Camellia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, native to eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas to Japan. There are 100-250 described species and 3,000 cultivars. The Camellia was named after Jesuit botanist Georg Joseph Kamel and is famous throughout East Asia for its use in tea. It is also used as an ornamental plant and has white, pink, red or even yellow flowers. Camellias require a large amount of water and will wither quickly in droughts. They are fast-growing and were cultivated in China and Japan for centuries before their introduction to Europe.