C.M. Hovey

003 , 012  C.M. Hovey

(C.japonica), Haggerston, 1850, Magazine of Horticulture, p.141, 142: “From Hovey and Co. a seedling camellia; form of flower rounded to the centre and full; petals broad and smooth, generally perfect; colour a bright crimson scarlet; size of flower, large.” It was exhibited at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society as Seedling I in 1853 and awarded the Society’s large gold medal. Their description was as follows: “Leaves, large, 12.5 cm long by 5 cm wide, ovate acuminate, deep green, glossy, finely nerved, slightly wavy, large and coarsely dentated. Flower buds, obtusely ovate with clear greenish scales. Flower, very large, 2

11 cm in diameter, full and perfectly double to the centre and of great depth. Colour; rich, vivid crimson scarlet. Petals; large, bold, imbricated, symmetrically arranged and nearly entire to the edge. Habit Very robust and vigorous, flowering freely.” Hovey offered the variety for sale in 1878 at Covent Gardens, London. It was described with the name C.M. Hovey in the Gardeners’ Chronicle, 2nd ser.11:422, 1879 with the announcement that it had received a First Class Certificate from the RHS. Orthographic variants of the name that have been published include: ‘Charles Mason Hovey’, ‘Hovey C.M.’ and ‘Charles Hovey’. Orthographic errors: ‘C.E. Hovey’, ‘C.N. Hovey’, ‘C.M. Hovez’. Synonyms include: ‘Colonel Firey’, ‘Firey King’, ‘William S. Hastie’, ‘Mississippi Hastie’, ‘William S. Hastie’(Miss.), ‘Solaris’, ‘Colonel Fyrie’, ‘C.M. Hovey Number 66’.