pseudocamellia – pseudo, false, Camellia, referring to the flower which is reminiscent of a Camellia flower

Native range: Japan & Korea

Leaves:

• alternate
• simple
• no stipules
• leaves up to 2.5–3” long
• pubescent below
• acute tip

Flowers:

• radial, perfect, solitary in leaf axils
• paired bracts beneath sepals
• bracts always much shorter than sepals, sometimes missing
• 2–2.5” across
• 5 sepals & petals
• many stamens
• 5 styles
• white flowers w/ yellow filaments and orange anthers

Fruit:

• beaked capsule
• 5-valved
• 1” long
• often persistent through winter

Other characteristics:

• deciduous small tree to 50 ft.
• flowers in July/August
• bark reddish-brown, peeling in large pieces
• leaves reddish orange to dark purple in fall
• larger flower & capsule than S. monodelpha

Relevant info:

• known in Japan as the summer camellia, natsu-tsubaki

Ecology & Adaptations:

• native to mountains of Japan & Korea
• found in cool temperate forests on rocky, well-drained slopes at elevations of 1,250 and 2,625 ft.
• pollination:
  • by bees
  • flowers open in succession, so pollination period is extended
• seed germination:
  • dormancy is broken only after several months-long period of cold temperatures
  • this dormancy helps seeds avoid damaging effects of winter in the mountains
• herbivore/pathogen defense – phenolic compounds, lignans, and flavonoids produced in the leaves, stems and twig inhibit herbivory and microbial infection
• drought tolerance – vascular structures and dense wood may help plant maintain internal water pressure under drought conditions or peak daily temperatures
• cold tolerance – slow growth rate