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Mountain Camellia

Stewartia ovata

Found in moist forests; streams, rivers and their banks; forest edges and thickets. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

29
Good

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
10–15 feet
Spread
10–15 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 12.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
June to July
Fruiting season
August to September

Recorded in 10 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 128 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Stewartia

  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Stewartia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Theaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
White
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
September
Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Alabama rankS2S3
Global rankG4
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources