thought to be a crosswith other hairless cultivars. According to natural hybridization, most of the hairless camellias
are the result of crossbreeding, so the ovary hairs on the seedlings do not appear and disappear
in the seedlings.

Also, if Shirowabisuke and Kochohwabisuke, which have a few hair on the ovary, are hybrids
between an all-over hairy species, (Salween camellia, or Pittard camellia and so on) and ahairless species (assumed to be Camellia japonica), Seiohbo may also be among continuous
individual variations caused by intermediate hybrids.
However, the fact that the seedling from cross between the dense hair Kaga Wabisuke also have
Seiohbo type hairs suggests that the Seiohbo type is strongly heritable to some extent. Also, thefact that this type of hairy camellia (editae camellia) was observed in the original species,
suggests that the hairs at the base of the ovary are not an intermediate type, but rather aseparate type. Following this line of thought, we have divided them into a separate type forconvenience.
Cultivated varieties, which are not considered to be wild, are classified into four types: thosewith hairs on the entire surface of the ovary (Tarokaja type, dense hair type), those with hairs on
the sides of the ovary and none on the tips (Shirowasuke type, lateral hair type), those with hairson the base of the ovary and none on the sides or above (Seiohbo type, base hair type), andhairless type. (See the schematic diagram below.) This may seem a bit theoretical, but let's
move on for the sake of what follows.

Observation of interior hairs 室内毛の観察
Now, apart from the hairs on the outer surface of the ovary, some species of camellias are
known to have hairs on the interior wall of the ovary (the interior hairs). The author and hiscolleagues also made observations on the Kibana Kaydan Camellia and Kaydan Camellia(Hydrangea hydrangea), which were introduced directly from Vietnam. As a result, it was
confirmed that they have indoor hairs. We were also able to confirm that some of the otherspecies that have been conventionally introduced to Japan also have this indoor hair growth.
Also, although it may not be well known, Seiohbo and the following horticultural varieties also
have interior hairs.

室内毛のある原種ツバキと園芸品種の名簿 （筆者発見確認）Camellia species andcultivars with interior hairs.
C.amplexicaulis（ハイドウン）, Kibana kaidou camellia（黃花海棠椿）, Large golden flower tea(grandis 大金花茶), Small fruit golden flower tea(小果金花茶), C.petelotii（chrythantha 金花茶） , Concave vein golden flower tea（C.impressinervis 凹脈金花茶）, Straight vein golden flowertea （ C.multipetala 直 脈 金 花 茶 ） , husuiensis( 扶 ス イ 金 花 茶 ), C.vidalli, C.quephongensis,
C.hongkongensis.
Kamohon'ami, Sagahon'ami, Kakureiso, Okinoshima, Surusumi, Ginza, Shiratama, Tamanishiki,
Tamakaze, Dainichi no Akebono, Itokazari, Kotamanishiki, Akebono, Kouhoh, Syokoh, Kikaamo

hon'ami, Akebono, Hon'aminishiki, Tama`amaogawa, Dewatairinn (Taiheiraku), Kougetu, Koubai
Masayoshi, Tamagasumi, Takaranohana, Nihon no Homare, Fuyuzakura,(with surface hair) Seiohbo, Kagawabisuke, Sirowabisuke, Hinawabisuke, Fubukimyohrenji,
Asukakou, Kiegao, Gekkounishiki, Tsukikage (C.flava x Kihou) Himekaidou-tubaki.
The outer hairs on the ovary of Seiohbo, Shirowasuke, and other varieties are also often a few
abundant and occasionally almost nonexistent. The horticultural varieties with few ovary hairs
are admitting indeterminate hybrids, and the amount of inner hairs may be very few or none
(invisible), the same as the outer hairs. The original camellias (wild species) may also differ fromthe author's observations, depending on the strain. The names of the varieties mentioned arethose that had at least a few hairs, and sometimes I saw a ovary that did not have hairs.
See photos 8, 9, 10, and 11 for cross-sectional views.

Photo8 C.peterotii (Kinkacha)(Photo9) 白侘助 Sirowabisuke

金花茶の子房（写真８）胚珠と室内毛 が見える。
白侘助の子房（写真９） 子房外面の花托に近い部分に毛が無く、横部側面に毛が多い。
室内毛も生えている。（Photo 8）Embryo and interior hairs of C.chrythantha.
(Photo 9) C.reticulata f.wabiske a dead embryo and inner hairs, outer hairson the surface of the ovary.

西王母の子房（写真 10）(Photo10)Seiohbo
部屋の断面 西王母の室外毛はスカート状

正義の子房（写真 11）(Photo11) Masayoshi
室内毛は少ないが生えている。

に広がる子房元部にだけ生えている。子房の内底部に室内毛が見えている。
The Edo camellia is said to have developed through the crossbreeding of the yamatsubaki(Camellia japonica) and saruiwa camellia (snow camellia,rusticana). The author has reported
botanical observations of some horticultural varieties of Edo camellia, such as theirmorphological characteristics that differ from those of camellia species, and reported
observation of the Edo camellia`s seedling`s development and circumstantial evidence. I
have also discussed depicted camellias in ancient documents from this perspective. As anothercircumstantial evidence of my theory, I can point to the observation of the interior hairs I havedescribed here. Since this interior hair is not found in Japanese wild camellias, I imagine thatsome other species with interior hairs may be involved in their establishment of the oldhorticultural Edo-tubaki. .
I am also looking at the seedlings of Seiohbo from this botanical point of view. I have noticed
that some of the seedlings have interior hairs on the ovary. As I mentioned earlier, I have beenpresenting seedling varieties of Seiohbo. They are Ginza (Yurisibori x Seiohbo), Fubukimyorenji,
and Fuyuzakura. Of the three varieties, Ginza (from Seiohbo's father's lineage) and Fuyuzakura
do not have external hairs on the ovary . However, all three varieties have inner hairs. (See Photo
12: Fuyuzakura's indoor hairs)（Photo 12） cross section of ovary of Fuyuzakura

Flower 早咲きの冬桜の花（写真 12）冬桜の子房 子房の断面 外壁面毛はない。 室内壁面毛は生えている。
These facts confirmed that the inner hairs, a trait of the parent Seioubo, can be inherited fromboth paternal and maternal lines, and it was not necessarily linked to the outer hairs of theoffspring. Some of my Seiohbo seedlings, whose names have not been announced, have noouter hairs, andhave no inner hairs at all. Although inner hairs are not necessarily a strong

trait to be expressed, it seems that there is a strong tendency to be inherited in the same way ashairs on the surface of the ovary at crossbreeding of the Camellia japonica family of garden
varieties.
The same can be said for observations of hybrids of the camellia species ( they are notdirectly related to Seiohbo, and they have not been named and published.) I have not been able
to obtain specific photographs of the hybridizing seedling. I have observed from crosses with
inner hairless horticultural varieties and C.flava, C.hongkongensis, and C.quephongensis (all ofwhich have both outer and inner hairs), but both outer and inner hairs have appeared in the first
generation of hybrids.
Seedlings with derived hairs that appear to be from different species may have both traits
from different parents. The light yellow double-flowered Asukakou is a seedling of the motherspecies C,chrysantha(with indoor hairs) and the father variety Lasca Beauty ( reticulata
camellia-type, with outer hairs no inner hairs), but Asukakou has both external and internal hairson the ovary. And C,chrythantha cross line, Kiegao, has external hairs (derived from Egao) andalso has inner hairs (derived from C,chrythantha).Egao has no internal hairs.

Phylogenetic study 椿の系統を探る
I report the relationship between the surface hairs of the ovary and the interior hairs of
the ovary on horticultural varieties and original camellias with a schematic diagram.. I think thisis an important observation for phylogenetic discussion of the establishment of old horticulturalvarieties, assuming that another species` blood is involved.
模式図（子房の断面） 子房毛の８タイプの関係 cross sectional views.

8 ovary hair types of species and cultivars,

Now, this observation of Seiohbo has led to knowledge concerning the formation of Seiohbo
itself. Furthermore, through observations of horticultural varieties and original camellias, wewere able to infer that there is another botanical lineage involved in the formation of the Edocamellia. The hairs on the ovary are a trait common to many species across several sections of
the genus camellia. We were also able to confirm that this hair is inherited in modern newcultivars and seedlings that are known to be related to species that have ovary hairs.
Thus, the author believes that the most complex botanical traits may be that of Seioubo. The
botanical clarification of Seiohbo may be the key to unraveling the systematic mystery of theestablishment of the Edo camellia (old cultivars made in the Tokugawa era.)
If Hino (Hinohayazaki) in the Camellia Flower Illustrated Album (椿花図譜) is Seiohbo, as theauthor imagines, then it is the Hino-dono camellia of the Hyakuchinshu (1633 Anrakuan
Shakuden). It is said that the Hinodonotubaki was created in the Sendo Palace in Kyoto under
the guidance of Sir Hino Sukekatsu. in medieval times. What kinds of camellia gave birth to
Seiohbo as the child of?