Stewartia monadelpha seeds (Orange Bark Stewartia)

Description

Aptly named Orange bark for its lustrous cinnamon coloured tissue paper thin flaking bark. Small simple finely toothed glossy leaves emerge in spring to give a rich green background for the white fragrant blooms that start in June. Flowers appear continuously for about 4 weeks and fall cleanly away. In fall, the foliage is ablaze in brilliant scarlet that rivals anything else in the garden. Pest free and easy to grow. It was one of the first species I personally planted in our new garden. Fast growing. Heat tolerant…ideal for warmer gardens. Long lived.

• Seed Count: 12-15
• Collection Date: November 2024
• Hardiness Zone: 6-9
• Height and Width: 10m x 5m.
• Germination test type: hand sort
• Family: Theaceae

How to germinate Stewartia monadelpha seeds:

Soak for 24 hours. Seeds should swell. If seeds don’t swell, briefly GENTLY scarify by rubbing seed with a small amount of sand between your palms. Use a plate to catch any fallen material. Resoak for 12 hours. Use a baggie of sterile moist medium or sow in a nursery pot and warm stratify 120 days at 15-18 C. Never let seed dry out. After the 120 days, the seed now needs to 90 days of cold stratification to complete the cycle. Expose to Spring like conditions of 20C for germination. Sow 4 mm deep, tamp soil and mulch helps retain moisture.