[ kə'mi:lɪə , -'mɛlɪə ]
■ noun an evergreen East Asian shrub related to the tea plant, grown for its showy flowers and shiny leaves. [ Camellia japonica and related species.]
Origin
mod. L., named by Linnaeus after the 17th-cent. Moravian botanist Joseph Kamel (Latinized as Camellus ).