Stewartia

For the bivalve genus, see Stewartia (bivalve).
Stewartia as described by Philibert Commerçon is a synonym of Dombeya.

Stewartia
Stewartia pseudocamellia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Theaceae
Genus: Stewartia
L.
Species

See text

Stewartia koreana - MHNT

Stewartia (sometimes spelled Stuartia[1][2][3][4]) 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 in China, Japan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, with two (S. malacodendron, S. ovata) in southeast North America, from Virginia and Kentucky south to Florida and Louisiana.[3][5]

They are shrubs and trees, mostly deciduous, though some species (e.g. S. pteropetiolata) are evergreen; the evergreen species form a genetically distinct group and are split into a separate genus Hartia by some botanists,[5] but others retain them within Stewartia.[2][6] 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.[3][4][6]

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.[3]

  1. ^ Sprague, T.A. (1928). The correct spelling of certain generic names. III. Kew Bulletin 1928: 337-365.
  2. ^ a b Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Vascular Plant Families and Genera: Theaceae Archived 1997-01-02 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c d Bean, W. J. (1980). Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles 4: 507-513. ISBN 0-7195-2428-8.
  4. ^ a b Rushforth, K. (1999). Collins Photographic Guide to Trees. ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
  5. ^ a b Li, J., Del Tredici, P., Yang, S., & Donoghue, M. J. (2002). Phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of Stewartia (Camellioideae, Theaceae) inferred from nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS sequences. Rhodora 104: 117-133 (pdf file).
  6. ^ a b Flora of China draft account of Theaceae