Ah, Dick, you've made me think of how much koi and camellias share in their heritage. The Tamanoura could never win in a camellia show today. The flowers do not open wide, the petals are crimped and notched, and overall the flower is modest in size... mediocre conformation and poor size, but a nice pattern. Rather like prized koi in earlier times.
Imagine finding an original of the Torazo Sanke.... a glorious thing to be appreciated for what it represents, but not worth a breeder taking up pond space these days.
Marco: The idea of a platinum cat has me smiling.
Barb: We get fungus issues, but nothing serious. I am about as far south as one can go and still raise camellias. As a result, only the early and mid-season varieties are reliable. These are the ones so often hurt by freezes further north. But, the late season varieties will not bloom here. It is too warm by then.