Stewartia malacodendron
Encyclopedia
Stewartia malacodendron (Silky Stewartia or Silky camellia or Virginia stewartia) is a species of plant in the genus
Stewartia and family Theaceae
. It grows slowly into a large deciduous
shrub
or small tree
, typically 3 to 4.5 meters tall, but sometimes as tall as 9 meters. It is native from southeastern United States from the Coastal Plain area, found growing on the side of streams, ravines and wooded bluffs in well draining soils.
. The young stem
s are hairy, the buds are covered by two overlapping scales with silver hairs. The branch
es tend to grow with a horizontal orientation from the main stem with the foliage produced on shorter stems branching off these horizontally orientated branches. The alternately arranged, dark green, simple leaves are 50 to 100 mm long (2 to 4 inches) with finely toothed margins covered with fine hairs on the undersides, especially on the veins. The leaves are ovate to elliptical in shape with sharp pointed tips. The flowers are 60-90 mm wide(2.5 to 3.5 inches), showy with five white colored petals. The stamen
s have purple filaments and blue colored anthers that fill the middle of flat, cup shaped corollas. The flowers are born singularly from the leaf axils on short stalks with two floral bracts (2-4 mm long) that remain after flowering is done. Flowers with five green sepal
s each 8-11 mm long and 5-9 mm wide. Blooming in July and August in the northern part of its range and blooming in April in the southern part of its range. Rounded, woody seed capsules
are produced after flowering, each capsule with 4-5 chambers and if fertilized, each chamber has 2-4 seeds. The wingless seeds are full, ovoid in shape and purplish to reddish-brown in color with a shiny sheen, each seed is 5-7 mm long and 4-6 mm wide.
S. malacodendron is native to Texas, where it is rare, being found in a small area along Little Cow Creek near Burkeville, blooming in April and May. S. malacodendron is also found in scattered locations in the states of Arkansas, Georgia, Florida (panhandle region), Louisiana and southern Alabama and as far north as Virginia. This tree species is listed as endangered in the US states of Arkansas and Florida.
'Silky camellia' has been cultivated in the US since 1752, though it is not a common garden subject. Plants have a slow growth rate, are difficult to transplant and are a challenge to propagate
. It grows best in partial shade in well draining soils.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Stewartia and family Theaceae
Theaceae
The Theaceae is a family of flowering plants, composed of shrubs and trees. Some botanists include the family Ternstroemiaceae within the Theaceae while others do not...
. It grows slowly into a large deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
or small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
, typically 3 to 4.5 meters tall, but sometimes as tall as 9 meters. It is native from southeastern United States from the Coastal Plain area, found growing on the side of streams, ravines and wooded bluffs in well draining soils.
Description
Silky camellia is an under-story woodland species with rich brown colored barkBark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
. The young stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
s are hairy, the buds are covered by two overlapping scales with silver hairs. The branch
Branch
A branch or tree branch is a woody structural member connected to but not part of the central trunk of a tree...
es tend to grow with a horizontal orientation from the main stem with the foliage produced on shorter stems branching off these horizontally orientated branches. The alternately arranged, dark green, simple leaves are 50 to 100 mm long (2 to 4 inches) with finely toothed margins covered with fine hairs on the undersides, especially on the veins. The leaves are ovate to elliptical in shape with sharp pointed tips. The flowers are 60-90 mm wide(2.5 to 3.5 inches), showy with five white colored petals. The stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s have purple filaments and blue colored anthers that fill the middle of flat, cup shaped corollas. The flowers are born singularly from the leaf axils on short stalks with two floral bracts (2-4 mm long) that remain after flowering is done. Flowers with five green sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s each 8-11 mm long and 5-9 mm wide. Blooming in July and August in the northern part of its range and blooming in April in the southern part of its range. Rounded, woody seed capsules
Capsule (fruit)
In botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a structure composed of two or more carpels that in most cases is dehiscent, i.e. at maturity, it splits apart to release the seeds within. A few capsules are indehiscent, for example...
are produced after flowering, each capsule with 4-5 chambers and if fertilized, each chamber has 2-4 seeds. The wingless seeds are full, ovoid in shape and purplish to reddish-brown in color with a shiny sheen, each seed is 5-7 mm long and 4-6 mm wide.
S. malacodendron is native to Texas, where it is rare, being found in a small area along Little Cow Creek near Burkeville, blooming in April and May. S. malacodendron is also found in scattered locations in the states of Arkansas, Georgia, Florida (panhandle region), Louisiana and southern Alabama and as far north as Virginia. This tree species is listed as endangered in the US states of Arkansas and Florida.
'Silky camellia' has been cultivated in the US since 1752, though it is not a common garden subject. Plants have a slow growth rate, are difficult to transplant and are a challenge to propagate
Plant propagation
Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...
. It grows best in partial shade in well draining soils.