Chinese Schima. Scott McMahan of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville, GA campus first told me of this species and insisted that we must grow it. He shared cuttings of it with me upon a visit to Gainesville in 2022. His specimen was growing in almost full sun during midday with early morning and late afternoon shade from large deciduous hardwoods. It survived the 2022 polar vortex unscathed. This species is of course in the Camellia family, Theaceae, and produces terminal panicles of 5 to 9 two inch white flowers. It is very similar to Schima superba which we have grown for years. This is most likely an American first offering of this species. In its native habitats of China, it is reputed to range from 26-58 ft. in height, somewhat lower than Schima superba. I would speculate that it would be half that for all practical purposes here in the U. S. Initially we have observed 18-26 inches of growth in a season. I am speculating that zone 7 would be its northern range, with zone 9 its southern limits. Photos are compliments of Scott McMahan.
Zones 7-9
