Camellia Day

WHEREAS, the camellia japonica (Japanese Camellia) became the official state flower of Alabama by Act of the Legislature signed by Governor John Patterson in 1959; and

WHEREAS, the bill’s legislative sponsors were LaMont Glass and H.B. Taylor from Greenville, Alabama, and passed almost unanimously; and

WHEREAS, from 1927 to 1959, the state flower of Alabama was the goldenrod, which was shared with Kentucky and Nebraska; and

WHEREAS, the state of Alabama celebrates Camellia Day on January 7 each year, which coincides with the beginning of the peak camellia blooming season in the state; and

WHEREAS, the plants on the Camellia Walk at the state Capitol were delivered and planted by Alabama members of the American Camellia Society in honor of Dean M.J. Funchess, founder of Auburn University’s College of Agriculture and also one of the society’s first Alabama state directors; and

WHEREAS, one of the earliest promoters of camellias was Charles Langdon, former Secretary of State, a founder of Auburn University and founder of Langdon Nurseries in 1857, which for 50 years was a major source of camellias in the South; and

WHEREAS, the camellias in the United States National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., are from Alabama and were donated by Tom Dodd Nurseries and Overlook Nursery, both in Mobile; and

WHEREAS,  Alabama camellias may also be found in some of the world’s greatest gardens including Buckingham Palace in London and the Vatican Gardens in Rome; and

WHEREAS, founded in 1939, The Camellia Club of Mobile, Alabama, is the world’s largest local organization of camellia growers; and

WHEREAS, each year camellia shows are held in Auburn, Dothan, Birmingham and Mobile:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim January 7, 2014, as

Camellia Day

in the state of Alabama.