Aspacia McArthur
An 1848 Macarthur seedling from Camden Park, NSW — one of the earliest Australian-bred camellias and a key figure in a prolonged international naming dispute.
One of the earliest Australian-bred camellias, originating as a seedling from the historic Macarthur collection at Camden Park, NSW — the estate that played a pioneering role in introducing camellias to Australia. The large peony-form flowers display white flushed flesh pink at petal bases and flaked with pink. The name became entangled in a prolonged international nomenclatural dispute with an Italian cultivar of the same name; Professor Waterhouse resolved the issue in 1952 by proposing the current name 'Aspasia Macarthur.' In America, the erroneous spellings 'Aspasia' and 'Aspacia' have been used as synonyms. Listed locally as 'Aspacia McArthur' and registered as 'Aspasia Macarthur.' Source: International Camellia Register.