Here is the new growth..
{{gwi:500437}}From Around the garden March 3, 2012

I first encountered this in a greenhouse at Edmonds Community College during the 1970s. Since then I have seen multiple outdoor examples. Jacobson, North American Landscape Trees (1995, Ten Speed, Berkeley) mentions a 1968 Seattle planting being 25' tall by 1995. This will surely be at the Seattle arboretum, especially since he was able to get the planting date.

In Trees of Seattle - Second Edition (2006) Jacobson mentions one at the arboretum 29' tall (probably measured 2005). This is liable to be the same specimen. Two other, much smaller Seattle examples are also noted.

I am not surprised there are some in Seattle. It should do well there.

It's also in the David C Lam Asian Garden at UBC in Vancouver.

My 12' Neolitsea sericea is not looking well after low single gigits with wind. It might be a stump or limb sprouter.

For anyone wanting to try one of these, Forestfarm has it in various sizes and Camellia Forest currently offers it in a 1-gallon size.

"My 12' Neolitsea sericea is not looking well after low single gigits with wind. It might be a stump or limb sprouter."

Good to know, and confirms my general wariness of the lesser known southern Asian broad leaved evergreens. Or at least my inclination to let other people test their hardiness! Although I admit I ordered a Cinnamomum from Camforest...I can't resist trying one. But there will always be outliers like Lithocarpus henryi or Illicium henryi (maybe Henry was only looking for very hardy BLEs?) both of which have been known to survive -10F or lower. But generally speaking there are scores of zn 8 hardy BLEs, many more zn 9 hardy ones, and possibly hundreds of zn 10 only ones in SE Asia. Just look at how big that recent volume of Chinese woody plants is. At least with that Neolitsea I don't think Camforest was ever setting unrealistic expectations for it.

(jury is still out regarding susceptibility to laurel wilt).

Well, since so many of these pathogens seem to come from SE Asia, I'm thinking it will probably be ok.