Leaf
Chris Light, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Japanese stewartia
Stewartia pseudocamellia Maxim.
Also known as: Stewartia
Family: Theaceae
10 to 15 m tall (often less in cultivation)
Small ornamental collector's tree planted as a specimen, valued for its summer flowering and decorative bark.
Flowering: July – August
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its summer flowers resemble those of a camellia, but it is above all its bark, which flakes off in plates to reveal a patchwork of grey, brown and orange, that makes it a tree sought after by enthusiasts for its winter interest.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, alternate, ovate, finely toothed, turning orange to purple in autumn
🌸 Flowers
White, cup-shaped, with five petals and orange-yellow stamens, resembling those of the camellia
🍎 Fruits
Ovoid woody capsule
🪵 Bark
Flakes off in plates, giving a patchwork of grey, brown and orange, very decorative in winter
🗺️ Distribution
Native to Japan and Korea, grown as an ornamental collector's tree in Europe
🐝 Value for pollinators
Flowers visited by bees in summer
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted as a specimen on a lawn, in acid to neutral, moist, free-draining soil, valued for its interest in all seasons
🌿 Other Theaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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