Shanghai Daily news

The Shanghai Agrobiological Gene Center has developed a new species of camellia for the Expo which can blossom in summer.

Most camellias bloom from December to February but the Shanghai Expo 2010 is from May to October and it seemed impossible for the traditional Chinese flower to be part of the event.

However, the center found a rare species named camellia azalea, which blooms nearly all year, and after two years' domestication and innovation, the center has gradually acclimatized the flower to local soil and weather conditions. Camellia azalea is in full bloom from May to October.