Camellia Flowers Symbolism & Spiritual Meanings

Archetype Studies, Empowerment, Flowers, Wellness

Camellia flower’s symbolism and spiritual meaning, the flower that may have started the American Revolution, and could start your own, or bring unity to what feels separate. Maybe they are both sides of the coin, but maybe this is the magic of the Camellia flower’s symbolism.

Camellias grow abundantly here in Portland, Oregon, where I live, but what always struck me was how they were the first flowers to bloom, even in the dead of winter in January. It was like the Camellia was always whispering to me, “Don’t give up, keep going, beauty is always here;” For that reason, camellia symbolizes resilience on a universal level; many stories across cultures will tell of that deep wisdom, as well as looking at the biology of the camellia plant. Now, let’s dive into learn more about what the camellia symbolizes and means in the details of her story on resilience.

Hi, beautiful Soul. My name is Lumalia Armstrong, and I’m a women’s retreat curator, somatic movement guide, author, and photographer here at Celebrate Again. I’ve been intensely studying the Camellia plant and what the mythology, structures, and stories of her history hold for us, so much so that I led a women’s retreat on the archetype of the Camellia in March. You can now watch the replay.

And if you’re curious, the photos in this article are from the camellia’s archetype women’s retreat.

As we explore it, you’ll see that the camellia’s deepest meaning and symbolism are unity and resilience. However, there is a lot more to that story than just those two words; let’s explore Camelia’s rich history and biological roots!

What is the Camellia?

The Camellia is an evergreen shrub (meaning she stays green all year, hello prettiness!) and is known for its lush, vibrant blooms that grow earlier in the winter months than most other flowering plants. The camellia flower has captivated hearts and minds across cultures for centuries. Originating from Eastern and Southern Asia, particularly China, Japan, Korea, India, and Indonesia, the camellia boasts a rich weaving of meanings and symbolism throughout human history.

The Root Meanings of Where the Camellia Flower is from

Camellias are native to Eastern and Southern Asia and have been cultivated for thousands of years. In Korea, they symbolize faithfulness and longevity and have been integral to wedding ceremonies since 1200 B.C.

In Japan, the camellia, known as “Tsubaki,” represents purity, beauty, and the transient nature of life. However, the flower’s tendency to drop off whole, rather than petal by petal, has also associated it with notions of a noble death among samurai, here the camellia flower symbolism is the fleeting beauty of existence.

Camellia Flower Symbolism and Multi-Color Meanings

If you’ve ever experienced camellias in your world, you’ll know they come in so many varieties and shapes. There are said to be over 200,000 varieties today!

The camellia’s allure is further enhanced by its diverse color palette, each camellia flower symbolism carries its own meaning:

White Camellia Flower Meanings: Signify purity and innocence. In some cultures, they are associated with mourning and are commonly used in funeral arrangements.

Pink Camellia Flower Meanings: Represent longing and are often given to someone who is missed, embodying the sentiment of yearning.

Red Camellia Flower Meanings: Symbolize deep love, passion, and desire, making them a popular choice in romantic expressions.

Want to journey down an archetype exploration? Find which self-love archetype meets you at the season of life you’re in. Take the Self Love Archetype quiz here.

Camellia flower Meaning Across Cultures

In Japan, the Camellia’s Geisha used the camellia; the traditional female entertainers often adorned their hair with camellia blooms, symbolizing grace and refinement.

Camellia oil, also known in Japan as “ Tsubaki oil,” has been integral to beauty rituals for centuries. Historical accounts suggest that as early as the 15th century, geishas and samurais utilized camellia oil to maintain their hair’s luster and skin’s suppleness. Geishas would apply the oil to achieve a sleek, glossy hairstyle, while samurais used it to protect their hair and armor from the elements. This enduring practice underscores the camellia’s esteemed place in Japanese culture.

The Higo camellias, characterized by their prominent stamens arranged in a sunburst pattern, were cultivated by samurai families. These flowers embodied the warriors’ values of honor and the transient nature of life.

Even in the forms of beauty and warriors, the camellia repeatedly holds this duality, the blend of the masculine, the warrior, and the feminine, the beauty, just like her biology.

Camellia Flower Meaning in the United States

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Alabama was in complete discord, struggling to integrate into a culture on the same front after being so separate for so long.

In an attempt to find unity, the governor’s wife, Latta Patterson, in 1959, suggested the Camellia as the state’s flower to bring unity. “The state flower must be bipartisan. It’s like apple pie. There’s nobody who doesn’t like a camellia.” Her intuitive knowledge and adornment led to the state integrating more over this new beloved plant, bringing them together. It replaced the previous flower, the golden rod, and helped bring a common ground for many people.

And there is a reason for that: Camellia’s biology even holds this union integration. To say whether Mrs. Patterson knew this or not is an interesting story to be able to go back in time and ask her if she knew or if the flower helped bring humans together.

Camellia Flower Spirital Meanings & Camellia Flower Symbolism in its Biology

Unlike many flowers that shed petals individually, the camellia often falls off the plant intact. The male and female parts of the plant stick together even in death, something quite rare in most flowers. (I don’t think the acts of unity that come with this flower are not a coincidence.) Even in Japanese culture, the camellia symbolized a noble death in samurai culture, as the entire bloom falls as one, symbolizing integrity and completeness.

One of the most fun and interesting biological symbolic meanings of the Camellia that has struck me in awe is its ability to withstand winter. Because the Camellia contains an anti-freezing agent, it can bloom one day, be in a blizzard the next, and continue to bloom the next day as the snow melts. No matter what hardships she is faced with, the Camellia holds this meaning that we can become resilient.

This is where the Camellia gets spicey; the leaves of the species Camellia Sinesis have a rich history in China and colonization. According to Chinese legend, around 2737 B.C., Emperor Shen Nong, a revered herbalist, and the so-called “Divine Cultivator,” was resting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. A gust of wind caused leaves from the Camellia sinensis tree to drift into the pot. Intrigued by the pleasant aroma and the water’s transformation, Shen Nong tasted the infusion and found it both refreshing and invigorating. This serendipitous event is celebrated as China’s mythical origin of tea drinking.

To this day, the Camellia sinensis is indigenous to a region encompassing present-day Southwest China, Northern Burma (Myanmar), and Northeast India. Its leaves, leaf buds, and stems are harvested to produce tea, which has become integral to many societies.

The leaves of Camellia Sinensis were originally wild-harvested and consumed as a bitter vegetable in soups and as a folk medicine. However, the East India Company significantly introduced tea to Europe, importing it from China during the 17th century. Tea quickly gained popularity in England, becoming a fashionable beverage among the aristocracy and eventually permeating all levels of society.

The widespread popularity of tea led the British government to impose taxes on its importation, aiming to capitalize on its demand. The Tea Act of 1773, intended to support the struggling East India Company by allowing it to sell surplus tea directly to the colonies, effectively maintained the existing tax on tea established by the earlier Townshend Revenue Act. American colonists perceived this act as an infringement on their rights, as it upheld taxation without representation.

In protest, American colonists orchestrated the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, during which they boarded British ships and dumped an entire shipment of tea into Boston Harbor. This act of defiance escalated tensions between the colonies and Great Britain, ultimately contributing to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.

Through its manifestation as the tea plant, the camellia has significantly influenced cultural practices, economic policies, and historical events across the globe. From its origins in Asia to its role in shaping Western history, the camellia’s legacy is a testament to the profound impact a single plant species can have on human civilization.

Camellia Flower Symbolism in the Archetypes

It’s no surprise that the camellia flower has so many meanings, symbolism, and messages for us. However, the theme that keeps sticking out to me is building resilience through unity. It’s as if how this flower evolved to stay and even return to the earth whole is an reminder to us as humans who have this tendency to divide when we disagree, maybe even within ourselves.

We often feel torn between what our head wants, what we think we need to do in life, and what our heart calls us to experience. Yet what if we fell in union with our desires and what we know? Knowledge is the protector and warrior; our minds and hearts are the lovers. The ones who want to be reckless sometimes, to live a beautiful life, are willing to get wildly uncomfortable, because why else did we come to this beautiful earth but not live it?

The camellia flower also holds this deep symbolic meaning of being one who dares to go first. As I sit with the Camellia, I’m reminded she’s the first one to show us that spring can still come even in the frost.

We often think we can only go one way, be one thing, or have to follow a specific, well-paved path to get to a particular goal or destination, when all true explorers and great humans of the past will tell you they are the ones who carved their own way. I think the Camellia is a flower that teaches us that. But not all are meant for the journey, and that’s ok.

Sometimes, we begin to carve a path and discover we need community, so we return home, gather our support, and begin again, united with our fellow warriors and with our loves, and begin the pilgrimage to a beautiful new world. The one where we get to honor not only this beautiful earth but the unique diversity and similarities it holds throughout time, space, and diverse cultures.

The camellia flower symbolism invites us to explore the depths of unity, resilience, and the power of what happens when we understand that maybe we aren’t just shaped by each other; do the plants around us also deeply influence the lives we live and embody?

The camellia flower’s rich history, diverse symbolism, and biological uniqueness serve as a testament to nature’s ability to mirror human emotions and experiences. Its enduring beauty and profound meanings continue to inspire and captivate, inviting us deeper into union.

Step into embodying the archetypes of the camellia, try my Camellia Retreat Archetype replay workshop.

In this a 90-minute invitation to dive into the medicine of the Camellia through embodiment and meditation practices. After the workshop, you can expect to leave feeling

a deeper sense of resilience,
more confidence in your own desires,
and balancing your own inner warrior and beauty, the masculine and feminine within us all.

Find Your Self Love Muse

Want to know if the Camellia Archetype is calling to support you? Find out inside my Self Love Quiz, where you can discover a self-love muse archetype to dive into a fun self-love exploration!