Stewartia

Plant Characteristics

Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Features:	✓	deciduous

Scientific Names

Theaceae >

Stewartia >

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Stewartia (sometimes spelled Stuartia) is a genus of 8-20 species of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, related to Camellia. Most of the species are native to eastern Asia, with two (S. malacodendron, S. ovata) in southeast North America. The Asian species include both shrubs and trees, growing to 3-20 m tall, while the American species are shrubs growing 3-5 m tall, rarely becoming small trees. The bark is very distinctive, smooth orange to yellow-brown, peeling in fine flakes. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, serrated, usually glossy, and 3-14 cm long. The flowers are large and conspicuous, 3-11 cm diameter, with 5 (occasionally 6-8) white petals; flowering is in mid to late summer. The fruit is a dry five-valved capsule, with one to four seeds in each section.

The species are adapted to acidic soils, and do not grow well on chalk or other calcium-rich soils. They also have a high rainfall requirement and will not tolerate drought.

Several species of Stewartia are grown as ornamental plants for their very decorative smooth orange bark and their flowers produced at a time of year when few other trees are in flower.

Read about Stewartia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Stewartia (in honor of John Stuart, Earl of Bute, a patron of botany; 1713-1792). Sometimes spelled Stuartia. Ternstroemiaceae. Ornamental woody plants chiefly grown for their large and showy flowers. Deciduous shrubs or trees with smooth flaky bark: lvs. alternate, short-petioled, serrate: fls. axillary or subterminal, short-stalked, with 1 or 2 bracts below the calyx; sepals and petals 5 or sometimes 6, the latter obovate to almost orbicular, usually concave, with crenulate margin, connate at the base with each other and with the numerous stamens; styles 5, distinct or connate: fr. a woody, usually hirsute caps., loculicidally dehiscent into 5 valves; seeds 1-4 in each locule, compressed, usually narrowly winged.—Six species in E. N. Amer. and E. Asia. The stewartias are very desirable ornamental plants, with handsome bright green, rather large foliage which turns deep vinous red or orange and scarlet in fall; they are very attractive in midsummer with their white cup-shaped flowers, which are in size hardly surpassed by any others of our hardier shrubs. S. pentagyna and S. Pseudo-Camellia are hardy as far north as Massachusetts, while S. Malachodendron is tender north of Washington, D. C. They thrive best in deep, rich, moderately moist and porous soil, preferring a mixture of peat and loam, and, at least in more northern regions, a warm, sunny position. Propagation is by seeds sown soon after maturity and by layers; also by cuttings of half-ripened or almost ripened wood in late summer under glass. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Species

Stewartia calcicola
Stewartia cordifolia
Stewartia crassifolia
Stewartia densivillosa
Stewartia koreana
Stewartia laotica
Stewartia malacodendron
Stewartia medogensis
Stewartia micrantha
Stewartia monadelpha
Stewartia obovata
Stewartia ovata
Stewartia pseudocamellia
Stewartia pteropetiolata
Stewartia rostrata
Stewartia rubiginosa
Stewartia serrata
Stewartia sichuanensis
Stewartia sinensis
Stewartia sinii
Stewartia villosa

Gallery

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External links

• w:Stewartia. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Stewartia QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)