The great thing about getting a flower tattoo is that you can find a flower that fits your personality or means whatever you are looking for in a meaningful tattoo.
Floral tattoos have been the popular for many years. In addition, flower tattoos have been known for being great options for tattoo filler and background pieces. Floral tattoos are some of the most beautiful and coolest tattoos you can get. In addition, they come in a variety of colors and shapes.
In this post, we are going to talk about the camellia tattoo. The specific flower is very popular among those that choose to get floral tattoos. Like you would expect, the camellia flower has a great deal of symbolism surrounding it and therefore, the camellia tattoo would hold the same kind of meaning. We are going to discuss some facts about the camellia and talk about what this flower symbolizes.
We will also get into some of the different ways people choose to get the camellia flower tattooed. By the end of this post, we hope you have a better understanding of why someone might want to get the camellia tattoo and what it means to them.
About the Camellia
If you have ever seen a camellia, you will know why someone would want to have this tattooed on their body. They are some really beautiful flowers with a lot of meaning. Before we get into the meaning, we should learn a little bit about this wonderful flower.
The camellia belongs to the tea family and is an evergreen plant. These flowers are native to Asia and there are between 100 and 250 different species of the camellia. One interesting thing about this flower is that you won’t find them below 5,000 feet in the altitude. They also need a lot of water to survive.
Camellia are able to grow in the form of large shrubs and small trees. They can grow up to 66 feet tall. One version of this flower is called the zig zag camellia and it has many branches that shoot off in 45-degree angles on each node of the branch.
The camellia creates a glossy, thick leaves with edges that are serrated. They create showy, large flowers that have 5 to 9 yellow, white, pink, creamy or red petals. The center of the camellia has many yellow stamens. Some of the camellia even produce doubled or multicolored flowers.
Camellia Tattoo Meaning
As you might have guessed, if you know flowers, the camellia is packed full of symbolism and the people getting the camellia tattoo should be aware of what the traits are.
The camellia’s Chinese heritage leads to some pretty cool symbolism. In talking Chinese symbolism for the camellia, it symbolizes the union between two people that love each other. Each layered and delicate petal represents the woman in the relationship while the calyx, or the part that holds the petals in place, represent the man and protect the petals. The camellia also represents a love that is eternal as when the petals fall off the flower, the calyx dies as well.
Outside of the Chinese meaning, the camellia tattoo symbolizes admiration, affection and love. Each color the camellia grows in represents something different. For example, red camellias represent deep desire, passion and love. The pink camellia represents the pain someone feels when their loved one is gone. It is given to someone that is missed by another. Additionally, the white camellia tattoo is given to someone well liked. There is a strong admiration for the person that receives the white camellia.
The white camellia tattoo also represents patience and understanding. A great example of this being proven is from the story, To Kill a Mockingbird. Jem is upset with Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose for being a mean, racist lady who has no tolerance for anyone. Jem goes into her garden and cuts off all the camellia flowers. When his father, Atticus, finds out what Jem has done, he sends Jem back to Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose’s home every day to read to her.
By doing this, Jem starts to realize that she has demons just like everyone. In this case, she was dealing with a morphine addiction that had kept her captive for years. With Jem visiting and reading to her, Mrs. Dubose is able to work up the strength to kick the habit. When she finally passed, she gave Jem a white camellia flower inside of a box.
It was her way of saying she was sorry and that she had grown patience and tolerance through the time they spend together.
Camellia Tattoo Variations
The camellia has a distinct look, but it can still be tattooed in different styles and colors. As stated above, depending on the color, the camellia tattoo can mean a few different things. Below are some of the different styles we see the camellia tattoo inked in and we wanted to share.
Realism Camellia Tattoo
The realism camellia tattoo really captures the essence of the camellia. The realism tattoo is about as close as one can get to have a real camellia pinned to them. Realism tattoos look remarkable when done by the right people so make sure to do your research before getting your tattoo.
Watercolor Camellia Tattoo
Watercolor and flowers just seem to go hand in hand. The camellia flower is no different. With the flowing colors from the watercolor style, you can create a whimsical tattoo that will remind you of the traits you were going for all the while, looking like this tattoo was painted on your skin.
Black and Grey Camellia Tattoo
The camellia is even beautiful when tattooed in black and grey. Some people aren’t a big fan of color tattoos, so this is a great option. The meaning is still there; however, you may choose to get your tattoo with no color.
Whatever you decide, make sure you go to an artist who is competent in the style of tattooing that you are going to get. If you need help finding someone that get this done, reach out because we’d love to help.