In June the small, white, cupped flowers appear, opening over a four-week period but are not particularly striking. The smooth cinnamon-brown bark is outstanding and help to make Tall Stewartia quite striking in the winter landscape.

Tall Stewartia grows 20 to 25 feet in height in as many years though it has been known to reach 80 feet, its young pyramidal crown maturing into an open, multi-trunked form with somewhat horizontal branches. The 1.5 to 2.5-inch-long dark green leaves cast light shade below this deciduous tree, and cling well into the fall after changing to an attractive deep red.