Want to see a Methuselah of a camellia?
You’ll find a venerable specimen of Camellia japonica variety Alba Plena in the Johnson Public Library, Hackensack, New Jersey.
It’s in the north reading room near the east wall—perhaps the most winning proof we’ve ever seen of the camellia’s remarkable adaptability.
By written record, this camellia is at least 96 years old, perhaps even older.
Such age in a camellia growing outdoors in the South or a northern conservatory might not be especially remarkable.
But all during these 96-odd years, this camellia has been grown as a house plant!
96-Year-Old Camellia Japonica Variety “Alba Plena”
A camellia plant 100 years old might be expected to be a tree some 30’ feet tall under good cultural conditions.
This decorative plant is nearly 30” inches tall and about 46” inches wide.
It is now in a 14-inch clay pot. Although it appears a bit starved and lean, it is unquestionably healthy.
It has responded heartily to the feedings of Rhodo-Gro. The foliage, though scant, is shiny and attractive, and there is no sign of pests or disease.
The City Park Department repotted the plant every two or three years. Set outdoors during the summer, it is brought inside again in mid-October.
It is watered on alternate days; the soil level below the pot’s rim is sufficiently low to permit a thorough soaking at each watering.
Alba Plena is not the easiest camellia to grow, so it may be assumed that wide other varieties, given the same treatment, would have done at least as well.
The History Of This Aristocratic Plant
Venerable plants twine about themselves garlands of history.
This aristocratic plant has watched the town of Hackensack grow from the tiny Dutch-settled village of a century ago to its present position as the center of one of the fastest-growing communities of the country, just across the Hudson River by bridge or tunnel from New York City.
John Stevens of nearby Hoboken imported the first camellia to America in 1798, and the first Alba Plena reached him in 1800.
The plant in the 50-year-old Johnson Library originally belonged to the Williams, a prominent family in early Hackensack.
One of the Williams’ daughters, Amelia, belonged to the “Library Girls” group that administered the Library Association affairs.
In 1905, the plant had outgrown the Williams home and was given to the library by Amelia.
Her sister, Anna, who became a noted bacteriologist, now lives near Hackensack and is an ardent gardener.
44659 by Aleita H. Scott