Large shrub or tree native to Japan and Korea, with a conical crown and peeling gray-brown bark that reveals orange or blue-purple trunk and branches. Deciduous bright green leaves, turning yellow or red in autumn, oval and 6-9 cm long. Blooms in July-August with solitary axillary flowers, white with a yellow throat, 5-6 cm wide, followed by woody fruits about 2 cm long. Requires soils with non-stagnant moisture. Used alone or in groups in lawns.