also: さんざか · さんさか · さんちゃか
noun
sasanqua; Camellia sasanqua
A flowering evergreen shrub native to Japan, blooming in autumn and winter. Often planted in gardens and parks.
庭にサザンカが咲いている。
Sasanqua are blooming in the garden.
サザンカはツバキに似ているが、花びらが
Sasanqua resemble camellias, but their petals fall one by one.
Camellia japonica; blooms later (winter to spring) and the whole flower drops off, while sasanqua petals scatter individually.
The Japanese name サザンカ is believed to derive from the Chinese reading of 山茶花 (shān chá huā), but the exact phonetic shift is uncertain.