Korean stewartia (Stewartia koreana)

Stewartia is known for its smooth brown or gray bark that peels in flakes showing orange, yellow, brown, or tan new bark underneath. The bark of Korean Stewartia is one of the most outstanding, with orange patches showing through the flaking, gray bark. The genus was named in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus to honor John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. Owing to a transcription error, Linnaeus was given the name as “Stewart,” and consequently spelled the name “Stewartia.” The misspelling does not diminish the beautiful nature of the stewartia bark.

The Identitatum Arborum collection of knitting patterns was created in conjunction with an art installation made for the Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, Massachusetts in summer 2016 for the Natural Threads exhibition. In that art installation I explored the idea of identity using trees as a metaphor.