Stewartia pseudocamellia Koreana (Korean Stewartia)

“Sturdy shrub to medium-high tree with a broad, pyramidal crown that eventually becomes oval. The smooth grey to grey-brown bark scales in thin plates to reveal beige orange, cinnamon to purplish brown bast. This produces a decorative trunk. In autumn the leaf turns a lovely orange to orange-red. The single flowers open from the end of June into July, but this can sometimes persist into August. The flowers are white with yellow stamens and resemble Camellia. The blossom is replaced by woody capsules. These burst open into five segments at the tip. Young plants may be damaged by severe frost. Although separated in the literature, ‘Koreana’ is not much different from the species. Features such as the slightly larger, less bowl-shaped flowers and a more orange autumn colour are also found in Japanese populations of S. pseudocamellia.”