Plant Index


 
 
 
 

Franklinia alatamaha

Franklinia alatamaha W. Bartram ex Marshall

franklinia, franklin tree

Synonym(s): Gordonia alatamaha, Gordonia pubescens
Franklinia alatamaha (Franklinia)
Image ID: 8161
Image by: Parkins, Grant Morrow
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: FRAL
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Franklinia alatamaha
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-02-13

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: FRANK2
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Franklinia
GENUS AUTHORITY: W. Bartram ex Marshall
GENUS COMMON: Franklin tree
GENUS SUMMARY: A monotypic genus, apparently endemic to e. GA (now presumably extinct in the wild). Franklinia is actually most closely related to the Asian genus Schima (Prince & Parks 2001); its closest relative in North America is Gordonia, from which it differs in its deciduous leaves (vs. evergreen) and globose fruits (vs. pointed).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Prince in FNA (2009); Bozeman & Rogers (1986); Stevens, Dressler, & Weitzman in Kubitzki (2004).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: THEACE
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Theaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: D. Don 1825
FAMILY COMMON: Tea Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: With a more circumscribed definition (excluding Pentaphylacaceae), a family of about 9 genera and 450 species, trees and shrubs, of primarily tropical and subtropical regions of the Old and New Worlds.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Prince in FNA (2009); Prince & Parks (2001); Stevens, Dressler, & Weitzman in Kubitzki (2004).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Franklin tree is a lovely small tree or shrub with camellia-like flowers and an orange blossom scent. It flowers profusely and continuously from late summer to frost. Fall color for this plant is also striking and ranges from red to maroon. Though the species has survived in cultivation, it is somewhat particular about its surroundings and is not always easy to grow.
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS: The interesting story that accounts for every known specimen of this plant begins with John and William Bartram. In 1765, these well known botanists came upon a “rare and elegant flowering shrub” along the Altamaha River in Georgia. They collected seeds and brought them to Philadelphia to grow in their botanical garden. The plant was named Franklinia for Benjamin Franklin. Franklin Tree was rare even when the Bartrams first found it in 1765. It has not been seen in the wild since 1803 and all modern specimens are direct descendents of the plants raised by the Bartrams in Philadelphia. The plant may now be found in the gardens of Franklin Tree enthusiasts throughout the world.
HEIGHT: 10-20 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Shrub, Tree

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME:
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
x x

BLOOM COLOR:
White Red Pink Orange Yellow Green Blue Lavender Purple Violet Brown Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: GA (extinct) - now only in cultivation

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id Project Collection date Collector Action
148 HORT 2010-01-01 Liloia View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id acc_num acc_dt coll_id Action
147 2010-0063 2010-11-29 148 View
881 1985-0554 View
3580 1991-0238 View
6856 1998-0062 View
7025 1998-0308 View
7027 1998-0310 View
7165 1999-0126 1999-11-02 View
8031 2004-0039 2004-05-24 View
8665 2006-0270 2006-09-21 View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num acc_id loc_num pers_num inst_dt Action
287 147 48 Mixon 2013-06-01 View
1642 881 153 NCBG staff 1980-12-19 View
5844 3580 6 NCBG staff 1991-05-01 View
9718 6856 160 NCBG staff 1997-11-07 View
9903 7025 166 NCBG staff 1998-07-25 View
9905 7027 8 NCBG staff 1997-03-01 View
10110 7165 163 NCBG staff 1999-10-01 View
10111 7165 173 NCBG staff 1999-10-01 View
11279 8031 118 NCBG staff 2001-07-01 View
12201 8665 168 Stern 2007-12-15 View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: FRAL
USDA Common Name: Franklin Tree
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (GA)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Franklinia alatamaha
COMMON NAME: Franklinia
SYNONYMY: [= FNA, K, S; = Gordonia alatamaha (Bartram ex Marshall) Sargent]
PHENOLOGY:
HABITAT: Habitat speculative, probably dry sandy ridges, near the mouth of the Altamaha River; believed to be extinct in the wild.
COMMENTS: It was native to the Coastal Plain of GA, where it was found by William Bartram near the mouth of the Altamaha River. It has not been seen in the wild since 1803 and is now considered to be extinct in the wild. It is sometimes cultivated in our area. Bozeman & Rogers (1986) discuss the history of this tree.
RANGE MAP: Franklinia alatamaha.png

Key to Map Symbols
ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Theaceae D. Don 1825 (Tea Family)
SUMMARY: With a more circumscribed definition (excluding Pentaphylacaceae), a family of about 9 genera and 450 species, trees and shrubs, of primarily tropical and subtropical regions of the Old and New Worlds.
REFERENCE: Prince in FNA (2009); Prince & Parks (2001); Stevens, Dressler, & Weitzman in Kubitzki (2004).
ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Franklinia W. Bartram ex Marshall (Franklin tree)
SUMMARY: A monotypic genus, apparently endemic to e. GA (now presumably extinct in the wild). Franklinia is actually most closely related to the Asian genus Schima (Prince & Parks 2001); its closest relative in North America is Gordonia, from which it differs in its deciduous leaves (vs. evergreen) and globose fruits (vs. pointed).
REFERENCE: Prince in FNA (2009); Bozeman & Rogers (1986); Stevens, Dressler, & Weitzman in Kubitzki (2004).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Franklinia alatamaha in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Franklinia alatamaha in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Franklinia alatamaha in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Franklinia alatamaha in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Franklinia alatamaha in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Franklinia alatamaha

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 8161 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 8161 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 8164 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 8161 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)

From the Image Gallery


Image ID: 8164

Image ID: 80399

Image ID: 8162

Image ID: 8163
5 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

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