William Passing an elderly man pruning, I remarked, 「椿がきれいですね」and without looking up, he retorted 「椿でなくて山茶花。」(“Beautiful tsubaki!” - “They’re not tsubaki; they’re sazanka.”) After all these years in Japan, I should have known. Both are members of the tea family (yes! steep their leaves for an adventurous drink!), but the Camelia sasanqua blooms about a month earlier (which is now) than the better well-known Camellia sinensis. Wikipedia notes, “The generic name Camellia is taken from the Latinized name of Rev. Georg Kamel, (1661–1706).” (Kirk makes me cite my sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_sinensis) An interesting point about both variants is that they bloom before bugs awake. This explains their wide-splayed petals and large pollen amount: they are pollenated by birds. Pictured: Sazanka (annoy botanists at your peril).