Question 1

True or false: Middlemist's Red is actually a species of rose, not a camellia.

Accepted Answer

False. Despite its name, Middlemist's Red is a camellia (Camellia japonica 'Middlemist's Red'), not a rose. The name is misleading.

Question 2

True or false: This camellia blooms bright red flowers, but only for a few weeks each spring.

Accepted Answer

True. It produces deep pinkish-red double blooms, typically appearing in spring, with a short flowering period.

Question 3

True or false: Middlemist's Red can only be found growing wild in the forests of New Zealand.

Accepted Answer

False. It is not native to New Zealand. One specimen is cultivated at Waitangi Park in New Zealand; the other is in a UK greenhouse.

Question 4

True or false: Middlemist's Red is considered the rarest flower in the world, with only two known locations.

Accepted Answer

True. Only two known specimens exist: one in New Zealand and one in a UK greenhouse. It was brought from China in 1804.

Question 5

True or false: The flower was originally discovered in Japan by botanist John Middlemist in the 1800s.

Accepted Answer

True. John Middlemist brought the camellia from China to England in 1804, but it was likely cultivated in Japan earlier.

Question 6

True or false: The flower was named after a 19th-century British explorer who discovered it in Africa.

Accepted Answer

False. It was named after John Middlemist, a British nurseryman who brought it from China, not an African explorer.

Question 7

True or false: Middlemist's Red can be propagated easily from cuttings, so its rarity is mostly a marketing gimmick.

Accepted Answer

False. It is notoriously difficult to propagate, which contributes to its extreme rarity; it's not a marketing ploy.

Question 8

True or false: Middlemist's Red is extinct in the wild and survives only due to human cultivation.

Accepted Answer

True. No wild populations are known; only two cultivated plants exist, making it functionally extinct in nature.

Middlemist's Red Trivia Questions