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Forestry (situated in Changsha, Hunan Province, China)
consider C.oliefera to bear a peculiar xylopyhyta edible
oil. In a paper of September 2001 Chen Yong-Zhong and
Wang De-bin outline the selections and efforts to improve
the productive stock in the last 30 years. There is
untapped potential for collaboration with the Academy.
It is a cash starved institution researching oil offering
only part-known qualities. At the moment tea-seed oil
has been temporarily eclipsed by cheaper sources for
culinary, lubrication and myriad uses. Annual production
of this oil is estimated at between 25,000-28,000 metric
tonnes in China. (Japan calls the oil Tsubaki).
Cosmetic manufacturers claim that camellia oil can be
applied on the face, neck and hands with highly beneficial
results.
Light and colourless, Camellia oil is a preferred anti-corrosion
coating for woodworking tools. Camellia oil is so similar
to olive oil that it has been used as an adulterant
to the latter although it could actually be superior
to olive products.
The pruning applied to normal tea plants discourages
the formation of the tea-seed from which the oil is
extracted. Oil lies within the kernel, which makes up
some 70% of the seed weight. The oil can be refined
for edible purposes but the oilcake produced as a by-product
of oil extraction is unsuitable as animal feed due to
its saponin content. It is used as an insecticide in
China
There is a lack of reliable information for production
and yield, varieties, major pests and diseases or for
post harvest by-products.
I have now ruled out camellia oil as a potential
area for development in the UK at this point in time.
4) Fruit
Fruit is also a niche item sought by florists. It is
a small apple-like fruit often coloured red, hard and
usually glossy. The seeds within are frequently immature
or non-existent in our climate. Certain varieties, such
as “Adolphe Auddusson”, set seed frequently while others
may seed only when weather is hotter or when stress
in the environment such as drought and disease may trigger
it. Seedlings raised as a result of open pollination
have given rise to most of the hybrids in cultivation.
I did not find any evidence to suggest any development
potential for camellia fruit in the UK, so it is not
mentioned again in this Report.
5) Tea
Tea forms the main body of the study and this report.
However, the other Camellia products may adopt strategies
in common with tea that will realise benefits in a shorter
term.
Tea, including green tea, is always Camellia derived.
All other herbal beverages should not be called tea,
rather tisanes (see point 9, Herbal Infusions). Tea
types are mainly created by processing and then by plant
varietal differences.
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