Could be "Burning Bush' (Euonymus alata) if it goes brilliant red in the fall. Where are you - does it grow locally, or was it in a nursery?
Unfortunately, I don't think so. I know well Euonymus alatus. It doesn't look like this: leaves, stem and fruits. I live in Normandy, France zone7. Thanks for helping me.
I believe it's a Stewartia, but would hesitate to say which species. Have a look at fruit structure as illustrated on this web page: http://www005.upp.so-net.ne.jp/goostake/GOO/XNATUTUB.HTM
Most likely Stewartia serrata. Also looks like S. monadelpha, but it isn't. S. monadelpha has buds with several imbricate scales . I see only one pair of outer scales per bud in your pictures.
With this genus the fruit is a key feature. That shown here resembles common stewartia (S. pseudocamellia). If foliage resembles tall stewartia (S. monadelpha) that might be due to hybridity. Seedlings resulting from crosses between these two are rather frequent in nurseries here. Probably due to stock being grown from open-pollinated seed in collections.
What is the length of the leaves, JPierre? How about S. rostrata, which has leaves about 15 cm long, twice the length of those of three species mentioned above. a link: http://132.236.163.186/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?family=Theaceae I attach a photo of S. pseudocamellia I took today. This doesn't match yours.
I walked by a common stewartia (S. pseudocamellia) in a nursery today. Same leaves as in picture. Beaked stewartia (S. rostrata) makes a boxy capsule, thought partly to resemble a rostrum - thus the species name. With those multiple large bracts around the capsule the second photo is not usual for common stewartia. Identification suspect.
The "sepals" are what I was talking about, of course. I think Spongberg's treatment has a different term, which I would use here if I remembered it.
Hi everyone. I attach a photo of Stewartia serrata I took today near the peak of Mt. Hikosan (1200m) where I believe its type specimen was collected. There was no leaves left on the branches.
Notice the large 'sepals'. SS. monadelpha, rostrata, serrata and sinensis are all of a similar type with prominent multiple 'sepals', unlike S. pseudocamellia. UBC Lam Asian Garden has S. sinensis and one or two others of the first four mentioned here planted together, as though to provide an opportunity for comparison. The supposedly rare hybrid between S. monadelpha and S. pseudocamellia, called S. x henryae has been common in nurseries here. I have assumed seeds are being taken from collections where both species are present and being used to grow new stock. I have also seen the hybrid offered here as S. sinensis. A grouping of several of these was also grown for some years as S. sinensis at the Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle, until A.L. Jacobson pointed out that they were actually examples of the Henry stewartia. There is also one of these hybrids at the Carl English Botanical Garden, Seattle. I don't remember what name it was being grown under. Unfortunately, the hybrid seems to have a tendency for the attractive attributes of both parents to be watered down. Most of the many examples I have seen here have been bland in appearance, with intermediate (smallish flowers), poor bark and underdeveloped or even apparently absent 'sepals'.
