Franklin Tree

Description:

Franklinia alatamaha is a deciduous large shrub or small tree growing to 10 m (33 ft) tall, but commonly 4.5–7.5 m (15–25 ft). It is commercially available for garden cultivation. It is prized for its fragrant white flowers, similar to camellia blossoms.it has flowers that smell like honeysuckles. The tree has a symmetrical, somewhat pyramidal shape, with different individuals of the species forming almost identical crowns. It forms several vertical trunks close to ground level. The bark is gray with vertical white striations and has a ridged texture. The alternate, obovate leaves are up to 6 in (15 cm) in length and turn a bright orange-red in the fall. Although difficult to transplant, once established Franklinia can live a century or more. Franklinia fruit develops slowly. The seed capsules require 12–14 months to mature. When ripe the 5-valved spherical capsules split above and below in a unique manner. Anecdotal evidence suggests viable seed production is enhanced where two or more plants are present in close proximity.

Habitat:

Franklinia is a monotypic genus in the tea plant family, Theaceae. The sole species in this genus is a flowering tree, Franklinia alatamaha, commonly called the Franklin tree, and native to the Altamaha River valley in Georgia in the southeastern United States. It has been extinct in the wild since the early 19th century, but survives as a cultivated ornamental tree. In the past, some botanists have included Franklinia within the related genus Gordonia. The southeastern North American species Gordonia lasianthus differs in having evergreen foliage, flowers with longer stems, winged seeds, and conical seed capsules. (Franklinia was often known as Gordonia pubescens until the middle of the 20th century.) Franklinia is now thought to be closer in relation to the Asian genus Schima. Recent DNA studies and examinations of floral ontogeny in the Theaceae place Franklinia together with Gordonia and Schima in a subtribe. (Tsou 1998). Hybrid crosses have been produced between Franklinia alatamaha and Gordonia lasianthus, and between Franklinia alatamaha and Schima argentea. (Orton 1977; Ranney et al. 2003).

Notes:

this tree was photographed at the Graham Arboretum in Seattle, Washington