Famous people & tamellias

摘要

Naming camellias is both an art and a joy with many named for family and friends we love and cherish. Other camellias are named in honor of famous people and these include presidents, queens, generals, and even one pope. We frequently recognize thesefamous people, but not the camellia namesake. Only two camellias are named for Presidents of the United States of America after they became President. They are 'President Lincoln', a medium red, anemone flower, and 'President Franklin D. Roosevelt', a crimson red, medium formal double to peony flower. There is also an attractive variegated plant of the latter camellia. The red flower color is a good fit for powerful men in positions of authority like these Presidents. In surveys of historians ranking the U.S. Presidents, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and F.D.R. are consistently ranked in the top three. Presidents Washington and Dwight D. Eisenhower had camellias named after them prior to being elected President when they were generals. In many Presidential surveys, 'Ike" is among the Top Ten. Richard Nixon also had a camellia named after him prior to his becoming President. He usually is ranked in the middle of these surveys, with some considering him "great", or "near great", and others downgrading him for his ethical behavior related to the Watergate break-in and cover up. Regardless of one's opinion about the man and his presidency the camellia named after Nixon is lovely. It has a large, anemone white flower, with shades of pink and stripes of rose pink. (Figure 1: 'Richard Nixon').