Splendid and OHMYGOD look at the size of those flower buds nursting to open! I am jealous, mine are still "not wuite there". Enjoy, Dave! A nice Christmas present from Mother Nature to you this year perhaps? Ha! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

It might be related to 'Korean Fire' or 'Longwood Valentine'.

Here is a link that might be useful: PHS Gold Medal Plants

Just wanted to add that this plant is at the National Arboretum. It is not mine. Wish it was. The label just said Camellia japonica species -- from Korea.

'Korean Fire' has much thinner leaves, so I don't think it's that.

I think it was a camellia that was collected in the wild...or at least some seed from the wild in Korea.

i think i have its twin in my garden!
grew this one from seed collected from my neighbors shrub.
the flowers on that one were bi-colored white with red stripes and more of a loose peony form.
i, too, really like the color and simplicity of the flower. the flowers have only about 6-8 petals. the very long buds look like rose buds when closed tightly and resemble tulips as they open.
perhaps it is a common look for open-pollinated red camellias?
{{gwi:502015}}

I believe many seeds were collected in the 1980s from those "remote Korean islands" and grown out. Some got named like 'Korean Fire'; the ones at the National Arboretum might just be unnamed ones leftover from that collecting trip. I think it was Barry Yinger who organized those collections in cooperation with the National Arboretum...he was director of the Asian collection there IIRC.

It looks a lot like one that Bill Blankenship posted on facebook. Check it out. He just called it an original as is written up in the Macoboy book, pg 18, I think

I'm sorry. The narrow-leaved one I was thinking about was 'Kuro Delight'.