Derived from the research work on indigenous camellia plants of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Ket (Former Vice President, Dalat University), Dr. Luong Van Dung (Faculty of Biology, Dalat University) and his colleagues, nearly 10 years ago, rare and endemic camellia plant varieties from the forest were collected, propagated and planted by the research team at Dalat University. Now, rare and precious camellia flowers are blooming on campus.
With a passion for natural camellia species, the research team has traveled throughout the mountainous areas of Lam Dong to collect, research and propagate camellia species. After three years of implementation, the research team published the results for the project “Investigation, collection and propagation of Camellia species in Lam Dong” in 2014. Since then, the endemic and precious tea species of Lam Dong have been collected, propagated and planted in the campus of Dalat University, forming a camellia collection garden with species considered endemic to Lam Dong and Vietnam, contributing to the conservation of camellia populations that are in danger of extinction.
Since that day, Dr. Luong Van Dung and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Ket have collaborated with organisations (Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, Cat Tien National Park, etc.) and artisans and collectors (Mr. Tran Hoang Than, Mr. Nguyen Trong Hung) to collect seeds and plant them at the campus of Dalat University. Up to now, some plants have flowered and bear fruit, the plan to build a garden to collect indigenous camellias of Vietnam at Dalat University has gradually come true. Camellia flowers have bloomed at the university of the city of thousands of flowers. This can be seen as a sweet fruit for the feat and love for this simple but beautiful flower.
The idyllic but attractive, gentle but beautiful appearance of camellia flowers really makes them special. That is the pure beauty of a flower species growing in the depths of the forest that perhaps not all flowers have. Prominent among the green of the foliage are pink flowers with bright yellow stamens. Among the flowers are countless tea buds waiting to be displayed. Among the many flowers planted on the campus, camellia still has a special attraction. Although the weather in Dalat is erratic, it does not affect the camellia flowers’ pure and luxurious beauty. On sunny days, the sweet pink color of flowers seems to be exalted against the deep blue sky, and on rainy days, the wet petals after the rush of rain in Dalat move the hearts of beauty lovers even more.
Camellia varieties are not only beautiful, but also have high medicinal value. The applications of camellia species in life have been the inspiration of many domestic and foreign researchers. According to the publication plan in 2022, research articles on indigenous camellia species will be published in the “Special issue on Yellow Camellias at the Central Highlands of Vietnam” of Dalat University Journal of Science in the third quarter of 2022. This special issue is expected to contribute to the research on camellia varieties in the Central Highlands in particular and Vietnam in general.
The successful collection, propagation and planting of endemic camellia varieties on the campus of Dalat University not only helps bring wild flowers to the city but also contributes to the conservation of this rare flower. At the same time, the camellias growing areas at Dalat University will also become an interesting place to visit.
Department of Journalism and Communication
Translation: Nguyen Hoang Nam Phuong
