Stewartia pseudocamellia
Botanical Name: Stewartia pseudocamellia
Common Name: Japanese Stewartia
Plant Hardiness: Zone 5
Flower: Large white flowers that are cup shaped holding golden-orange anthers inside. Each flower fades quickly but there are numerous buds that open over time
Bloom Time: Throughout July
Foliage: Deep green leaves fade to shades of yellow, red and purple in the fall
Fruit: A long, dry capsule that persists into winter but is not showy
Habit: Medium sized upright pyramidal tree. Slow growing and difficult to transplant. While liking sun it does not tolerate a hot afternoon sun
Size: 20 to 40 feet tall in the landscape but nearing 60 feet in the wild
Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial sun
Native Habitat: Japan
Other Features: The exfoliating bark is a beautiful feature especially in winter. Plates of bark peal off to expose different shades of red and green
Description
Description: Stewartia pseudocamellia is an interesting, relatively small, tree notable for its white flowers which bloom in July at a time when very few other trees are giving much of a show. The flowers are about 2 inches in diameter forming a cup shape. This is a relatively slow growing tree so it will take quite a while for it to reach its maximum height of 60 feet. It has more or less a pyramidal upright shape. Personally, I find the most interesting aspect to be its exfoliating bark, being red and peeling off in large flakes to show a light green to white underbark. We feel that because it is hard to transplant, container-grown trees would be an asset to our customers. We have yet to solve the problem of growing Stewartia in containers and we are experimenting with several different methods at this time, but our production is very limited.
