Virginia Tech Dendrology

mountain-camellia Theaceae Stewartia ovata (Cav.) Weath. symbol: STOV
Leaf: Alternate, simple, broadly ovate, long pointed, to 5 inches long; dark green and shiny above, paler and hairy below; margins entire with fine hairs along the edge (ciliate).
Flower: Very attractive, to 3 inches across, with 5 white fringed petals surrounding showy yellow-orange anthers; appearing in early summer.
Fruit: Dry 1 inch long woody capsule, egg-shaped but sharply pointed, 5 parted.
Twig: Slender, zigzag, light reddish brown; buds flattened and covered in silky white pubescence; leaf scar with 1 bundle scar.
Bark: Ridged and furrowed with gray-brown rounded-top ridges and orange-brown furrows.
Form: A small tree or large shrub to 20 feet tall.

Additional Range Information: Stewartia ovata is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information