Japanese name: ヒメシャラ（姫沙羅） Scientific name:Stewartia monadelpha
[Overview]
A deciduous tree up to 15 m tall, commonly seen in deciduous forests in the mountains on the Pacific side, especially in beech forests.
The trunk is reddish brown and peels off in thin flakes.
The branches grow upward.
Leaves are simple and alternate, elliptic, 4–8 cm long and 2–3 cm wide, with shallow serrations on the margin; the underside is hairless or has hairs only in the vein axils.
The flowers grow singly in the leaf axils and are white five-petaled flowers 1.5–2 cm across, shaped like the camellia (Tsubaki).
The fruit is elliptic with 5 ridges and has white hairs.
There is a wing around the seeds.
It resembles Natsu-tsubaki, but can be distinguished by its smaller leaves and flowers and by the leaves usually being hairless.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It prefers sunny, fertile places.
It is easy to grow, but caution is needed regarding the tea tussock moth (Chadokuga).
