250 CHINESE ECONOMIC TEEES 



THEACEAE 



Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, entire, leathery or membranous. 

 Flowers usually perfect, regular, generally showy, axillary, solitary or 

 clustered'; sepals 5 (5-7), imbricated; petals 5 (4-9), free or slightly 

 connate below; stamens numerous, rarely fewer, free or connate, usually 

 adnate to the base of the corolla; ovary superior, 3-5 (-10) celled; 

 ovules 2 (l-many) in each cell; styles as many as the cells, free or 

 connate. Fruit a capsule, or drupaceous, or dry and indehiscent. 



Sixteen genera and about 174 species. Theasinensis (Tea) is the 

 most important member of the family. Actinidia is now placed under 

 Dilleniaceae. Ternstroemiaceae is a synonym of the family. 



KEY TO GENERA • 



I. Stamens monadelphous ; fruit a woody 5-angled capsule; styles 5 

 Stewartia. 



II. Stamens 5-adelphous ;. style 1; fruit a woody 5-6 celled capsule.. 

 Gordonia. 



STEWARTTA 



Deciduous shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, serrate, short petioled. 

 Flowers axillary or aubterminal, large, white and showy, subtended by 

 the bracts; sepals 5; petals 5; stamens numerous, monadelphous; styles 

 5, free or connate. Fruit a 5 angled woody capsule dehiscent into 5 

 valves. Seeds usually narrowly winged, 1-4 in each cell. 



About 6 species in China, Japan and E. America. 



Stewartia sinensis Rehder & Wilson. 



Shrub or tree to 10 m. tall. Leaves membranous, oblong- elliptic to 

 obovate-elliptic, acuminate, base narrow or slightly rounded, remotely 

 or acutely serrate, yellow-green and glabrous above, sparingly pubescent 

 below, 6-10 cm. long, 2-4 cm. wide; petiole 5-8 mm. long. Flowers 

 solitary, white; bract leafy, 2-2.5 cm. long; stamens monadelphous; style 

 connate. Fruit subglobose, pointed, 2 cm. across. Seeds about 1 cm. 

 long, compressed, with a brown wing. 



Hupeh, Szechuan, Kiangsi. 



