Japanese name: ナツツバキ（夏椿） Scientific name:Stewartia pseudocamellia
[Overview]
A deciduous tree up to 15 m tall, found in deciduous forests in the mountains on the Pacific side.
From about the tenth year, the bark begins to peel off, producing a distinctive mottled pattern.
Young branches at first have white hairs.
Leaves are simple and alternate, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 4–10 cm long and 2.5–5 cm wide, with shallow serrations on the margin and long hairs over the whole underside.
The flowers grow singly in the leaf axils and face upward.
The flowers are white five-petaled flowers 5 cm across, shaped like the camellia (Tsubaki).
The petals have vertical wrinkles, wavy edges and fine serrations.
The fruit is ovate with 5 sharp ridges, and the tip suddenly narrows into a needle-like point.
The seeds have no wing or a narrow wing around them.
It resembles Hime-shara, but can be distinguished by its larger leaves and flowers and by hairs over the whole underside of the leaf.
[Uses]
It is used as a garden tree, and is also often planted at temples in imitation of the Buddhist sacred tree sala (Sara-soju).
[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).
