 The earliest fossil record of "Camellia" are the leaves of †"C. abensis" from the upper Eocene
of Japan, †"C. abchasica" from the lower Oligocene of Bulgaria and
†"C. multiforma" from the lower Oligocene of Washington, United States.Camellias were cultivated in the gardens of China and Japan for centuries before they were seen in Europe.The German botanist Engelbert Kaempfer reported that the "Japan Rose", as he called it, grew wild in woodland and hedgerow, but that many superior varieties had been selected for gardens.