Ecology and Cutting Propagation of Camellia mairei var. lapidea in Vietnam

Abstract

Camellia mairei var. lapidea belongs to Theaceae family, which has beautiful red flowers used as ornamental plant and seed oil is edible. In this study, C. mairei var. lapidea was first found to have natural distribution in Northwest Vietnam. It grows naturally in an evergreen broadleaved forest on the elevation of 2,100 m above sea level. There were only two adult individuals found, which bloomed and fruited numerously. Ripen fruits were much available on the forest floor, however seedlings or saplings were not available. C. mairei var. lapidea grows on Ferralsols soil with a soil depth of > 1.2 m, low rock content, low soil moisture, and well-drained soil. The maturity individuals may reach to 12 m tall and 18 cm in diameter at breast height. C. mairei var. lapidea flowers during December-February and ripen fruits appear during May-July. After ripening, whole fruits fall with fruit cover and seeds inside. C. mairei var. lapidea exhibits significant potential for vegetative propagation through cuttings, with IBA at 0.5% (w/w) in powder form being the most effective treatment. Even cuttings taken from the natural forest can achieve a rooting ratio of 40% with IBA 0.5%, higher than control of 33.3% at 4 months of growth. With the treatment of IBA 0.5%, cuttings also have the highest shoot number (1.8 shoots), highest root number (6.7 roots), and longest root length (2 cm). It is recommended that further studies should be conducted for C. mairei var. lapidea to meet its potential for ornamental use and oil production.