Is the white camellia your birthday flower?

Were you born on November 11th? If so, there are two 'birthday flowers' for your birth date. One is the highly unusual Trichosanthes, which looks like a flower on a cob web, the other is white camellia. I don't have any photos of Trichosanthes, I don't recall ever seeing one in the wild, but I do have plenty of white camellia photos as they are very common in Japan.

Supposedly ancient people perceived something sacred not so much about the camellia flowers themselves but in the leaves of evergreen trees, which do not fall even in winter and remain green. There are several theories about the origin of the name: one is that it comes from "tsubaki" (strong-leaf tree) because the leaves are sturdy, another is that it comes from "tsuyahaki" (glossy-leaf tree) because the leaves are glossy, and another is that it comes from "atsubagi" (thick-leaf tree) because the leaves are thick!

In Japan camellia are an autumn to winter flower, but they also bloom in spring too. Typically the best time to see them in autumn / winter is November and December. In spring they usually bloom between February and April. Each of the colors of camellia have their own 'flower language'. The flower language of white camellias in Japan is "perfect beauty," "flawless charm," and "supreme loveliness." In the West white camellias represent adoration and / or loveliness.