Polyspora axillaris

Polyspora axillaris, the fried egg tree, is a glossy, small evergreen tree or large shrub of the tea family, Theaceae, native to southern China, Taiwan, and Vietnam and still rarely cultivated in the United States. A close relative of the native loblolly bay (Gordonia lasianthus), the plant bears abundant, showy white flowers three inches across.

The flowers are the whole show: large, crisp white, camellia-like blooms with a bold central boss of bright yellow stamens, so like a fried egg that the common name writes itself. Bloom comes in late fall and winter, an elegant splash of white when little else in the garden is flowering, and the mildly fragrant, nectar-rich blooms draw the season's bees.

The glossy, dark green, leathery leaves make a dense, handsome canopy the rest of the year, and the plant suits mild regions best, zone 9 and the warmer parts of zone 8. Give full sun to part shade and acid, well-drained soil, with afternoon shade in the fiercest heat, and shelter the large flowers from strong wind.

Woodlanders originally propagated cuttings of this uncommon species from a specimen then in cultivation at the famous Tom Dodd Nurseries in Semmes, Alabama. A collector's evergreen for the adventurous southern gardener who wants camellia-like flowers at an unexpected season.

Photo courtesy of Jim Robbins.