Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mountain Camellia (Mountain Stewartia)
Stewartia ovata
Also called mountain stewartia.
Large white camellia-like flowers in July on a rare Appalachian small tree with orange-red fall color.
Showy flowersRareFall colorTolerates shade
- Type
- Small tree
- Mature height
- 10–20 ft
- USDA zones
- 5–8
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Sun
- Part
- Soil moisture
- Average
210
Mountain stewartia grows on wooded stream banks of the southern Appalachians and Cumberland Plateau and is seldom seen in cultivation. It wants moist, acid, well-drained soil and afternoon shade; there it produces three-inch summer flowers when little else blooms, then brilliant fall color. Slow and choice.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
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