Stewartia koreana
Korean Stewartia

Description

General: Native to Korea, S. koreana is a deciduous, slow growing tree with a slight pyramidal growing habit that will grow to 20-30 ft.

Leaves: Alternate. Dark green elliptical, mildly serrulate leaves that turn a bright red to reddish purple in the fall.

Flowers: White solitary flowers, with 5-6 petals and yellow stamens open up in June-July. Flowers open wider, more of a flattened look, than most other species of Stewartia. Here at Great Hill, our average bloom time is July 5.

Fruit: Inconspicuous

Bark: Exfoliating bark, which ranges in color from soft grays and tans to orange and reddish browns.

Culture

Growing Conditions: They prefer a partly shaded to full sun area, in which their roots are shaded during the hottest periods of the day. They particularly like sheltering from other trees to block high winds. They favor a rich, moist, well-drained, acidic loam.

Maintenance : Minimal.

Transplanting: Difficult. It prefers not to be moved. But we have had no reported problems when the plant has been dug during the spring, before bud break.

Hardiness
Some books report it as USDA Zones 6-7 others at 5-7, but here at Great Hill (Zone 5) we have several growing which have had no noticeable winter dieback or other problems related to winter hardiness. S. koreana has been reported as the most heat tolerant of the stewartias.

Experience at Great Hill
Overall, we have been successful growing Stewartia koreana.

Attributes
A wonderful specimen plant, which should not be hidden in the landscape, Stewartia koreana offers beautiful flowers in the summer, leaves that turn a brilliant shade of red in the fall, and bark which serves as an interest all year round, especially in the winter.