Camellia japonica ‘Lady Clare’ Synonym for ‘Akashigata’
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4 thoughts on “Lady-Clare”
I have grown Lady Clare for many years learning about it from my grandmother Doris O’Neal Walden from Dublin, Ga. During my childhood I remember it as “Empress” being 10 to 12 feet tall always full of beautiful rose colored flowers that she often floated in her birdbath ( which is now a part of my garden in Athens,Ga.) and I still float blooms in it thinking of my sweet grandmother and all she taught me! Lady Clare also has a white sport called White Empress I grew from a cutting! Same growth habit and flower it’s just white!
‘Lady Clare’ was a variety imported to England in 1887 from Japan and renamed from its Japanese name of ‘Akashigata’. I don’t know whether it was taken from England to America or re-imported to America from Japan but it seems to be known over there as ‘Empress’. The Southern California CS refer ‘Empress’ to ‘Lady Clare’ whereas the Camellia Register refers both to ‘Akashigata’. ‘White Empress’, according to the Register , was a seedling raised from imported seed by Sawada in Alabama in 1939, so unless the seed came originally from ‘Akashigata’ in Japan, there would seem to be no connection. That seems very unlikely as it is supposedly a sterile triploid. Unless of course, the Register has it wrong; altogether a possibility. There is no reference to a white sport of ‘Lady Clare’/’Akashigata’ in the Register but without describing them as sports, it lists “other forms” of ‘Akashigata’ as Ōniji, Destiny, Linda Laughlin, and Mrs Leroy Epps; all of which seem to be bicolored forms. ‘Ōniji’ sounds it would be a virus variegated form, the others, from their descriptions, it is unclear. I have found a picture of ‘Destiny’ which appears to be chimaeral, so it would be quite possible that there is a solid white sport out there somewhere but if there is then perhaps ‘White Empress’ is not a valid name. From their descriptions, it is not clear whether the others are chimaeral. Phew, you could spend half a lifetime pinning down the history of just one variety.
Jim's Camellias 
I have grown Lady Clare for many years learning about it from my grandmother Doris O’Neal Walden from Dublin, Ga. During my childhood I remember it as “Empress” being 10 to 12 feet tall always full of beautiful rose colored flowers that she often floated in her birdbath ( which is now a part of my garden in Athens,Ga.) and I still float blooms in it thinking of my sweet grandmother and all she taught me! Lady Clare also has a white sport called White Empress I grew from a cutting! Same growth habit and flower it’s just white!
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‘Lady Clare’ was a variety imported to England in 1887 from Japan and renamed from its Japanese name of ‘Akashigata’. I don’t know whether it was taken from England to America or re-imported to America from Japan but it seems to be known over there as ‘Empress’. The Southern California CS refer ‘Empress’ to ‘Lady Clare’ whereas the Camellia Register refers both to ‘Akashigata’. ‘White Empress’, according to the Register , was a seedling raised from imported seed by Sawada in Alabama in 1939, so unless the seed came originally from ‘Akashigata’ in Japan, there would seem to be no connection. That seems very unlikely as it is supposedly a sterile triploid. Unless of course, the Register has it wrong; altogether a possibility. There is no reference to a white sport of ‘Lady Clare’/’Akashigata’ in the Register but without describing them as sports, it lists “other forms” of ‘Akashigata’ as Ōniji, Destiny, Linda Laughlin, and Mrs Leroy Epps; all of which seem to be bicolored forms. ‘Ōniji’ sounds it would be a virus variegated form, the others, from their descriptions, it is unclear. I have found a picture of ‘Destiny’ which appears to be chimaeral, so it would be quite possible that there is a solid white sport out there somewhere but if there is then perhaps ‘White Empress’ is not a valid name. From their descriptions, it is not clear whether the others are chimaeral. Phew, you could spend half a lifetime pinning down the history of just one variety.
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I added Destiney to my collection and she is lovely . Blooms are lighter pink with darker pink splotches . Worth purchasing if you have the room .
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Not available in the UK to my knowledge; it presumably shares ‘Lady Clare’s spreading growth habit?
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