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Arabella Lennox-Boyd
John Grimshaw, Ross Bayton & Alan Elliott (2017)
Recommended citation
Grimshaw, J., Bayton, R. & Elliott, A. (2017), 'Styrax wuyuanensis' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Shrubs 1.5–3 m tall. Branchlets sparsely brown stellate pubescent. Leaves papery, alternate or opposite on lowermost part of branchlet; 3.5–6 × 1–3 cm, leaf blade elliptic to elliptic-ovate, glabrous but veins sparsely brown stellate pubescent, three to five secondary veins on each side of the mid-rib, margin remotely serrulate, apex acuminate to caudate; petiole 0.2–0.5 cm. Inflorescences pseudo-terminal raceme of 2 or 3 flowers or to a single axillary flower; pedicel 1.5–2 cm, glabrous. Flowers ca. 3 cm long; calyx brown, glabrous; 5-toothed, corolla tube ca. 0.3 cm; lobes to 1cm long,ovate-lanceolate, stellate tomentose. Stamens shorter or equal to corolla; filaments basally whitish stellate villose on free part. Fruit globose, ca. 1 cm long, 3-valvate dehiscent, apex shortly pointed. (Hwang & Grimes 1996).
Distribution China southern Anhui, north east Jiangxi
Habitat Damp, shady areas in dense forest to c. 2000 m asl.
USDA Hardiness Zone 9b-10a
RHS Hardiness Rating H3
Conservation status Not evaluated (NE)
This species seem to be rare in cultivation, but Charles Williams of Caerhays Estate shared his experience cultivating this species. The estate’s ten year old plants initially required staking as they produced a single tall leading stem, before forming an umbrella-like head of top growth. Young plants were sparse flowerers but now flower reasonably well in comparison to other Styrax species. It flowers comparatively early, in late May or early June, and has good autumn colour. After 10 years the largest plant at Caerhays is c. 2 m tall with a crown 1.5 m across. (C. Williams, pers. comm. 2018).