“What Camellias Have Seen”: Public lecture

Lecture at the Huntington Library and Gardens on February 19, 2026.

Wendy Cheng, professor of American Studies and Ethnicity at University of Southern California, explores the impact of camellias in Southern California.

Southern California is an important site for camellia history. Closely related to tea plants, ornamental camellias come from East Asia and began circulating globally via circuits of the British Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries, and subsequently in the US as well. In mid-20th century California, camellia history intersected with the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and rare camellia varieties were prized by wealthy businessmen who shaped many of the cherished gardens and landscapes of Los Angeles. This talk traces local, regional, and global routes of camellia migration and cultivation as well as the motivations and desires of the individuals who cared for them.

View a recording of the lecture here.