Stewartia rostrata, Beaked Stewartia....now I get it

If I ever saw a "beaked" fruit, that's it. This Chinese stewartia lives alongside the path to the Pagoda on the China Valley side. It looked pretty miserable last summer, likely because, ofter the big Cedar came down last winter it was all of the sudden in full sun. The leaves bleached and large portions of them died. There wasn't really anything we could do about it. I'll be curious to see how it does this summer. My guess is, a lot better. This site isn't punishingly exposed; I bet it can adjust. Anyway, this year I'll pay closer attention.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've sort of ignored it heretofore. The flowers are supposed to be quite large, and that sounds right, but it's also supposed to be fragrant and I just missed that! Even among Stewartias, or Stuartias as the British have it, this species is quite uncommon, a rare species in an uncommon genus.