Franklinia alatamaha
Franklin Tree

Family:

Theaceae (Tea Family) 2

Genus:

Franklinia (Franklin Tree Franklinia Tree, Franklin) 1

Plant Type:

Tree 557

Growth Forms:

Upright 537

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 5 234

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Deciduous 794

Flower Notes:

White (Large (3-3.5" wide), 5-petaled white flowers with rich yellow stamens in the center; mid to late summer)

Foliage Notes:

Green (Glossy dark green summer foliage); Multi-Colored (Beautiful red, orange, and purple fall coloration)

Fruit Notes:

Brown (0.5-0.75", dry, rounded, 5-valved capsule in fall; not ornamentally important)

Ultimate Height:

10-20 feet

Ultimate Spread:

6-15 feet

Light Requirements:

Soil Notes:

Requires rich, well-drained, moist, acidic soils with high organic matter content

Range:

Georgia, but now apparently extinct

Diagnostic Characteristics:

Lustrous leaves (5-8" long) are alternate, simple, and obovate with an acuminate apex and serrated margins. The up to 0.5" long terminal buds are covered in silky pubescence. The smooth bark has grey and nearly black fissures.

Special Characteristics:

Flowering Characteristics 392

Fragrant Flowers 174

Fall Color 206

Notable Bark 161

Specimen 598

Additional Information

Franklinia is a small tree or large shrub that was originally discovered in 1773 by John Bartman (Royal Botanist for North America appointed by King George III) and his son, William. Together, they found a small group of the species growing along the Altamaha River in Georgia, and since then no other wild populations have been discovered. This is a rare plant that now appears to be extinct in the wild. All specimens of Franklinia alatamaha available today are supposedly descended from seeds collected and grown by the Bartmans. Important ornamental features of the Franklin Tree include interesting fissured bark (sometimes almost appearing striped), and crisp white flowers with an egg-yolk colored collection of stamens in the center. Franklinia can be rather fickle in its cultural demands, requiring moist, well-drained acid soils with high organic matter content, and it does not transplant well.