VIRGINIA STEWARTIA 



Stewartia malachodendron Linnaeus 



The few species of stewartia found in the southeastern United 

 States and eastern Asia are all rare and local plants, familiar to few 

 botanists. Their beauty deserves for them a wider acquaintance. This 

 stewartia is a shrub growing from six to twelve feet high, and is 

 usually found in low woods. The unusual coloring of the stamens, 

 especially the anthers, gives the flowers a very remarkable appearance, 

 and the leaves in autumn are colored brilliantly with red and orange. 

 The genus name was given in honor of John Stuart, Earl of Bute, a 

 patron of botany, but Linnaeus adopted the name in the form Stew- 

 artia. It belongs to the Tea Family. 



Stewartia ranges from Florida to Virginia and west to Louisiana. 



The sketch was made from a specimen gathered on Ladys Island 

 near Beaufort, South Carolina. 



PLATE 333 



