Camellia Apples

[D. F. Peer]

A camellia japonica that I've had for 15 years or more has suddenly, and inexplicably, sprouted what appear to be "fruit." These are small green apple-like adornments. I have a number of camellias, but this is the first time this phenomenon has occurred. Did this plant get itself pregnant some dark night this past spring? Can anyone tell me what this tree is up to? If a picture would help I would be glad to supply one.

[David Lee]

"D. F. Peer" <***@open.org> wrote in message news:23ec6$43360759$c7026721$***@OPEN.ORG...
A camellia japonica that I've had for 15 years or more has suddenly, and inexplicably, sprouted what appear to be "fruit." These are small green apple-like adornments. I have a number of camellias, but this is the first time this phenomenon has occurred. Did this plant get itself pregnant some dark night this past spring? Can anyone tell me what this tree is up to? If a picture would help I would be glad to supply one.
Sound like the fruit to me - when ripe they should turn woody and split open to release the seeds. All my gardening books recommend that camellias be dead-headed after flowering and so none of them describe the fruit but I believe that they are apple-like when young in C. japonica.

David

[Bob Hobden]

"D. F. Peer" wrote
A camellia japonica that I've had for 15 years or more has suddenly, and
inexplicably, sprouted what appear to be "fruit." These are small green
apple-like adornments. I have a number of camellias, but this is the first
time this phenomenon has occurred. Did this plant get itself pregnant some
dark night this past spring? Can anyone tell me what this tree is up to? If
a picture would help I would be glad to supply one.

Yes, it's just the fruit, obviously your plant has become mature now. Quite
normal, they will get woody and eventually split open to reveal....nothing.
Quite unusual to find any seeds inside, one of ours has hundreds every year
and I have yet to find a seed such that I have given up looking.