Stewartia rostrata bud.....I must have been missing this stage

Something else I have to admit: that I walked by it for two springs and didn't notice! It's crazy isn't it? Bright red bracts enclose a bud revealing petals flushed in patches with red. I don't remember this and it isn't because I'm old, it's because I missed it twice. I Googled the species and looked at some pictures; clearly this is typical. A few photos of newly opened flowers showed some red on the petals. A very nice plant and one that ought to have a larger presence in the trade.

The pointed configuration of the petals in bud curiously presages the "rostrate" (beaked) shape of the fruit that give the plant it's name.

When the large Cedar fell two winters back it took most of the afternoon shade from this Stewartia. It turned crispy brown last summer but obviously has recovered. We'll have to see how it does this summer.