Stewartia ovata
species of plant
Stewartia ovata, known commonly as mountain camellia, is a small tree native to low to mid-elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains and nearby regions from Mississippi to Virginia. It is a member of the Theaceae, the tea family.
Although not endangered, the plant does have a limited range and is uncommon throughout its range. Mountain camellia grows in the understory of predominantly hardwood forests and tends to be found near streams, usually at elevations below 800 m (2,600 ft).
Description
Stewartia ovata is a deciduous flowering shrub or small tree growing to 5 meters (16 2/3 feet) tall, with smooth, flaking grayish-orange bark. The leaves are oval with an acute apex, 7–13 cm (2.8–5.1 in) long and 3–6 cm (1.2–2.4 in) broad, and turn orange, red, or gold when the tree becomes dormant in the fall. The flowers are camellia-like, 6–12 cm (2.4–4.7 in) in diameter, with five white petals and numerous white, yellow or purple stamens; they appear in early to mid-summer.
Varieties
There are two varieties:
Stewartia ovata var. ovata — flowers 6–8 cm diameter, stamens white to yellow.
Stewartia ovata var.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Stewartia ovata” is species of plant. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Stewartia, ovata and species, not as a finished interpretation.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 5, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q7615995. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Stewartia ovata” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.